Joh. Amos Comenius's Visible World - Or a Nomenclature, and Pictures of All the Chief Things That Are in the World, and of Men's Employments Therein #232427

First, It will aford a device for learning to read more easily than hitherto, especially having a symbolical al/tha bet set before it, to wit, the characters of the several let ters, with the image of that creature whose voice that letter goeth about to imitate, pictured by it. For the young a b c scholar will easily remember the force of eve ry character by the very looking upon the creature, till the imagination being strengthened by use, can readily afford all things; and then having looked over a table of the chief syllables also (which yet was not thought neces sary to be added to this book) he may proceed to the viewing of the pictures, and the inscriptions set over them. \vhere again the very looking upon the thing pictured, suggesting the name of the thing, will tell him how the title of the picture is to be read. And thus the whole book being gone over by the bare titles of the pictures, reading cannot but be learned; and indeed too, which thing is to be noted, without using any ordinary tedious sflelling, that most troublesome torture of wits, which may wholly be avoided by this method. For the often reading over the book, by those larger descriptions of things, and which are set after the pictures, will be able perfectly to beget a habit of reading. Second, The same book being used in English, in English schools, will serve for the [tetfecl learning of the whole English tongue, and that from the bottom because by the aforesaid descriptions of things, the words and phrases of the whole language are found set orderly in their own places. And a short English Grammar might be added at the end, clearly resolving the speech already under. Stood into its parts; 'showing the declining of the sevelo preface.