A Tale of a Tub
At the core of Swift's satire The Tale of a Tub (1704) is a simple narrative of a father who has triplets: Martin, Peter and Jack, who symbolize the Anglican, the Roman Catholic, and the Calvinist churches. Of course Swift's portrayal of Peter allows the ridicule of specific doctrines and practices of Catholicism, such as purgatory and transubstantiation. In old age, Swift is reported to have said of his famous satire on religious dogmatism: 'God, what a genius I had when I wrote that book!' Although published anonymously, it established his reputation. Above is a modern Penguin edition, with a typographically 'debossed' cover.