The value of literacy was widely proclaimed by religious and secular authors in early modern England. From the reformation to the industrial revolution there was a constant clamour among men of God and men of letters to the effect that reading and writing brought enormous benefits to whoever possessed those skills. Spiritual benefits and worldly advantages would reward those people who learned to read and write and who made proper use of their literacy. Horrors and difficulties were forecast for the unfortunates who failed to embrace literacy, and pity was extended to the illiterates who were unable to remedy their condition. Literacy was highly desirable, at least in the minds of those who already had it.

The case for literacy was persuasive. A person who could read was better equipped to prepare for salvation than his illiterate fellow Christians and was more likely, in the view of protestant divines, to lead a life of duty and godliness. Without the equipment of literacy he could not fully meet the obligations or reap the rewards of the protestant Christian experience. Practical and intellectual advantages were also at stake. One who could read was more likely to be at ease in a world which was increasingly dominated by written instruments and instructions, documented decisions, correspondence, record-keeping and the printed book.