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PLAIN TRUTH, at the beginning of 1934--we had been offering, FREE,
booklets, pamphlets, and reprinted articles. But we began to
realize that the time was coming when we needed to begin publishing
COMPLETE BOOKS.
But HOW? We have never put a price on anything we offered the
public. To produce a fine hard-cover book of the QUALITY I would
like to offer would cost from $7 to $10 per copy!
WHAT A DILEMMA! We couldn't afford to GIVE anything so
valuable to all who would request it. We were not WILLING to put
a price on a book and SELL it.
The first need seemed to be an utterly NEW and DIFFERENT kind
of Bible Story book. Not like all the Bible storybooks I had seen
for sale in the stores. NOT a series of totally disconnected
blood-and-thunder stories of dramatized violence. All such books
had missed entirely GOD'S MEANING in the incidents they dramatized,
or overdramatized. Yet all these INCIDENTS recorded in the Bible
DO have serious MEANING, and important connection to GOD'S PURPOSE
and THE GOSPEL.
We were associated with just the right man to produce the new
and different story of the Bible--nationally known artist and
writer, Basil Wolverton. Three times LIFE magazine had devoted
multiple-page sections to his unique style of art work. TIME had
commented on his work repeatedly. His highly expressive sketches
had appeared in 58 national magazines.
We found a TEMPORARY solution to the dilemma. Mr. Wolverton
started writing the book. We would get THE STORY OF THE BIBLE
before ALL our readers by first publishing it, serially, a chapter
each issue, in The PLAIN TRUTH. This remarkable series was started
with the November, 1958, number.
Instead of disconnected stories, this is THE STORY OF THE
BIBLE, from beginning to end. It begins at the beginning--Genesis,
Chapter 1, Verse 1. It was WRITTEN AS MUCH FOR ADULTS AS FOR
CHILDREN! Mr. Wolverton has that rare knack of writing in a style
that, while plain and simple, UNDERSTANDABLE to children of eight
to ten years old--and even to younger ones if read and explained by
parents--yet is good literary style, INTERESTING for all adults.
But WHAT ABOUT THE BOOK?
The time came to publish the first volume early in 1960. But,
SAME PROBLEM! We couldn't afford to give away a book costing $7 to
$10. WE WERE STILL UNWILLING TO CHARGE FOR IT! A whole year went
by. I felt guilty. PEOPLE NEEDED THIS BOOK!
Then, at last, born of NECESSITY, the answer came. The
publishers who then printed The PLAIN TRUTH suggested that IF we
could go into MASS production--really BIG-QUANTITY production up to
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND COPIES--using a handsome cover design on high-
grade light cardboard cover instead of cloth board covers--the cost
could be greatly reduced, per copy.