Description
Mary Jones was born into a poor Welsh family in December of 1784. In 18th century Britain and Wales, only clergy and the rich owned Bibles.
Mary's parents were Calvinist Methodists and brought their daughter up to love the Lord and His Word. She was taught to read in one of the schools established for poor families by the Reverend Thomas Charles of Bala, 25 miles from Mary's home at the foot of the Cader Idris mountain, in Gwynedd, North Wales
However, the only time that Mary could read the Word of God was while visiting a well-to-do family who lived two miles from her home and owned their own Bible.
So begins the story of Mary Jones and her Bible. It is a story of triumph over circumstances gained by a passion for the Word of God. It is the story of how a young girl's burning desire for more of the Lord so affected the heart of one man, that he made it his life's goal to provide Bibles to anyone who desired one. This goal resulted in the establishment of the British and Foreign Bible Society in London, England. "The experience of a 15-year old Welsh girl, Mary Jones, is at the heart of the initial founding of the Bible Society and the global network that now exists."
Through the years, Mary Jones and her Bible, penned by Mary E, Ropes in 1882, and later updated in 1919, has been read and enjoyed by millions of children. Today, the book remains on the Top 100 List of Christian and secular children's books on Amazon.com.
We have edited Ropes' original version and added commentary, footnotes, and definitions for terms not common today. Ropes' prose, however, remains intact because this is the version that has remained on the bestseller list for generations.
Mary Jones and her Bible is included in many home-schooling curriculum, is an excellent read-aloud book, and is suitable for all ages with a reading level of Grades 4 to 8.
Hollee J. Chadwick started her writing career when she was hired by Gibson Greeting Cards at age 17 as a freelance trainee. She continued working as a freelance writer in this field for over 30 years. She has also worked as an advertising copywriter, newspaper editor, humor columnist, and acquisitions editor.
Hollee now works as a freelance writer, editor, copy editor, and proofreader for Bridge-Logos Foundation, Lanico Media House, and Gale/Cengage Learning. She also does freelance work for various other publishers: technical, academic, fiction, and non-fiction.
She served as a judge for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Christian Book of the Year.
