Abstract
The history of the Community of True Inspiration now spans over three centuries: from its Radical Pietist origins in the Wetterau, Germany, through its communal phase in Ebenezer, New York, and Amana, Iowa, to the present-day Amana Church Society. Throughout that history the community has used books to edify and unite its membership, and to communicate with non-members. Already in Germany, in the period 1715-1844, the community published not less than 130 books, supplying content, editorial input, proofreading, and financial backing while using outside printers and binders. In America, the community had its own book printing press and book bindery, which were put to good use to produce 170 titles in the eighty years from 1849-1930. These totaled nearly 64,000 pages. Assuming conservatively an average print run of six hundred copies, we see that at least 102,000 books and 38 million pages were produced in communal Ebenezer and Amana. Given these impressive numbers it is somewhat surprising that we know very little about the community’s book production.
Date
10-1-2023
Volume
17
Number
4
First Page
268
Last Page
285
Journal Title
American Communal Societies Quarterly
ISSN
1939-473X
