Antique Books and Christianity
Christianity has played a huge role in book publishing - that much is fact.
The first example of a European book printed on a mass scale was the Gutenburg Bible whilst the later work of popular Christian publishers such as the British and Foreign Bible Society ensured that book printing became cheaper and more affordable.
And even hundreds of years later, in the 1800's-1900's, Christianity still played a large role in book printing. This post aims to examine some of the more popular example of this, shown through real examples. I would like to apologize in advance for the vague and sporadic content of this article- I am by no means an expert on the topic.
From an early era
Many early books were published purely for their Christian values. Printing was originally seen to be a form of information dissemination that allowed Christians to spread the word of God to a larger audience.This meant that many early books were heavily Christian, with serious themes and topics.
This continued to the early 1900's, with many of the world's top selling books featuring heavily Christian themes. For example, A Tale of Two Cities featured Christian elements (R.E Resurrection) and has sold over 200 million copies, Steps to Christ has sold 60 million and In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do has sold over 30 million copies.
In fact, it would often be difficult to procure a publishing contract without Christian influence in the narrative. Hence many late Victorian and even Edwardian novels feature Christian elements.
Christian Buildings in illustrations
Illustration was rare and often counted as a luxury in books post 1800 so when these were included they had to be important and reflect an important image for the erader to enjoy. Great time was spent of these drawings and prints and many early books feature Christian buildings such as Cathedrals as these important plates.
The Pilgrim's Progress
This book is estimated to be one of the biggest selling in the world, having never been out of publication since it was first published in 1678. Hundreds of editions have since been published and numerous famous authors including C.S Lewis and Enid Blyton have referenced this book in their own works.
This is one of the most popular books in the world and also happens to be a religious tale - a fact that definitely played an important role in its rise to popularity.
The RTS (Religious Tract Society)
This famed publishing company was formed in 1799 and still runs today under a different name.
This company aimed to bring Christian texts and stories with a Christian influence to market for the poor and working class and published a huge range of books. These range from directly religious texts to stories with a Christian influence or underlying message.
Magazines
Magazines were popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's, often printed as large, well-bound volume compilations.
One of the most famous was The Strand Magazine which grew famous for Sir Arthur Concan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. However, these books also features stories and articles relating to Christianity which has been recorded as aiding the success of this publication.
Magazines like The Sunday Magazine and the Leisure Hour often embraced these Christian idylls in the hope that children might be taught the world of God from a young age.
These books were lavished great quality publishing upon them, featuring engravings of cathedrals and even coloured plates in some cases.
Magic and Mysticism
A popular topic arose in contrast to Christianity - that of Magic and the Occult. These type of books are increasingly valuable for their bold and controversial themes and were often published in very small numbers due to the lack of popularity in contrast to the wildly circulated Christian texts.
Modern Day
Even modern day books can garner a wide audience if the theme relates to Christianity.
For example, the hugely popular Da Vinci Code has sold in excess of 80 million copies and features Christian elements, even if on a somewhat different side to Victorian novels. Even teen books such as The Hunger Games can be related to Christian themes such as self-sacrifice and hope.
Final Word
Whilst some predict the demise of the book and note the weakening of Christianity, what is clear is that the two forms together have an important role in assisting each other to popularity.
Whilst the revolutionary power of Christian book publishers has dwindled, Christianity can still be witnessed in modern day books and has an important part to play in antique boo collecting and publishing heritage.
Thanks for reading and please share/ comment if this post interested you.
* Please note that the image of The Da Vinci Code is a stock image - all of the other photographs are my own.
