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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
December 1926
Third quarter century.----- 32,478,186 Fourth quarter century......62,813,413 Total...____________ .117,077,126 As will be seen, the issues of the third quarter were nearly double those of the second, and those of the fourth quarter are nearly double those of the third. “Issues” include all Scriptures that are published by the Society, as well as those purchased from other organizations for distribu tion. Of the 117,077,125 volumes is sued during the first century, approx imately 71,600,000 were circulated in the United States, and over 45,500,000 in. foreign lands. Throughout the whole of the one hundredth year of the Society, issues from the Bible House averaged nearly fifty volumes every minute of the working hours. Other Societies The British and Foreign Bible So ciety was organized in London, Eng land, on March 7, 1804, and from its foundation in that year to the end of its one hundred second year, in March, 1907, the society had issued 203,931,769 copies of the Scriptures, complete or in part, in 390 different languages and dialects. In 1912 It had printed 227,150,770 copies and portions of Scripture. The Oxford Press of England, one of the oldest Bible houses. Issues 20,- 000 Bibles a week, 1,040,000 a year. Other Bible societies have Issued between 60,000,000 and 70,000,000
past hundred years is a fascinating and inspiring one. The following figures, reporting the work of this one society, show that there has been a steady growth in the circulation of the Bible, and that the Bible is today the most read book in the world: First year .................... 6,410 Tenth year ................... 67,134 Twentieth year ......—.. 221,694 Thirtieth year__ ______ 483,873 Fortieth year .............. 668,265 Fiftieth year _________ 1,150,528 Sixtieth year ................. 850,470 Seventieth year ........ ....1,437,440 Eightieth year ...............1,750,283 Ninetieth year ...............2,236,756 Ninety-seventh y ea r___4,049,610 Ninety-ninth y ear ..........6,406,323 One hundredth year ....7,160,911 An increase of from six thousand a year to over seven million a year, is a marvelous record, and one which is an inspiration to all interested in the circulation of God’s Holy Word. The increase in distribution has been especially rapid in recent years; for example, the present yearly output is about double that of six years ago'; is more than double the total issues of the first twenty-six years (3,055,- 432), and exceeds the aggregate is sues of the first thirty-four years (6,980,537). By quarter centuries the issues were as follows: First quarter century_____ 2,798,366 Second quarter century......!8,987,210
PACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE (Compiled from Official Reporte) jHE first complete translation of the whole Bible into Eng lish was made by John Wy- diffe, A. D. 1380-82. The first book ever printed was the Bible. The first Bible was printed between the years 1450 and 1455, at Ments, by John Gutenberg, the re puted inventor of printing. The first New Testament ever print ed in English was that of William Tyndale, A. D. 1525-26. The first Bible printed in English was that pub lished by Miles Coverdale, A. D. 1535. Twenty-one Bible societies are printing thé Bible—one in the United States, two in Great Britain, and eigh teen on the European continent. More copies of the Bible are sold annually than of any other one hundred books combined. Ten millions of Bibles in English are distributed every year. Every year there are .printed 21,- 000,000 Protestant Bibles, Testaments and portions, in nearly eight hundred languages and dialects. Of these, more than 10,000,000 copies are published by the Bible societies, and sold below cost. Every country in the world, with the exception of Tibet, Afghanistan, and some of the Mohammedan Btates of North Africa, is now open to the circulation of the Bible. The American Bible Society The story of the Society’s work in distributing the Scriptures during the
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