The Baker Book House Story Paperback - 2014

From the rear cover

From an immigrant's dream to an industry leader--this is the Baker Book House story

In 1939, a young Dutch immigrant opened a used-book store in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Herman Baker filled his store with five hundred books he had collected over the years, displaying them on homemade shelves. Seventy-five years later, his company has grown into one of the most influential Christian publishers in the world.

Yet The Baker Book House Story is more than the story of one man's dream become reality. In its full-color pages is found the story of an independent, family-owned company dedicated to fulfilling its mission through many twists and turns over seventy-five years. With amusing anecdotes, warm memories, and more than fifty photos, this booklet provides a short history of Baker Book House Company and a delightful glimpse inside the Christian book business. It is both a helpful look back and a hopeful look forward into a company whose best days are still ahead.


Ann Byle is a freelance journalist, author, and literary agent. As a journalist she writes for Publishers Weekly, NovelCrossing.com, and Christian Retailing magazine. She is the author of The Making of a Christian Bestseller and coauthor of Soul Surfer Devotions with surfer Bethany Hamilton and The Edge of Redemption with Troy Evans. She and her husband have four children and live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.