The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

III. Amazing Time Span, Sheer Output, and Range of Subjects

As stated, the literary life of Ellen G. White was truly remarkable. The actual span of the years of her writings is in itself extraordinary, while the voluminous output of books and periodical articles is practically without a parallel. The diversified range of subjects is similarly amazing. Ellen White’s earliest published article appeared in an Ohio journal in 1846, when she was eighteen. The last of her 4,500 periodical articles was printed in 1915-sixty-eight years later, at the age of eighty-seven, the year of her death. CFF2 710.1

While Mrs. White’s first book was published in 1851, her seventieth work was issued in 1915-a time spread of sixty-four years. And some thirty volumes have been published posthumously from materials she had written during her long life. These include various valuable compilations on special topics drawn from the wide range of her periodical articles and unpublished manuscripts. The E. G. White books in current circulation in 1961 numbered fifty-four, with a total of 23,184 pages. This itself is remarkable. CFF2 710.2

1. MERE PAGINATION OF PRINCIPAL WORKS IMPRESSIVE

The mere size of her more important works in this long line is likewise noteworthy, along with their continuity of issuance. These range from one of 219 pages in 1858, to another of 304 pages in 1864, and yet another of 414 pages in 1870. Next came a steady succession of other volumes-of 396 pages in 1877, 442 in 1878, 334 in 1883, 492 in 1884. Then follows a continuing output of her most important books-of 745 pages in 1889, 471 pages in 1892, 835 pages in 1898, 421 pages in 1900, 602 pages in 1911, 556 pages in 1913-and two books, of 520 pages and 254 pages, respectively, published in 1915, the year of her death. CFF2 710.3

Of volumes written prior to 1915 but printed posthumously, the leading ones are Prophets and Kings (733 pages) in 1916, Fundamentals of Christian Education (540 pages) in 1923, Messages to Young People (466 pages) in 1930, Medical Ministry (355 pages) in 1932, Counsels on Diet and Foods (498 pages) in 1938, Evangelism (707 pages) in 1946, The Advent-ist Home (583 pages) in 1952, Child Guidance (570 pages) in 1954, Sons and Daughters of God (383 pages) in 1955, Selected Messages, book one (448 pages); book two (512 pages), in 1958, and The Faith I Live By (384 pages), in 1958. CFF2 711.1

2. TREMENDOUS CIRCULATION OF LEADING BOOKS

In extent of circulation and translation, her devotional Steps to Christ (153 pages), first issued by the Fleming H. Revell Company in 1892, has had a distribution of more than ten million copies and has been issued in eighty-three languages. It is one of the most precious gems in the diadem of Christian literature on the plan of redemption and God’s promises and provisions for partaking of its benefits. Others, such as The Great Controversy, translated into forty languages, have had a distribution of more than one and a half million copies, while The Desire of Ages has had a circulation of well over a million. CFF2 711.2

3. WIDE DIVERSITY OF SUBJECT MATTER

The wide diversity of subject matter in Mrs. White’s writings is similarly astonishing. As we have seen, some books were descriptive, doctrinal, and expositional-as found in the Conflict of the Ages series, which presents the great sweep of the ages in their historical and Biblical settings. Others are devotional and inspirational. Some fall into the category of admonition, warning, and searching counsel, plumbing the depths of Christian morality and dedicated service. Some are Bible biographies. Others deal with the more personal fields of marriage, parenthood, homemaking, and child guidance. And as mentioned, perhaps her greatest work, The Desire of Ages, is an amazingly beautiful and impressive life of Christ. CFF2 711.3

In sheer total volume there are now 23,184 pages in the current E. G. White books. And if the 4,500 articles that have appeared in periodicals were reduced to book pages, they would total another 20,000 pages, or a total of 43,184 pages in all. It might be added, parenthetically, that there was frequently a difference of opinion between Mrs. White and the publishers regarding the size of her books. She wanted to present the subject very fully, while the publishers usually desired condensation so as to reduce their size and cost. Sometimes she yielded to their urging. At other times she insisted on the incorporation of the full text of her manuscript. Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and Christ’s Object Lessons were the overflow, as it were, from The Desire of Ages. CFF2 712.1

4. GREATEST WORKS WRITTEN AFTER SIXTY-FIVE

It might also be stated that many of her greatest works were published after she was sixty-five years of age-Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing; The Desire of Ages; Christ’s Object Lessons; Education; The Ministry of Healing; The Acts of the Apostles; Gospel Workers; and Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students. Some were posthumously published, such as Prophets and Kings, Counsels on Health, Medical Ministry, and numerous lesser works. Such is the record. Clarity, force, beauty, and incisiveness mark these writings. They have a merit that is more than literary. Many of them are classics in their respective fields., CFF2 712.2