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The Fireside Picture Alphabet
The Fireside Picture Alphabet

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Fireside Picture Alphabet is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Fireside Picture Alphabet
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MAYHEW & BAKER.
208 WASHINGTON ST.
208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.
New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Fireside Picture Alphabet

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Fireside Picture Alphabet is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MAYHEW & BAKER.
Line 2
208 WASHINGTON ST.
Line 3
208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
Line 4
Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.
/lɑːrdʒ ˈkwɔːrtoʊ ˈprɪntɪd ɪn red ənd blæk ɑːn θɪk ˈhevi ˈpeɪpər ənd ˌʌnsərˈpæst fɔːr staɪl ʌv ˈprɪntɪŋ baɪ ˈeni əˈmerəkən ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃən/
Line 5
New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.
/nuː ənd dɪˈlaɪtfəl ˈmɔːrəl ˈstɔːriz wɪð ˈkɑːmɪk ˌɪləˈstreɪʃənz/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

baker noun US /ˈbeɪkər/

someone who bakes commercially

From this reading “MAYHEW & BAKER.”

Illustrated verb US /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/

past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of

From this reading “208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.”

Illustrations noun US /ˌɪləˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive

From this reading “New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.”

Juveniles noun US /ˈdʒuːvənəlz/

plural of “juvenile” — a young person, not fully developed

From this reading “208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.”

printing noun US /ˈprɪntɪŋ/

text handwritten in the style of printed matter

From this reading “Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.”

Publish verb US /ˈpʌblɪʃ/

put into print

From this reading “208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.”

Quarto noun US /ˈkwɔːrtoʊ/

the size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper twice to form four leaves

From this reading “Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.”

unsurpassed adjective US /ˌʌnsərˈpæst/

not capable of being improved on

From this reading “Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.”

All words in this reading · 43

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

208

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 208 WASHINGTON ST.

AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

BAKERnounUS /ˈbeɪkər/

someone who bakes commercially

From this reading MAYHEW & BAKER.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

BostonnounUS /ˈbɑːstən/

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

ChildrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

comicadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmɪk/

arousing or provoking laughter

From this reading New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.

delightfuladjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.

FOLKSnounUS /foʊks/

your parents

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

IllustratedverbUS /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/

past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

IllustrationsnounUS /ˌɪləˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive

From this reading New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

JuvenilesnounUS /ˈdʒuːvənəlz/

plural of “juvenile” — a young person, not fully developed

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

LargeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

listverbUS /lɪst/

give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

LITTLEadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

MAYHEW

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MAYHEW & BAKER.

moraladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrəl/

concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles

From this reading New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

papernounUS /ˈpeɪpər/

a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

printedverbUS /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

printingnounUS /ˈprɪntɪŋ/

text handwritten in the style of printed matter

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

publicationnounUS /ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃən/

a copy of a printed work offered for distribution

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

PublishverbUS /ˈpʌblɪʃ/

put into print

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

QuartonounUS /ˈkwɔːrtoʊ/

the size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper twice to form four leaves

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

ST

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 208 WASHINGTON ST.

storiesnounUS /ˈstɔːriz/

plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.

stylenounUS /staɪl/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading 208 Washington St., Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children: FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

thickadjectiveUS /θɪk/

not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

unsurpassedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnsərˈpæst/

not capable of being improved on

From this reading Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, and unsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication.

WASHINGTONnounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading 208 WASHINGTON ST.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading New and delightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations.

Chapter 1 of The Fireside Picture Alphabet by John [Illustrator] Andrew holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of The Fireside Picture Alphabet contain?

Chapter 1 holds 138 sentences of The Fireside Picture Alphabet, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Fireside Picture Alphabet by John [Illustrator] Andrew exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Fireside Picture Alphabet?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Fireside Picture Alphabet

Common questions about reading The Fireside Picture Alphabet by John [Illustrator] Andrew on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Fireside Picture Alphabet?

Yes. All 138 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22399 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Fireside Picture Alphabet is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #22399, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Fireside Picture Alphabet take to read?

About 11 minutes of reading across 28 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Fireside Picture Alphabet section by section

How to work through The Fireside Picture Alphabet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Fireside Picture Alphabet to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Fireside Picture Alphabet

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Fireside Picture Alphabet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Mayhew
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fireside Picture Alphabet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Baker
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fireside Picture Alphabet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Washington
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fireside Picture Alphabet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Boston
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fireside Picture Alphabet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.