Rare Pensylvania Children's Catechism
Der kleine Catechismus des sel. D. Martin Luthers. Nebst den gewöhnlichen Morgen- Tisch- und Abend-Gebten. Welchem die Ordnung des Heils, in einem Liede, in kurzen Sätzen, in Frag und Antwort, und in einer Tabelle; wie auch eine Zergliederung des Catechismus: Das Würtembergische kurze Kinder-Examen die Confirmation und Beichte beygefüget; und etliche Lieder, Freylinghausens Ordnung des Heils, das güldene A, B, C, der Kinder, und die sieben Buss-Psalmen, angehänget sind.
Germanton [Germantown, Pa.]: Leibert und Billmeyer, 1785.
Price: $2,500.00
About the item
First edition of the authorized version of the Pennsylvania Ministerium catechism. [iv], 127, [1] pp. 1 vols. 12mo. Rare Pensylvania Children's Catechism. Original boards. Binding worn, front cover and initial blank nearly detached, rear cover split at joint, leaves browned, pp. 87-94 are torn without any loss of text. In cloth slipcase. Arndt & Eck, The First Century of German Language Printing in the USA I, 632 (2 copies, one of which is incomplete); Shipton & Mooney 44712; Bristol B6095; Repp, Luther's Catechism Comes to America, p. 222; OCLC 62831685 (3 copies).
Item #5187
The German American catechisms played an important role in education, in addition to their obvious role in the moral training of the young, they were also used for instruction in reading and writing. This is the first edition of the authorized version of the Pennsylvania Ministerium catechism, whose source was Henrich Miller's 1774 and Johann Christoph Kunze's 1781 editions of the catechism. "This newly adopted catechism continued to be the official German text of the Ministerium for some 72 years, until it was replaced by a revision in 1857 ... During the long period in which it served as the official catechism it was printed by some 25 different printers in more than 70 years." - Repp.
