- 1897-00-00 —
Tablets, Communes and Holy Utterances, a collection of writings by Bahá'u'lláh, was published in Chicago. 23p. [BFA2:26]
- It was the first prayer book and first compilation of Bahá'í writings published in the West. Most of the selections are from Bahá'u'lláh except for pages 18 to 21 which are from 'Abdu'l-Bahá. [BFA2:26]
- It was probably translated by Anton Haddad and published by the Behais Supply and Publishing Board. [BFA2:26]
- Collins gives the date as 1897. [BEL4.277]
- 1900-01-00 — The Behais Publishing and Supply Board was created in Chicago. It was the property of four Chicao Bah´'ís, Thornton Chase, Arthur Agnew, Charles Greenleaf and Frank Hoffman. This same entity is now called the Bahá'í Publishing Trust. [BFA1:XXIX; BFA2p24-25]
- 1902-10-10 — The Behais Supply and Publishing Board incorporates as the `Bahai Publishing Society', a non-profit company. It is the first Bahá'í institution to be legally incorporated. [BFA2:XVI, 74]
- 1908-09-00 — The Bahá'í Publishing Society was founded in Chicago. [BW10:179]
- 1919-02-22 — The "Self-Publishing of the Bahá'í Association" was replaced by the establishment of the "Publishing House of the German Bahá'í Federation GmbH". This publishing house was founded by eighteen Bahá'ís with a share capital of 25,000 marks. [German Bahá'í website archive]
- 1937-00-00 — The British Bahá'í Publishing Trust was founded. [BBRSM184; BW9:32; GT138–42]
- 1943-00-00 —
The publication of A Commentary on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá written by David Hofman by a new publisher, George Ronald. They went on to publish books on business ethics, comparative religion, studies of sacred texts, Islam, poetry, music, novels, biography and philosophy as well as a number of other subjects. George Ronald is primarily a publisher of books related to the history, teachings, doctrines and personalities of the Bahá'í Faith. See the reference for a list of Bahá'í books published up to 2013. [George Ronald
A Bibliographic History
by
Jan Jasion]
- A current catalogue can be found at their website.
- see George Ronald: Publishing Authentic, Accurate & Inspiring Baha'i Books Since 1943 by Sonjel Vreeland.
- 1956-05-02 — After the annual reports were received from the 12 National Conventions Shoghi Effendi compiled a list of achievements made up to and including the two years since the start of the Ten Year Crusade. [MBW p76-86]
There were now 3,700 localities opened to the Faith over the surface of the entire planet -
237 Sovereign States and Chief Dependencies where the Bahá'í Faith was present -
900 Local Spiritual Assemblies -
All the countries listed as pioneering goals were now opened to the Faith except for those in the Soviet Union -
Over 70 islands in the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Oceans, were opened except for 6, bringing the total to 98 islands worldwide -
40 territories were opened to the Faith in the Pacific, with 170 Bahá'í localities -
Bahá'í literature was now translated into 190 languages including 34 not included in the original plan -
In over 60 territories, the number of those who have become Bahá'ís has surpassed the number originally anticipated -
In a considerable proportion of these territories, Bahá'í membership has far exceeded the number required for the formation of local Assemblies, such as Gambia, for example, with 300 Bahá'ís -
There were 3,000 Bahá'ís in Africa -
58 territories and islands were opened in Africa, with 400 Bahá'í localities -
140 African tribes were now represented in the Bahá'í community -
120 Local Spiritual Assemblies in Africa were functioning -
Bahá'í literature was now published in 50 African languages -
There were 43 National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds—National Bahá'í Centres -
168 incorporated Local and National Spiritual Assemblies -
Land for 10 Temple Sites was acquired -
The value of National Bahá'í endowments in 51 countries exceeded $100,000—$1.1 million in today’s currency—and now included the Maxwell Home in Montreal -
The design for the House of Worship in Iran was approved -
Plans for three additional Houses of Worship in Europe, Africa, and Australia had begun -
In the Holy Land, the Covenant-breakers suffered defeat after defeat and Mírzá Majdi’d-Dín, the last survivor of the original Covenant-breakers from the time of 'Abdu'l-Bahá finally died -
In more positive news, 52 pillars of the International Bahá'í Archives had been raised and 450 tons of stone safely arrived in Haifa -
The contract was signed with the same factory in Utrecht who provided the golden tiles of the Shrine of the Báb for the green tiles of the Archives building -
The Monument Gardens were extended -
Several properties were acquired in Bahjí and on Mount Carmel -
The Temple Land on Mount Carmel was in the process of being purchased -
In the United States the Bahá'ís were invited by the San Francisco Council of Churches to attend a prayer meeting for the United Nations -
At this inter-religious gathering, the voice of the Bahá'í representative was the first to be raised, reciting a prayer revealed by Bahá'u'lláh -
A prayer revealed by `Abdu'l-Bahá for America was presented by the elected national representatives of the United States Bahá'í Community to President Eisenhower, who acknowledged its receipt in warm terms and above his own signature. -
A Bahá'í Publishing Trust was established in India -
30 new centers and 15 assemblies were formed in India, Pakistan and Burma -
In Edirne, Bahá'ís were able to purchase sites blessed by the footsteps of Bahá'u'lláh -
The very first Bahá'í Summer School in Central Africa was held in Kobuka, Uganda, with 100 attendees -
The first All-France Teaching Conference was convened -
The Bahá'ís of Tripoli, Libya and the Capital of Tanganyika both identified plots to serve as future Bahá'í cemeteries -
In Iraq, the Bahá'ís purchased land for a Bahá'í Summer School in Iraq -
The women of Egypt were granted the right to be elected to the Egyptian National Spiritual Assembly and participate as delegates at National Convention -
In the Mentawai Islands, a plot of land was purchased supplementing the National Bahá'í Endowment of Indonesia -
The northernmost outpost of the Faith in Alaska was pushed beyond the Arctic Circle -
The Seychelles and the Sudan both initiated plans for the propagation of the Faith -
The worldwide Bahá'í communities appealed with over 1,000 messages to the United Nations after the massacres of the Bahá'ís in Iran in 1955, subjected to the severest persecutions in decades. -
The Bahá'ís also contacted the Sháh of Iran, Government, the Majlis and the Senate -
Publicity was given on radio, in the world’s leading newspapers, protests were voiced by scholars, statesmen, government envoys and people of eminence such as Pandit Nehru, Eleanor Roosevelt, Professor Gilbert Murray and Professor A. Toynbee -
A written memorandum listing the atrocities was submitted to the Secretary General of the United Nations, who appointed a commission of United Nations officers, headed by the High Commissioner for Refugees, instructing its members to contact the Persian Foreign Minister and urge him to obtain from his government in Tihrán a formal assurance that the rights of the Bahá'í minority in that land would be protected. [Utterance Project part 20] - 1959-00-00 — The establishment of a Bahá'í Publishing Trust in Iran.
Since 1899, Bahá'í sacred texts had been hectographed and mimeographed by Mīrzā ʿAlī-Akbar Rūḥānī (known as Moḥebb-al-Solṭān) and others. Although the restrictive laws of the country prohibited the Bahá'ís from printing their literature by letterpress, through the establishment of the Trust, Bahá'í literature was regularly and systematically published in typewritten or calligraphic form until 1979 when the Trust was closed under the Islamic régime. Between 1959 and 1979, several hundred titles were produced and distributed. The trust was also responsible for the publication of circulars, newsletters, pamphlets, and magazines. In 1975 alone, it produced 181,390 copies of books and pamphlets totaling 31 million pages. In the early 1970s an audiovisual center was established in Iran which made rapid growth during the few years of its existence. In the mid-1970s the centre produced 27 cassette programs containing prayers, songs, and speeches amounting to 40,000 copies. They also produced 28 reels of film. [BW12p292; BW16p263; BW12p570; BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]
- 1964-12-01 — A Bahá'í Publishing Trust for the provision of literature in the French language was established in Brussels. [Riḍván 1965]
- 1968-00-00 — The Bahá'í Publishing Committee based in Karachi developed into a Bahá'í Publishing Trust responsible for translation and publication into Urdu, English, Persian, Arabic, Sindhi, Pushtu, Balochi, Gojri, Balti and other regional languages.
- 1968-00-00 — A Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Maison d 'Edition, for the publication of Bahá'í literature in the French language, was formed at Brussels by the Belgian National Assembly, thus accomplishing a major goal of the Nine Year Plan.
[BW14p95]
- 1969-00-00 — The Italian Bahá'í Publishing Trust was formed fulfilling one of the goals of the Nine Year Plan. By that time a great number of Bahá'í Sacred Writings and books had been translated into Italian, old translations were revised and commentaries on the Faith were written by Italian believers. [BN No 468 March 1970 p16]
- 1972-09-01 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Taiwan was established and registered. [BW15:262]
- 1974-00-00 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Japan was established.
- 1974-00-00 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Malaysia was established.
- 1974-03-00 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of the Philippines was established in Manila. [DM318]
- 1975-00-00 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Fiji was established.
- 1975-00-00 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Australia was established.
- 1976-00-02 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Norway was established.
- 1976-02-01 — The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Korea was established. [BW16:237]
- 1981-07-02 — The reconstituted Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Uganda met for the first time. [BW18:112]
- 1992-02-03 — The Association of Bahá'í Publishers and Distributors was established at a Bahá'í Publishers' Conference in Oakham, England, with its headquarters in the Netherlands. [BINS273:4-5; VV71]
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