Sixteenth edition of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy

The sixteenth edition of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy was published in February 1886. It is considered to be a major revision of the book.

The “Key to the Scriptures” section of Science and Health had been added in the sixth edition, published in 1883, and only contained a Glossary chapter. Eddy expanded this section in the sixteenth edition by adding material: “Genesis” (moved from its earlier position in “Creation”), “Prayer and Atonement,” and “The Apocalypse.” The sixteenth edition also marked a return to publishing the book as one volume after having been published as two volumes since the third edition.

Scattered references in Eddy’s letters indicate that she had been working on the sixteenth edition for some months prior to its publication, and it also benefited from copy editing by James Henry Wiggin. Wiggin also produced an index for this edition, and an index remained a feature of the book until the 226th edition, published in 1902. At that time it was removed in preparation for the publication of a separate concordance, which came out the following year.

Mary Baker Eddy published the next major revision of her book, the fiftieth edition, in 1891.