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The Protestant culture of Reformation Europe and early America set great store on spreading the word of God through the printed word. The Protestant emphasis upon being able to read the Bible spawned relatively high literacy rates among early Protestants. A desire among parents and church leaders to immerse their children in their beliefs stimulated a demand for religious literature to read to or to be read by young people. This abridged scripture history was part of this long tradition of religious literature for children. Like many children's books being printed in the early 1800s, "Scripture History" was generously illustrated with simple woodcuts. By including scenes from the Bible such as the story of Adam and Eve, the author hoped to stimulate young readers "to study the sacred scriptures."

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