Books, Books, Books!

“To the making of many books there is no end,” wrote wise King Solomon of old. (Ecclesiastes 12:12) During 1995 close to one new book was published in Britain for every 580 of the population, making that country the world’s leader in publishing new book titles. China, the most populated country, came in second with 92,972 editions compared with Britain’s 95,015. Germany followed (67,206 titles), and then came the United States (49,276), with France next (41,234). “Much of Britain’s lead over the world is accounted for simply because of the English language,” notes The Daily Telegraph newspaper of London.

Reports indicate that the book-selling market has been on the decline for several years, and now only 80 percent of adults in Britain buy one or more books a year. But do people read all the books they buy?

One book that continues to be both widely distributed and read is the Bible, now available in parts or as a whole in over 2,120 languages. If you do not yet own a copy, contact the office of the Watch Tower Society nearest you to obtain one. If you possess a Bible, take it out and check the Scriptural references that appear in the articles in this magazine. Doing so, you will discover the Bible’s life-giving knowledge.