© 1985 Urantia Foundation
Last October 12 saw the attainment of a significant milestone - the 30th anniversary of the first publication in 1955 of The URANTIA Book. By the end of this 30th anniversary year (i.e., 1985) more than 143,000 copies of the original English version of The URANTIA Book will have been sold and distributed since its initial publication. Figures for the sale and distribution of the French translation of The URANTIA Book (titled Le Livre d’Urantia), since its first publication in 1961, will reach a total of almost 17,000 copies at the conclusion of this year. Thus, by year’s end, the combined total ofall copies of The URANTIA Book sold and distributed since 1955 will be about 160,000 books.
Historically, it is interesting to note that during the first half of this 30-year period (or until the end of 1970) about 18,000 copies of The URANTIA Book (English version) were sold and distributed, while in the second half of this 30-year period, more than 125,000 copies of the English version were sold and distributed. Yet another intriguing fact is that it is within the last ten years that almost two thirds of all copies of the English version have been sold and distributed.
While we do not have complete figures for the month of December, it is possible to state that distribution for the English version and the French translation of The URANTIA Book will reach nearly 10,000 copies this year. Distribution for The URANTIA Book will exceed 8,000 copies, while that for Le Livre d’Urantia will be somewhat less than 2,000 copies.
The success of the placement of books in libraries continues as evidenced by the letters we have received from readers. The primary source for this activity comes from two URANTIA Brotherhood committees, i.e., Domestic Extension and International Fellowship. These committees have been sending out mailings to French and English speaking public and university libraries allover the world. During this year, over seven hundred books have been placed in United States libraries and over two hundred in libraries in other countries.
Such committee activites, however, should not suggest there is no work for an individual. If you wish to help, contact these two committees. You can direct your letter to URANTIA Brotherhood at this address and it will be forwarded to the appropriate committee. The following are some excerpts from people who have found the book in libraries:
“I borrowed the book ”URANTIA,“ from the library here and found a storehouse full of treasures therein. I very much desire to have a copy to study for enlightenment.”
“I have just spent 6 weeks avidly perusing The URANTIA Book, and must now return it to our Public Library. Is it possible to obtain a copy for my personal use?”
“I had the good fortune ofbeing led to The URANTIA Book this past fall, and after finding it in the … library and renewing it over and over because I wanted to continue reading and rereading, my daughter got me a precious copy of my own for Christmas.”
While over the years the approach of URANTIA Foundation has been to focus on the primary source of teachings, i.e., The URANTIA Book, the question of derivative (also called secondary) works continues. Derivative or secondary works are those which are based on or designed to supplement The URANTIA Book. They seem to fall into two broad categories, i.e., study aids and interpretive works. The purpose ofa study aid is to help one better understand the teachings and tends to supplement the study of the book. Interpretive works tend to dramatize or enhance the teachings through various media such as fiction, poetry, and audio-visual presentations.
The Trustees are considering the formulation of a set of guidelines which would help clarity the criteria by which secondary works requiring copyright approval might receive it. The criteria outlined below represents some initial thinking on this matter and is being presented at this early stage so that any of you who are interested in secondary works may have an opportunity to give us your input.
A guiding principle in developing this criteria is a quotation from page 555 in The URANTIA Book “But though the work is important, the seif is not.”* The proposed guidelines are that a secondary work should be:
We welcome any thoughts or suggestions you may have.
Andite Corporation, a subsidiary of URANTIA Foundation whose purpose is to publish and distribute a Spanish translation of The URANTIA Book has recently reported that contract negotiations with Euramerica, the translating company, are in the final stages. As reported in our July newsletter, Andite Corporation has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization as defined in the United States code, Section 501 © (3). This means that those in the United States who have donated to Andite Corporation may claim their donations as income tax deductions for the year in which they contributed. Readers in other countries must comply with the laws of their country.
“I write to you people on this day to wish you all a warm ”Thank you“ straight from the heart. The URANTIA Book has been the first book on the Heavenly Father and His gift of Love and has managed to keep my attention & not once has it caused me to lay it down in disgust. Admittedly, the words here and there are a bit difficult to grasp, at first. But the more I read, the more my mind opens up to a higher level of understanding that is somehow beyond words and definitions.”
“Yes, I would like to know of others who are reading The URANTIA Book. I’m starting by reading the life of Jesus & will work backwards, since - well, I don’t know why. But it’s the first time I could relate at all to Jesus and I love it.”
“I first learned of The URANTIA Book 7 years ago when I was living … in Israel. It was not until now though, when a copy of the book appeared in our local library that I had the opportunity and the open mind to read it. Although I was at first skeptical, the truth and wisdom of the words shone through in almost total agreement with the evidence of my personal experience. As a result of my reading, I have experienced a very real transformation in my attitudes. This has enabled me to find honest solutions to some difficult moral dilemmas which were previously too clouded by selfish emotions for me to think through.”
“Knowledge is possessed only by sharing; it is safeguarded by wisdom and socialized by love.” UB 48:7.28
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