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Archive: November 2023 (1 Post)

Book opened to two pages, showing woodcut of author on the left and title page on the right.

The First Children’s Picture Book Might Be This One

Posted by: Maria Peña

One of the first picture books for children was "Orbis Sensualium Pictus" ("Visible World in Pictures"), published by Johann Amos Comenius in 1658. Born in the present-day Czech republic, Comenius was a theologian and education reformer who believed in teaching children from a Christian perspective. His book, with 150 woodcut images, was popular across Europe for centuries. The Library has a 1664 edition published in London.