Republishing Out Of Print Jeremiah Burroughs

Pilgrim72 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-10-2008, 09:03 PM

I'm not very knowledgeable in regard to publishing books. But I was just wondering what it would take to publish the rest of Jeremiah Burrough's works? I've found quite a bit (and there might even be more) that, as far as I know, are not currently in print.

Here's what I found by Jeremiah Burroughs:

IN PRINT
A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness - SDG; 220 pages; 1998
An Exposition of the Prophecy of Hosea - SDG; 699 pages; 1990
Gospel Conversation - SDG; 310 pages; 1995
Gospel Fear - SDG; 147 pages; 2001
Gospel Reconciliation - SDG; 379 pages; 1997
Gospel Remission - SDG; 310 pages; 1995
Gospel Revelation - SDG; 373 pages; 2006
Gospel Worship - SDG; 400 pages; 1990
Hope - SDG; 150 pages; 2005
Irenicum, to the Lovers of Truth and Peace - SDG; 440 pages; 1998
The Difference Between the Spots of the Godly and of the Wicked - PP; 177 pages; 2006
The Evil of Evils (or The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin) - SDG; 345 pages; 1999
The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit - SDG; 260 pages; 1995
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - BTT; 228 pages; 2000
The Saint's Happiness - SDG; 264 pages; 1988

NOT SURE
The Saint's Treasury - The Incomparable Excellency and Holiness of God - SDG; 175 pages; 1997 -- Book Link -----> The Saints Treasury: Being Sundry ... - Google Book Search
I can't find this for sale at any bookstores. I did find it on Amazon, though. I'm wondering if this is out of print already...

OUT OF PRINT
A Briefe Answer to Doctor Fernes Booke - A briefe answer to Doctor Fernes ... - Google Book Search
A Copy of a Remonstrance Lately Delivered in to the Assembly (Co-Author) - A Copy of a remonstrance lately ... - Google Book Search
A Sermon preached before the Honorable House of Commons Assembled in Parliament, from Mat. v. 6. at their Late Solemne Fast - A Sermon Preached Before the ... - Google Book Search
A Sermon preached from Phil. iv. 12 before the House of Peers - A Sermon Preached Before the Right ... - Google Book Search
A Vindication of Mr. Burroughs against Mr. Edward's Foul Aspersions - A Vindication of Mr Burroughes ... - Google Book Search
An Apologetical Narration Humbly Submitted to the Honorable Houses of Parliament (Co-Author) - An Apologeticall Narration: Hvmbly ... - Google Book Search
Four Books on the Eleventh of Matthew - Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest - Four Books on the Eleventh of ... - Google Book Search
Four Useful Discourses - Four Useful Discourses: Viz. I. The ... - Google Book Search
Foure Speeches Delivered in Guild-Hall on Friday the Sixth of October, 1643 - Foure Speeches Delivered in Guild ... - Google Book Search
Jacob's Seed: or the Generation of Seekers. And David's Delight: or the Excellent on Earth - Jacobs Seed: Or The Generation of ... - Google Book Search
Jerusalem's Glory Breaking Forth Into The World - Jerusalem's Glory Breaking Forth ... - Google Book Search
Moses, His Choice - Moses his choice, with his eye fixed ... - Google Book Search
Moses: His Self-Denial - Moses his self-denial: delivered in ... - Google Book Search
Sion's Joy - Sion's Joy: A Sermon Preached to the ... - Google Book Search
The Excellency of Holy Courage in Evil Times - The Excellency of Holy Courage in ... - Google Book Search
The Glorious Name of God, The Lord of Hosts - The Glorious Name of God, The Lord ... - Google Book Search
The Lord's Heart Opened - Only found mentioned in Brook's "The Lives Of The Puritans"
The Misery of those Men who have their Portion in this Life, from Psal. xvii. 14. - The Miserie of Those Men that Have ... - Google Book Search
The Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Books of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs: containing three treatises: I. of Precious Faith. II. of Hope. III. The Saints walk by faith on earth; by sight in heaven. - The Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Books ... - Google Book Search
The Reasons of the Dissenting Brethren (Co-Author) - The Reasons of the Dissenting ... - Google Book Search
The Saints Duty in Times of Extremity - The Saints Duty in Times of ... - Google Book Search
The Saints' Inheritance - The saints inheritance and the ... - Google Book Search
The Sea-Man's Direction In Time Of Storm - The sea mans direction in time of ... - Google Book Search

Now, that's as many of his works I can find at this point. So, I'd like to know what needs to be done to collect all these OOP works and throw them all in a few new books and call them "Selected Works Of Jeremiah Burroughs"?
Is the hold-up the lack of funding to print these? Or the lack of interest by either the publisher or buyers? Or possibly that some of these works are impossible to find?
These don't seem like huge road-blocks to me.

Also, I think SDG/RHB was planning on printing a volume for Jeremiah Burroughs in their "Puritan Pulpit" series, but I'm not sure what sermons they were going to use or if they still plan to do it.

If anyone can correct any mistakes I've made or answer any of my questions, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

VirginiaHuguenot · #2 (**permalink**) 08-10-2008, 09:27 PM

Pilgrim72 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-10-2008, 10:20 PM

Thanks Andrew. Yes, the Jeremiah Burroughs homepage was very helpful in putting together the list of Burroughs' works. I also used Beeke/Pederson's book, Reid's books on the Westminster Divines and Brook's Lives of the Puritans.

I'm sure I can go through each of those books and online sites and find other out of print Puritan works and do the same thing. I'd like to see complete works by many (or all) of the Puritans stay in print. Watson, Love, Howe, Ambrose, Calamy, Bridge & Durham come to mind. It just saddens me that some of these out of print books are being offered for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars online. I saw a Christopher Love book online today for $999.99! I think that's rediculous.

I'd certainly offer my time (and limited talents) to getting the job done. And I bet there are many others who would love to do the same. We just need to find out how to do it.

I'm just glad I'm able to help out with the EPP right now. My zeal to see great Christian works come to light isn't weakening but growing stronger. I thank God for that, and pray that many more would rise up to see the Christian literary world flooded with great Puritan writings. It saddens me to walk into a supposed Christian bookstore and not find any Puritan books, save perhaps Pilgrim's Progress (if I'm lucky). Unfortunately, what sells today is that Emergent and Seeker-Sensative junk, that can profit the soul nothing. *sigh*

Anyway, thanks for reading my small rant.

It wasn't intended...

Don Kistler · #4 (**permalink**) 08-10-2008, 10:27 PM

Obviously funding is always an issue. No publisher can afford to print books that the public will not buy, or at least buy enough of to allow him to recoup his costs. That usually takes 70% of the print run just to break even.

Finding a copy to retypeset is not easy. Once you do find one, there is the time and expense of having someone retype it. Then there is the time in editing, then two proofreaders have to be paid, then a cover designed.

Those are a few of the issues involved. After that it REALLY gets complicated.

Presbyterian Deacon · #5 (**permalink**) 08-10-2008, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Kistler

Obviously funding is always an issue. No publisher can afford to print books that the public will not buy, or at least buy enough of to allow him to recoup his costs. That usually takes 70% of the print run just to break even.

Finding a copy to retypeset is not easy. Once you do find one, there is the time and expense of having someone retype it. Then there is the time in editing, then two proofreaders have to be paid, then a cover designed.

Those are a few of the issues involved. After that it REALLY gets complicated.

So, Mr. Kistler...how soon will you be able to publish these works by Jeremiah Burroughs?

Pilgrim72 · #6 (**permalink**) 08-11-2008, 02:25 AM

Thank you Dr. Kistler for your response. I'm very much interested in knowing whatever details may be involved.

Quote:

Finding a copy to retypeset is not easy. Once you do find one, there is the time and expense of having someone retype it. Then there is the time in editing, then two proofreaders have to be paid, then a cover designed.

So, if the above quote was covered completely, with no cost to the publisher, how much easier would it be to publish something?
Maybe I'm just concerned about the "After that it REALLY gets complicated" part...

***NaphtaliPress*** · #7 (**permalink**) 08-11-2008, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Kistler

Obviously funding is always an issue. No publisher can afford to print books that the public will not buy, or at least buy enough of to allow him to recoup his costs. That usually takes 70% of the print run just to break even.

Finding a copy to retypeset is not easy. Once you do find one, there is the time and expense of having someone retype it. Then there is the time in editing, then two proofreaders have to be paid, then a cover designed.

Those are a few of the issues involved. After that it REALLY gets complicated.

I'll presume to add to Don's good brief summary. I think he and I have been doing this for about the same time. I've been working with Puritan era texts since about 1985 or so when I started planning to start what would be Naphtali Press. I'm still learning and think I'm doing my better work now.

There's the money certainly; if you are doing a significant work by Burroughs there's certainly an expectation of a market so doing print on demand would be a travesty. Plus you cannot market such to distributors as well because of the unit costs. Some of Lulu's marketing features are good allowing distributors to find and buy the work at a discount but the pricing is higher. Producing the work professional on offset with a hardback sewn binding is the thing to do (again if it is a marketable work). This means inventory and an investment in printing, but the quality will be superior (giving the consumer a significantly longer lived product) and the unit cost will be lower allowing for better sales and discounting. Also consider that at this juncture it is not clear how much longer we will see books as books with electronic paper and such devices now possible. So any edition of Burroughs will likely be the last book edition so it should aim high as far as quality. I see no point doing Puritan works on the cheap or in a less than professional manner.

Getting the right edition is paramount. It should be the last edition the author may have had input on; in Burroughs case if some of those titles are one editions only, then the choice is easy. If there were more than one, then for me the additional step is collating the editions. For instance, when Naphtali Press published the Divine Right of Church Government by the London Provincial Assembly, my co editor David Hall had chosen the first edition to use (he got a copy when he was in London at the 350th for the start of the Westminster Assembly). However, I found that the third edition was significantly changed by the main author (Edmund Calamy) and I collated the editions to note the additions or subtractions.

Did I mention the money?

You cannot assume electronic texts are going to be sufficient, particularly if they are 17th century texts which tend to be fuzzy when it comes to trying to read the Greek or Hebrew or Latin texts (hard enough sometimes on the English!).

You cannot depend on 19th century editions. For instance I think it is Carl Trueman that has shown that the edition of Goodwin's works from then has made redactions, and worse, "additions" which the author never wrote. So a return to the earlier editions is necessary for scholars and I think that should go for publishers.

It will cost money.

I've run into the attitude of "just get it out and available." Wrong. Putting out a poor edition is worse than no edition being available. It will be imperfect certainly, but it has to be competent. If it is the first edition since the 17th century I think there is an obligation that it be done to high standards.

Also, MS Word is not a typesetting program. The text should be set in the better page layout programs, my preference is either Adobe Framemaker for complex works that require tons of indexing, or Adobe InDesign otherwise; and my druthers is to use InDesign if possible.

Did I mention the money?

Just the publishing costs are significant, assuming all other time put in is its own reward. If you pay for the proofing or for the typing, the costs rise significantly from there.

Pilgrim72 · #8 (**permalink**) 08-11-2008, 02:11 PM

Wow. Well, I figured a lot went into it. But I'm not discouraged. I certainly hope to see a lot of these works in print during my lifetime. And if God wills it, He will provide a way.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Don Kistler · #9 (**permalink**) 08-11-2008, 07:20 PM

Most of what has been published heretofore of Burroughs is his best. With the exception of "Moses's Choice" and "Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest," I think his best material has been printed.

I think this should also encourage folks to get these books when they become available. They won't always be around. And even if there's enough interest to do an initial run, there isn't likely to be enough interest to do a second run.