Pacific Union Recorder—November 2020

Page 60

PACIFIC UNION

P.0. Box 5005 Westlake Village CA 91359-5005

P E R I O D I CA LS

Recorder

Visions & Revisions

H H

BY RONALD D. GRAYBILL

ave you ever thought about the way Ellen White’s books were written? Have you ever considered the enormous quantity of writing she produced? Ellen White enlisted more than 20 literary assistants to convert her handwritten manuscripts into proper, polished prose. Then, both before and after her death, her

published writings were corrected, combined, excised, expanded, revised, modernized, adapted, simplified, translated, reprinted, and reformatted. This book is the story of how her visions underwent these revisions. It explains the editorial

processes that began when she first dipped her pen in ink and put it to paper. It even describes that pen and paper.

A century after her death, Ellen White’s writings continue to generate interest and fascination, and

people continue to wonder how she was able to produce so many books and articles in her lifetime. In his latest book, Ron Graybill shows how studying her original handwritten documents illuminates her work. He also delves into the work of White’s literary assistants and how they helped to shape her publications. The online availability of most of Ellen White’s manuscripts and published writings makes such a study possible, one that is both intriguing and revealing. This is not a book disputing White’s inspiration, but one that attempts to understand the intricate process that went into the publication of her books and articles. This is a study that is long overdue and one that will generate further research and a better understanding of White’s publications. —Denis Fortin, Professor of Historical Theology, Andrews University

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