Today (Wednesday, August 11, 2021) is a significant birthday in the life of a significant Christian book publisher in Grand Rapids, MI. The William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is celebrating 110 years today!
Their website has published a special page marking the event, including a timeline of important dates and events and a history of the company. The first part of this we post below.
Eerdmans is also significant to PRC (Protestant Reformed Churches) history, as they were the publisher to first print the books of Herman Hoeksema, one of the founding fathers of the PRC. In fact, Hoeksema and Eerdmans developed a friendship of mutual respect and appreciation. Do you know which “HH” book Eerdmans published first?
The answer is… (coming).
A Brief History of Eerdmans Publishing
The son of a Dutch textile manufacturer, William B. Eerdmans Sr. immigrated to Grand Rapids from the Netherlands in 1902 and began peddling books to support himself while attending Calvin Theological Seminary. In 1911 Eerdmans quit the seminary, convinced that he would be “a misfit in the ministry,” and on August 16, 1911, he and Brant Sevensma formed the Eerdmans-Sevensma Company, a dealership specializing in theological textbooks. |
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| By 1922 Eerdmans was sole owner of the company, then renamed the William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Many of the earliest Eerdmans books were classic theological works by European scholars, and the initial volumes were printed in the Dutch language. |
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| The company distinguished itself in the early years with its numerous volumes on and about John Calvin, including a new printing of the 50-volume “Commentary of John Calvin” published at a cost of $300,000. Calvin’s Institutes are still to be found on the Eerdmans list as well as a number of books about John Calvin. |
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Source: Eerdmans Publishing Turns 110 Years Old
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