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Some Interesting Figures

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 4, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 1.

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Some Interesting Figures

By V. O. Cole

SALE of literature for 1910 $1,555,000.00
Average sale per month 129,583.00
Average sale per week 29,903.00
Average sale per day 4,263.00
Average annual sale per capita 15.55
If all this annual sale of $1,555,000 worth of literature was made of the one book “The Great Controversy,” at an average price of $3 a copy, it would make 518,333 volumes. This would equal 21,770,000 chapters, or 362,833,000 pages, and would equal about one page to every fifth person in the world, or one page to each family on the globe.
Just how many sermons are preached by this literature, and how many souls will be saved as a result, eternity alone will reveal. Besides, there are the tithes paid in to the conferences by these faithful canvassers, and the means brought in to our publishing houses, which are kept busy getting out the printed matter.
In order that we may get a better idea of the immensity of the work accomplished during the past year, let us look at it from another view-point: If we consider each book to be about two inches thick, and then place these 518,333 volumes on top of one another, we will find that it will reach the enormous height of 86,388 feet, or 16 1-3 miles; this is more than six times higher than Pike’s Peak.
It has been truly said that a good book “goes anywhere, on land or sea; gets into cabins and palaces; reaches those otherwise unreachable; waits its turn to be heard, and is never tired of speaking. It travels farther and cheaper than any person, is unfettered by climate and untouched by fever. Once started off, it calls for no salary, costs nothing for food or clothing.”
Surely there are many who would receive great blessings by joining this grand army of self-supporting workers. V. O. COLE.