Immigrants published millions of books

(This story was written in celebration of ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø's sequicentennial in 2010.)

80% of titles from the ABC were in Swedish

At the turn of the 20th century, Sorensen Hall was the home to a vibrant Swedish immigrant publishing house known as the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Book Concern (ABC).

Founded in 1889, ABC served as the official publishing house for the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Evangelical Lutheran Synod until its 1962 merger with the Lutheran Church of America. As a consequence of this merger, ABC was absorbed by the Board of Publications in Philadelphia, which was part of the Lutheran Church of America. In 1967, ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø purchased the building which had housed the ABC and renamed it North Hall; in 1975 it was renamed to honor retiring president C.W. Sorensen.

ABC's main publication focus was to supply the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Synod congregations with religious texts such as bibles, hymnals, choir music, and Sunday school literature for children. In addition, ABC published an array of Swedish-American literature, poetry, historical works, and reprints of Swedish national literature.

Another significant ABC genre was religious and literary serials for both adult and young-adult readers. Among the more widely distributed were Pr?rieblomman Kalender, a literary Swedish-American calendar, the illustrated Christian monthly magazine Ungdomsv?nnen for a younger audience, and Korsbaneret, an annual biographical calendar.

Beyond its local bookstore in the building at 7th Ave. and 38th St., ABC also had stores in New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Furthermore, ABC distributed books in Europe, Africa, and Asia, often as part of the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Synod's missionary work.

During the years 1889-1915, ABC printed 3.9 million volumes of which 80% were in the Swedish language. It was not until the 1920s that English-language titles outnumbered those in the Swedish language. This shift coincides with the beginning of a general "Americanization" of the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

In its early phase, ABC's business grew rapidly and the newly erected Italianate three-story brick building at 7th Ave. and 38th St. was extended with an annex after just a decade. Additional expansions followed to meet the increasing publishing demands of the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Lutheran church body in North America. The final addition in 1959 included a three-story addition on the north side and matching new modern brick siding for the original structure.

The expansion and remodeling was completed just three years before the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Book Concern was absorbed by the larger publishing house and began to downsize its business in Rock Island.

¡ª Christina Johansson 
Head of Library and Archival Services
Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center

For further reading on the history of ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Book Concern please consult:

• Blanck, Dag. Becoming Swedish-American: The Construction Of An Ethnic Identity In The ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Synod, 1860-1917. Uppsala : Ubsaliensis S. Academiae; 1997.
• Brolander, Glen E. An Historical Survey Of The ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Campus. Rock Island, Ill.: ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Historical Society, ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø, 1985.
• Nystrom, Daniel. A Ministry Of Printing: History Of The Publication House Of ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Lutheran Church, 1889-1962, with An Introductory Account Of Earlier Publishing Enterprises. Rock Island, Ill.: ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Press, 1962.
• Swenson, Birger. My Story: Immigrant, Executive, Traveler. Rock Island, Ill.: ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Historical Society, 1979.

The Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø collects and preserves ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Book Concern publications and also has several archival collections related to the history of ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Book Concern.