Book excerpt: "A classic of educational criticism proves its relevance in light of today's educational quandaries First published by McGraw-Hill in 1939, The Saber-Tooth Curriculum was a groundbreaking satire of the educational establishment, and its unwillingness to adapt to changing times. Throughout the decades, this witty work has not only become an educational classic, but has also remained as relevant and applicable to the key questions in education today as it was when first published. With tongue firmly in cheek, Peddiwell takes on the conflicting philosophies of education, from its imagined origins at the dawn of time to its culmination in a ritualistic, deeply entrenched social institution with rigidly prescribed norms and procedures. Developed within a fanciful framework of fictional lectures, given by fictional author Professor J. Abner Peddiwell, doyen in the History of Education at Petaluma State College, this humorous fable illustrates the progress of education and gives valuable insights into how it could continue to develop in the decades to come."--desc. of new 2004 ed., via amazon.ca.