A revised version was produced for the US market which was digitised and republished in 2005 as part of Making of America IV: the American voice, 1850–1877.

[4] Although it presented itself as an accurate science text,[1] the book actually promotes religious ideas, including divine design.

[5] The popularity of The Guide to Science enabled Brewer to gather material for his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable which remains a classic reference work.

Brewer intended his book to be intelligible to a child, since children might often ask the questions he sought to answer, but not so simple as to offend the scientific.

[8] Brewer bound his book into a volume and, disregarding advice from one man of science to burn it,[8] sought to have it published.

[21] These versions were edited and rearranged in order to make them more suitable for American pupils[22] and were used as a text-book by schools in Pennsylvania and Brooklyn.

[25] This edition was digitised and republished by the University of Michigan Library in 2005 following a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of Making of America IV: the American voice, 1850–1877.

[4][26] Brewer said that he consulted "the most approved modern authors" and submitted additions to "the revision of gentlemen of acknowledged reputation for scientific attainments".

[12] The success of The Guide to Science convinced Brewer that his readers still accepted religious explanations rather than evolutionary theory.