A Book for Boys and Girls

First published in 1686, A Book for Boys and Girls—later known as Divine Emblems—is John Bunyan’s ingenious attempt to “play the fool” in order to win the souls of children and the “childish” alike.

For over three centuries, most editions of this work have been heavily abridged, often omitting more than half of Bunyan’s original verses. This North Pass Press edition restores the 1686 original in its entirety, presenting the first modern retypesetting of the unabridged text. From the “Egg” and the “Frog” to the “Swallow” and the “Bee,” these “divine emblems” are designed to hit the mark when graver thunderbolts miss their target.

Including Bunyan’s charming Help to Children to Learn to Read English, this edition is a comprehensive restoration of a spiritual and literary masterpiece disguised as a children's book—a book for those who are "at their hornbook," and for anyone who wishes to see great truths shine through little things.