Who Will Publish It?

This was a time, too, when the matter of the publisher had to be settled. Consideration had been given to offering the manuscript to Fleming H. Revell, who had handled Steps to Christ in a very acceptable manner. W. C. White wrote:4BIO 388.4

[Mother] says that there are people who will be reached by the publications through outside publishers, who are not likely to get them from any of our agents; and she believes that much good has been accomplished through our placing Steps to Christ in the hands of Revell to publish.—8 WCW, p. 36.4BIO 388.5

W. C. White felt that there were important and far-reaching advantages of Revell doing the publishing. He mentioned one, perhaps little known to the average person: “He is brother-in-law to Moody, who is the leading American evangelist and [who] as far as I can see has the lead in evangelical literature.”— Ibid., 35.4BIO 388.6

Both SDA publishers, the Review and Herald and the Pacific Press, had issued a number of the E. G. White books, but things had become complicated since the enlarged and strengthened General Conference Association was handling denominational book publishing. That organization carried the responsibility of negotiating with the printers, and sent much of the work to the nearby Review and Herald. By contract, the Pacific Press stood in a reasonable degree of independence, and Ellen White could negotiate with them directly. The experience of the General Conference Association in publishing Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing (a spinoff of the “Life of Christ” manuscript), particularly in the matter of illustrations, led W. C. White on May 10 to exclaim, “Never, never, never!” (9 WCW, p. 436). Working through a second party in getting out books just didn't work well.4BIO 388.7

On May 6, 1896, Ellen White wrote Edson:4BIO 389.1

I have decided to negotiate with Pacific Press to publish “Life of Christ.” We are now waiting for them to obtain cuts to go in the book. The first book is completed; the second is in the process of completion.—Letter 150, 1896.