Ellen White: Woman of Vision

Considerations Initiated By Plans For A New Edition

The Great Controversy was Ellen White's most important book. She regarded it as a volume designed to win readers to an understanding and acceptance of the light of present truth. This lifted the matter of a new edition somewhat above the mechanical production of a volume for literature evangelists to introduce to the people of the world, to the excellence of the text itself, depicting the great controversy story in an accurate and winning way. WV 526.5

So, relatively early in 1910, there loomed before Ellen White, her staff, and the publishers the task of perfecting the text to reflect a precision of expression and the employment of words acceptable to both Catholic and Protestant readers. The steps to accomplish this were grasped somewhat progressively. While Ellen White, with a full sense of this implication, carried the responsibility for many changes in the text, she delegated the details of the work to several members of her experienced and trusted office staff. But she held herself as the ultimate judge, and she would from time to time consider specific points and finally review the text of the manuscript. WV 526.6

It should be stated here that neither Mrs. White nor her staff considered what was done as an actual “revision,” and all studiously avoided the use of the term, for it was entirely too broad in its connotation. WV 526.7

It was agreed upon early that the new edition of the book should be held as nearly as possible, page for page, to the widely circulated 1888 printing. At the outset, work on the illustrations for the new book had been undertaken. This was a point of importance in a volume to be sold by colporteurs. WV 527.1

The typesetting that had begun was now being held in abeyance. W. C. White at first thought that the delay would be only a week or two, allowing, as he said in his letter to Jones on May 17, 1910, for “careful study of suggestions ... recently received from brethren connected with the Review and Herald.” White continued: WV 527.2

You may be sure we will do all we can to minimize the changes, not only in the pages molded and in the pages set, but in the whole book. We feel, however, that now is the time to give faithful consideration to the suggestions that have been made to us. WV 527.3