Early Illustrated Bible for American Children

The Holy Bible Abridged: Or, the History of the Old and New Testament.
Worcester, Massachusetts: Isaiah Thomas, Jr., and Isaiah Thomas, 1796. (Prothro B-318)

One of the most engaging early American Bibles in Mrs. Prothro’s collection is this abridged edition of 1796, illustrated with sixty small woodcuts. Dividing the Bible stories into twenty-four brief chapters, this is an early example of the drastic simplification of the scriptural texts in order to provide appropriate reading material for children.