General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4

ENGLISH BOOKS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE COLONIES

Although the English-speaking peoples in the world are about equally divided in number between those residing in the United States and Canada, and those residing in Great Britain, the Colonies, on the Continent of Europe, in Asia, Africa, South America, and Polynesia; and although the third angel’s message must go to all parts of the world so as to warn and prepare a people for the coming of the Lord, yet up to the present time about nine tenths of the energies of our people have been devoted to proclaiming the message to the people of the United States. In the book business a larger proportion of effort has been made outside of the United States than in other lines, and yet as we study the book sales in all parts of the world, we shall find nearly the same proportion. GCB April 2, 1901, page 8.12

The time is not far distant when we ought, in justice to the millions of English-speaking people outside of the United States, so to plan and execute our book business as to sell in this vast field one half as many books in the English language as are sold in the United States and Canada; and it seems to me to be a matter of the greatest importance that we carefully study ways and means by which we can quickly develop the business to these proportions. GCB April 2, 1901, page 9.1

One of the greatest obstacles to the rapid sale of a large number of our religious books in the British territory is the fact that in these books appear so many characteristics and marks indicating that they are written by American authors for American readers, and are published by American printing houses for American buyers. The disagreeable feelings aroused in the mind of a British reader when he meets with the references to dollars and cents, is naturally much greater than that of the American reader when he meets with references to pounds, shillings, and pence. The disagreeable feeling of a British student when he finds the fulfillment of prophecy delineated by a record of American history is greatly different from the feelings of an American reader who finds prophecy proved by references to British or continental history. This is not only natural but excusable from the fact that America is a young country, whose history is but little known to the European, whereas Great Britain and Europe are old countries from which the forefathers of all the Americans have come. GCB April 2, 1901, page 9.2

Experience has fully demonstrated the advisability, and in many cases the necessity, of having our books carefully and thoroughly revised and adapted for use in British countries. There may be a few works upon health, and some religious works, which require little or no change, but in a much larger number of our books changes are a necessity, and upon the skill and thoroughness with which the adaptation is done depends largely the usefulness of the British editions. GCB April 2, 1901, page 9.3

The time, labor, and expense necessary to prepare and adapt our books to the use of the British people will be no small burden to the publishing houses to which we look to supply reading-matter for the British public; and as matters now stand, it is a doubtful question whether the London publishing house or the Echo Publishing Company, single-handed will be able to do this work as it ought to be done without incurring serious losses. GCB April 2, 1901, page 9.4

This work of adaptation takes time, and our people are often impatient to have a book put upon the market as soon as they see it advertised in the American papers. Therefore, if the managers of the London publishing house undertake to do faithful and thorough work in revising and adapting a new book, and there is no understanding or agreement between it and the Echo Company, and between both of these companies and their general agents, the probabilities are that those managing the subscription book business in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, and South America will import considerable quantities of the American edition, and not only supply our own people, but introduce it into the canvassing field. Then when the revised and adapted edition comes out from the London office, the first and best demand for the book has been supplied, and the canvassing field has been marred and scarred by a premature and unsuccessful effort to introduce a book which was not perfectly suited to the market. The result will be that the sales of the carefully prepared book will be so small that both publishers and author will be discouraged, and say that the British book business does not amount to much, and is not worth the bother. GCB April 2, 1901, page 9.5