A curious hieroglyphick Bible; or, Select passages in the Old and New Testaments, represented with emblematical figures, for the amusement of youth …
Worcester, Massachusetts: Isaiah Thomas, 1788
Rare Book Division
A curious hieroglyphick Bible; or, Select passages in the Old and New Testaments, represented with emblematical figures, for the amusement of youth …
A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible was published in 1788 by Isaiah Thomas, one of the premier printers during the late colonial era and early years of the United States. It was intended to help juvenile readers learn both their ABC’s and Scripture, and it functioned in part like a rebus—a puzzle in which words are represented by playful combinations of pictures and individual letters. Featuring nearly 500 woodcut illustrations, it is notable for being the most heavily illustrated American book of its time.
While hieroglyphic Bibles were popular during the 18th century, with thousands of copies printed in the Americas and England, only four examples of the present edition are known, making it one of the great rarities in all of children’s literature.
Currently on View at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
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