The New-England Primer

John Cotton penned his primer and catechesism in the 1600s, but the Puritans brought it with them when they came to America, where it it flourished. Indeed, one of our earliest copies available is this facsimile version from 1777, which was sub-titled, "Improved for The More Easy Attaining the True Reading of English." Witness in this careful reproduction how seamlessly the teaching of literacy in the colonies was with teaching of Christianity. Many reproductions of this primer are small and hard to read, but this edition has slightly increased the size of the text so that it is more readable. As with any facsimile, all the flaws will by definition be retained. On the same measure, all the aspects that made the work great remain, too.