Religious Tract Society
| Company type | Evangelical Christian group, publishing society |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | May 10, 1799 in London, United Kingdom |
| Founder | George Burder and others |
| Defunct | 1935 |
| Fate | Merged into United Society for Christian Literature |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, international missionary efforts |
| Products | Religious tracts, books, magazines, periodicals |
The Religious Tract Society was a British evangelical Christian group established in 1799, recognized for distributing widely read religious and semi-religious literature throughout the 19th century. Merging charitable efforts with business operations, it produced books and magazines with commercial intent.
Among its well-known publications were Boy's Own Paper, Girl's Own Paper, and The Leisure Hour. In 1935, it became part of the United Society for Christian Literature.
Formation and early history
The idea for the society originated with Congregationalist minister George Burder during a 1799 gathering associated with the London Missionary Society. Officially founded on 10 May 1799, it appointed a treasurer, secretary, and ten committee members, supported by yearly subscriptions starting at half a guinea. Early members predominantly came from the London Missionary Society and included:
- David Bogue, Independent;
- Robert Hawker, Anglican;
- Joseph Hughes, Baptist; and
- Joseph Reyner, who served as treasurer and was a business associate of Joseph Hardcastle, Independent.
The society also received backing from bishops such as Shute Barrington of Durham and Beilby Porteus of London.
Several founders went on to help create the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804.
Its chief mission was to produce and circulate religious tracts—concise pamphlets elucidating Christian teachings—to promote salvation throughout Britain.
The organization was interdenominational, encompassing most Protestant groups including Congregationalists, Baptists, Quakers, and established churches of England and Scotland, while excluding Roman Catholics and Unitarians.
Tracts
During its initial 25 years, the society concentrated on issuing religious tracts. The first tract published was David Bogue’s An Address to Christians, Recommending the Distribution of Cheap Religious Tracts, which set forth seven key principles for impactful tracts: they should be "plain", "striking", "entertaining", and adapted to diverse audiences. These principles guided the society’s publications throughout the nineteenth century.
In its inaugural year, the society released 34 different tracts with a total print run of 200,000 copies. By 1820, its catalogue had grown to 279 titles with annual print volumes exceeding 5 million copies.
Starting in 1814, the society began creating tracts specifically designed for children.
Commercial publishing
Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, the society broadened its scope to include commercial publishing of bound books and periodicals targeting both adult and juvenile readers, significantly increasing its revenue. This development met criticism from some subscribers who believed their donations were subsidizing publications intended for a middle-class audience at prices inaccessible to working-class families—the original evangelical demographic. To address this concern in 1825, the society divided its finances into two accounts: a "Benevolent Fund" for charitable activities and a "Trade Fund" for commercial operations. By 1835, the Trade Fund had become financially independent, with profits aiding the Benevolent Fund.
By the 1840s, the Religious Tract Society had evolved into a major publishing enterprise employing over sixty people and offering more than 4,000 titles in 110 different languages.
Periodicals
Among the earliest periodicals were Child's Companion; or, Sunday scholar's reward and Tract Magazine; or Christian Miscellany, both introduced in 1824 with a monthly cost of one penny. The former was designed for Sunday school attendees, while the latter catered to their parents, achieving monthly circulation figures of 28,250 and 17,000 respectively.
Books
The society’s collection primarily consisted of smaller volumes but also included substantial works such as Robert Young’s multi-volume Analytical Concordance to the Bible and Devotional Commentary.
During the 1840s, the organization distributed approximately 23 million books to working-class families.
Starting in the 1860s, the society began publishing novels targeted at women and children, supporting female authors like Rosa Nouchette Carey. It also released religious tracts authored by women for international missions, including Lucy Currie’s Missionary Birthday Book, which featured daily scripture readings, hymns, and accounts of missionary endeavors.
A significant portion of their output was multiple editions of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim's Progress, offered in formats such as penny parts, Sunday School awards, and cost-effective abridged versions.
Decline
Revenue generated from sales of books and periodicals decreased during the 1890s. The society attributed this downturn to a "general depression [which] has severely affected the book trade," despite no actual economic depression occurring at that time. Historian Aileen Fyfe associates this decline with rising competition and diminishing demand for religious publications amid a reduction in Christian evangelistic activity. Entering the early 20th century, the organization scaled back operations, reduced funding for overseas missions, and by 1930 consolidated all functions into a single facility. Tract distribution dropped to one million during the interwar years, marking its lowest point since 1806.
In 1932, the society introduced the Lutterworth Press imprint, which became the primary label for most later publications.
By 1935, it merged with the Christian Literature Society for India and Africa and subsequently absorbed the Christian Literature Society for China in 1941. This merger created the United Society for Christian Literature, which by 2006 continued its focus mainly on international missionary efforts.
Works
- Address to an emigrant (1839)
- William Tyndale No. 990 (1839)
- Mamma and her Child (1843)
- The Oldest Fisherman the World Ever Saw, and Other Stories (1879)
- The Cup and the Kiss (1888)
- Adopted, or An Old Soldier's Embarrassments (circa 1891)
- Wallaby Hill (1880s-1890s)
- By-paths of Bible Knowledge (1884-1904)
- The Jew (circa 1890)
- Homes and Haunts of the Pilgrim Fathers (1899)
- The Egyptian (circa 1900)
- The Isles of Scilly: Their Story, their folk, & their Flowers (1910)
Book series
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, R.T.S. produced a wide variety of book series, many of which were detailed in its catalogues.
- The Anecdote Series
- Bouverie Historical Stories
- Bouverie Series of Penny Stories
- The Boy's Own Bookshelf
- Broad Sheets
- Burder's Village Sermons
- By-Paths of Bible Knowledge
- Cennick's Sermons
- Christian Classics
- Comments on Scripture
- Cottage Sermons
- First Series Tracts
- The Flower Patch Books (authored by Flora Klickmann); later shortened to The Flower Patch Booklets
- The Girl's Own Bookshelf
- Half Penny Story Books
- Hand Bills
- Large Broad Sheets
- Little Dot Series
- The Little Library of Biography
- Narrative Series
- Nation Story Readers
- New Biographical Series
- One Half Penny Book Series
- Pamphlet series
- The Pen and Pencil Series
- Penny Tales for the People
- Picture Books for Little Children
- Present Day Primers
- Present Day Tracts
- R.T.S. Books for the People (also referred to as R.T.S. 1d. Penny Books for the People)
- The R.T.S. Library
- Sandringham Series of Penny Stories
- Sea Sermons
- Second Series Tracts
- Select Sermons
- Sermons for the Ages
- Short Biographies for the People
- Six-Penny Toy Books
- The Sunflowers Series of Stories for All Readers
- Sunshine Readers
- Threepenny Book Series
- Two Pence Book Series
- Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, and Foreign Tracts of the Religious Tract Society
References
Further reading
- William Jones, The Jubilee Memorial of the Religious Tract Society. London: Religious Tract Society, 1850. An extensive account covering the first fifty years.
- Samuel G. Green, The Story of the Religious Tract Society for one hundred years. London: Religious Tract Society, 1899. Documents the Society's history up to its centennial.
- Gordon Hewitt, Let the People Read . . .. London: Lutterworth Press, 1949. Features illustrations by Richard Kennedy.
- Aileen Fyfe, Science and Salvation: Evangelical Popular Science Writing in Victorian Britain. University of Chicago Press, 2004. Explores a significant facet of the Society's publishing efforts.
- Dennis Butts and Pat Garrett (editors), From the Dairyman's Daughter to Worrals of the WAAF: The Religious Tract Society, Lutterworth Press and Children's Literature. Focused on contributions to children's books.
- Joseph McAleer, Popular Reading and Publishing in Britain: 1914-1950. Oxford University Press, 1992. Contains a chapter dedicated to the Society.
External links
- Works by the Religious Tract Society at Toronto Public Library
- Archives encompassing minutes and reports from the Religious Tract Society and Christian Literature Society for India and Africa available at https://www.soas.ac.uk/library/archives/collections/a-z/u/
- School of Oriental and African Studies resource on RTS/USCL
- [1] Article on Tract Societies from the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge featuring detailed information on RTS