“There are men that will make you books, and turn them loose into the world, with as much dispatch as they would do a dish of fritters,” complained Cervantes (1547-1616) in his masterpiece, Don Quixote.

He wrote this little more than a century after Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable type led to the mass production of books. Yet, what dismayed Cervantes is only more pronounced today.

“In America, 99% of what gets published is motivated by one thing alone: to make a fat profit,” said author and publisher Michael Reagan. “That’s why I am so pleased to be associated with the Templeton Foundation Press, where they are trying to broaden the base of knowledge about science, God and humanity. Whenever I visit the Press, we never talk about money, but about ideas.”

In fall of 2004, Reagan’s Reflections on the Nature of God will join other much-anticipated titles from Templeton Foundation Press, which include Spiritual Caregiving by Dr. Harold G. Koenig; Evolution by Arthur Peacocke and Thrift and Generosity by John M. Templeton, Jr.

“We have a different role from most publishers. We want to find books that have a unique message,” said Joanna Hill, director of Templeton Foundation Press. “We can see their value and judge them in other ways than how these books will affect the bottom line. You might say we approach publishing with a spirit of service.”

Templeton Foundation Press was founded in January 1997 with the goal of publishing books for both the scholar and the general reader on a variety of subjects, including the connections between science and religion, spirituality and health, character development, and free enterprise—sometimes called “business and spirituality.”

“Sir John was frustrated by the fact that only fear sells, and ‘if it bleeds, it leads,’ a saying from journalism that’s contaminated publishing as well,” says Gary Moore, author of Spiritual Investments: Wall Street Wisdom from the Career of Sir John Templeton. “He recognizes there are negatives, but Sir John wants to focus on things that are good and pure and lovely. Count your blessings, he says, not your problems.”

While the Press is linked to the Templeton Foundation by its common founder and mission, it is not an exclusive arrangement either way.

“We have our own editorial process of internal review, peer review and final approval,” Hill says. “So, there are projects we publish quite aside from Templeton programs, or a Templeton grant may result in a book that is published elsewhere.”

The Press annually produces between ten and fifteen books and they are distributed all across America, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, by a team of more than thirty U.S. sales representatives. Templeton Foundation Press books are routinely translated into Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

Unlike many publishing houses, the Press neither “remainders” its books, nor allows them to go out of print. All titles published by the Press are still in stock. Indeed, it is actively involved in reprinting books that were allowed to lapse by their original publishers. Paul Davies’ The Cosmic Blueprint, once unavailable, it is now in its second printing, due to high demand.

Despite its success in a short seven years, Hill insists, “Sir John is not interested in growing the Press to be the ultimate science and religion publishing house. Rather, he wants us to be a catalyst to grow the field.”

Traditionally, publishers seek “scoops” or exclusive rights to a manuscript, so they can trounce their competition. According to Hill, the goal at Templeton Press is quite the opposite. “We want to encourage the science and religion dialogue. Sir John is a visionary and what he’s devised is a whole new approach to publishing,” she says. “He believes that it’s impossible to grow an area of research, unless you can see that it is bigger than just you.”

Currently, Templeton is seeking to expand communication between scientists and theologians, scholars and general readers in a variety of ways. One is the on-line Science & Religion Bookstore, which was one of the first innovations at the newly formed Press. Easy to use, it facilitates not only browsing, but also a chance to do bibliographic research on nearly 1,000 books from many publishers on topics related to science and theology.

The Press also manages a program called “Books of Distinction,” in which approximately forty books are culled from all volumes published around the world during the previous year. This “Best Of” list is then mailed to 90,000 scholars and book buyers to bring extra attention to these notable works.

Several dozen titles from Templeton Foundation Press are available as “e-books,” which is a digital version that can be downloaded through the Internet. And, starting this fall, the Press will have ten titles available in an audio format, including works by Sir John Templeton, as well as spirituality and health books that are sure to have broad appeal.

In the works are subsidy programs to help other publishers produce important, but financially risky books, and a plan to build an on-line journal of previously published articles related to science and religion. Finally, the Press is about to begin a massive project of making available all books that resulted - perhaps, 200 in all - from what for over a century has been generally regarded as science and theology’s most important forum, Scotland’s Gifford Lecture series.

“Imagine what all this could do for the scholarly community,” says Hill. “It’s part of growing the foundation for this field. After all, you have to know what’s been done, before you can add to it.”

Even with all these activities, though, the Press is primarily committed to publishing the highest-quality new manuscripts. Among its current crop are Dr. Harold E. Koenig’s Spiritual Caregiving, which seeks to help doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals regain a sense of ministry in their careers.

Reflections on the Nature of God by Michael Reagan delves deeply into mysteries of the universe, with illustrations that enhance and illumine such questions as what is the nature of God, and does God continue to take an active role in our destiny?

John M. Templeton, Jr., addresses how we use our time, our talents and our resources in Thrift and Generosity: The Joy of Giving. The practice of thriftiness is not only virtuous, Templeton claims, but can lead to a deep, lasting contentment.

And in Evolution: The Disguised Friend of Faith, Arthur Peacocke, the renowned priest-scientist, collects thirteen previously published essays that take a provocative look at the evolution of nature, humanity and belief.

This line-up is particularly impressive to Kenneth Giniger, a New York publisher who originally published Sir John Templeton’s books before the Templeton Foundation Press was founded. Giniger, who’s on the advisory board to the Press, is also the recipient of a special mailing of books that Sir John makes to his closest friends and colleagues. “He will send out hundreds of them every year, just because he doesn’t want anyone to miss something he thinks is important.

“More than anyone I know,” Giniger concludes, “Sir John believes very, very strongly in the power of the printed word. This is why he writes himself and why he supports the Templeton Foundation Press. Sir John just loves books!”

Links of Interest
Templeton Foundation Press

Stephen Henderson is a freelance writer based in New York and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun and Religion News Service.

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