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The literary genre of “thumb bibles” belongs to the category of miniature books and is a subtype of children's bibles. Thumb bibles summarize the full bible by paraphrasing selected biblical narratives. Adhering to the Reformation principle of sola scriptura, their aim is to teach children and youth the biblical basics. For this purpose, many of them are illustrated. Popular with collectors, thumb bibles have largely been ignored by researchers. This publication is the first academic study of thumb bibles. For the first time in their centuries-long history, it explores their genesis in Britain, investigates their subsequent development in Germany, and presents their climax in America. What emerges is the theological, literary, pedagogical and pious profile of a fascinating genre.
This book is a translation of Daumen-Bibel: Eine Untersuchung zu Geschichte und Profil einer literarischen Gattung (V&R unipress, 2021).
This book is a translation of Daumen-Bibel: Eine Untersuchung zu Geschichte und Profil einer literarischen Gattung (V&R unipress, 2021).
Price: $218.00
Pages: 430
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Series: Library of the Written Word - The Handpress World
Publication Date:
12 December 2022
ISBN: 9789004525870
Format: Other
“Thumb Bibles is a thorough study of the origins, evolution, and decline of an interesting genre that has been underrepresented in scholarly work thus far. The book is richly illustrated with over 170 images that, as was the case in Thumb Bibles for children, not only illuminate the text but also add to the experience of reading this book.”
Renske Hoff, Utrecht University. In: Quaerendo, Vol. 56, No. 1 (2026), pp. 76–78.
Renske Hoff, Utrecht University. In: Quaerendo, Vol. 56, No. 1 (2026), pp. 76–78.
Gottfried Adam, Dr. theol., is Professor emeritus of Religious Education at the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Vienna, Austria. He has published widely on the literary genre of children´s bibles.