Joseph Hazard's Compendious History, the earliest English-language example of a Children's Bible, provides a valuable glimpse into what a common English reader of the early 18th century might suppose the Bible taught. This popular book is based on a French original by Nicolas Fontaine, and the illustrations on engravings by Matthaus Merian. The second edition is reproduced here in a presentation very close to a facsimile, preserving many of the idiosyncrasies of typesetting and presentation (since these contribute significantly to the way the book conveys its interpretation of the Bible). With numerous omissions, some repetition, and surprising selection of incidents, the Compenidous History opens a window into the state of biblical literacy in early Georgian England. It will interest general readers, parents of literary-minded children, scholars of children's literature, of 18th-century literature, of church history, of rewritten Bible and of the reception history of the Bible, and all who relish the peculiar cultural history of the English Bible. ""Hazard's Compendium is one of the more curious and delightful of the attempts, frequent in the first centuries of print, to render the Bible accessible and inspiring to new readers -- especially young readers. A. K. M. Adam has given us a wonderful gift in this new edition of a once-famous work."" --Alan Jacobs, Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Honors Program, Baylor University ""Recent treatment of the Bible as graphic novels by Brenden Powell Smith, Robert Crumb and Chester Brown reveal both the way visual re-presentation of biblical text is a form of interpretation and the often 'graphic' violence and sexuality inherent in Bible stories, themselves. Such treatments of Bible, integral as they are in popular culture and in a genre geared toward mass consumption, have a perpetually contemporary and edgy feel. Even brief time with A Compendious History--looking at its (sometimes salaciously or violently) graphic plates, considering what is (and what is not) shown--offers a healthy dose of historical perspective. 'Graphic novelization' of the Bible is nothing new--and is endlessly fascinating. This book will engross anyone interested in either the Bible or in the history of comics. Thanks be to Adam for bringing it back to the present conversation."" --Robert Paul Seesengood, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Chair of Classical Languages, Albright College A. K. M. Adam is Tutor of New Testament and Greek at St Stephen's House, and College Lecturer in Theology at Oriel College, Oxford University; he has taught at Princeton Theological Seminary, Duke University, the University of Glasgow. His research involves the reception history of the Bible, hermeneutics, and biblical theology and ethics. He is the author of Flesh and Bones: Sermons and Making Sense of New Testament Theology.
