Review and Herald Publishing Association
An American Seventh-day Adventist publishing organization known for religious books, periodicals, educational materials, and church resources.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Review and Herald Publishing Association is an American religious publishing organization affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its origins reach back to 1849, when James White began publishing The Present Truth, followed by The Advent Review in 1850. These early periodicals helped communicate the developing beliefs and activities of the Adventist movement and eventually provided the foundation for a formal publishing institution. The association became the older of the two principal Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses in North America. Over time, its scope expanded beyond denominational newspapers and magazines to include books, Bible-study materials, church and school resources, music recordings, videos, games, and other products intended for Adventist congregations, educational institutions, families, and individual subscribers. It has also been associated with the publication and distribution of Adventist Review, a major English-language periodical of the denomination, as well as Liberty, a religious-liberty magazine published since 1906. The organization’s history includes several major relocations and changes in physical scale. After its early development in connection with the Adventist community at Battle Creek, Michigan, a major fire on December 30, 1902 destroyed its offices. The association subsequently moved its headquarters to Takoma Park, Maryland. In 1983 it relocated again, establishing a large facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, on a 127-acre campus. Contemporary accounts described the site as a $14 million facility with approximately 350 employees and a $6.7 million annual payroll, reflecting the size of the association’s printing and distribution operations at that time. The publishing house also absorbed or combined with related Adventist publishing activity. The Gospel Herald Publishing Company, established by Edson White in Nashville, Tennessee, was renamed the Southern Publishing Association in 1901 and merged with Review and Herald in 1980. This consolidation strengthened the association’s position within the denomination’s North American publishing structure. Review and Herald’s catalog has included both widely distributed denominational periodicals and substantial illustrated religious works. One notable example is The Bible Story by Arthur S. Maxwell, developed in the 1950s as a multi-volume retelling of biblical narratives. Its 411 stories and color illustrations on each opening made it an ambitious and costly project for its period and helped establish the association’s reputation for producing substantial family and educational publications. In 2014, the association decided to continue as a publisher while ending its ownership or operation of printing and distribution facilities. The change represented a shift from an integrated publishing-and-manufacturing model toward a publishing organization that could commission, manage, and distribute content through external arrangements. The association retained a board and administrators after the transition. Its continuing role is therefore primarily editorial, publishing, and denominational rather than that of a large in-house commercial printer. The organization remains closely connected to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and serves a specialized religious audience in North America and beyond.
History
The institutional roots of the Review and Herald Publishing Association lie in the early publishing activity of the Seventh-day Adventist movement. In 1849, James White produced The Present Truth, a periodical intended to circulate emerging Adventist teachings. The following year he published The Advent Review. These publications established a communications channel for a movement that did not yet possess a large formal administrative structure, and they became the foundation for the publishing work later identified with Review and Herald. As the Adventist movement developed, its publishing operation expanded and moved to Battle Creek, Michigan. The organization served not only as a printer of religious periodicals but also as a central means of distributing doctrinal writing, evangelistic literature, church news, and educational material. Its history consequently became closely linked with the institutional growth of the denomination in North America. A major disruption occurred on December 30, 1902, when a fire destroyed the association’s offices. Following the disaster, the headquarters was moved to Takoma Park, Maryland. The relocation reflected the continuing development of Adventist administrative and publishing institutions in the Washington, D.C., area. The association continued to broaden its catalog during the twentieth century, publishing books and periodicals alongside materials designed for congregational and educational use. The publishing house became particularly associated with large and illustrated religious works. During the 1950s it developed The Bible Story by Arthur S. Maxwell. The multivolume set contained 411 Bible stories and used color illustrations throughout. Its scale and production expense were notable for a publishing industry in which full-color illustration remained costly, and the work became an important example of the association’s family-oriented publishing program. Review and Herald also participated in the consolidation of Adventist publishing institutions. Edson White had established the Gospel Herald Publishing Company in Nashville, Tennessee. That company was renamed the Southern Publishing Association in 1901 and merged with Review and Herald in 1980. The combination brought related publishing activity into a more concentrated North American denominational structure. In 1983 the association moved from its previous location to a new Hagerstown, Maryland, facility on a 127-acre campus. At the time, the site was described as a $14 million development, with roughly 350 employees and an annual payroll of $6.7 million. These figures illustrate the scale of the organization when it operated substantial printing and distribution functions in addition to editorial and publishing activities. Its publication portfolio has included books, magazines, study guides, church and school resources, CDs, videos, and games. Among its continuing or historically important periodicals are Adventist Review and Liberty. Adventist Review serves as a major English-language publication for the Seventh-day Adventist community. Liberty, which has been published since 1906, focuses on religious-liberty issues and has reached a broad readership within and beyond the denomination. A structural change came in 2014. Rather than closing altogether, Review and Herald decided to remain a publisher without maintaining printing and distribution facilities. This transformed the association from a vertically integrated publishing and manufacturing operation into an organization centered on publishing management, editorial work, and coordination with external production and distribution arrangements. The association retained a board and administrators after the change. Its historical significance therefore rests both on its long publishing record and on its role in the institutional communications system of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
- 2014
Publishing operations are separated from printing and distribution
[1]Review and Herald elects to continue as a publisher while ending operation of its printing and distribution facilities.
- 1983
Hagerstown facility opens
[1]The association moves to a new Hagerstown, Maryland, facility on a 127-acre campus.
- 1980
Southern Publishing Association merges with Review and Herald
[1]The Southern Publishing Association is merged into Review and Herald, consolidating related Seventh-day Adventist publishing operations.
- 1950
The Bible Story is developed
[1]The association develops Arthur S. Maxwell’s illustrated Bible Story series, featuring 411 stories and extensive color artwork.
- 1906
Liberty begins publication
[1]Liberty, a periodical focused on religious-liberty concerns, begins publication.
- 1902
Battle Creek offices destroyed by fire
[1]A major fire on December 30 destroys the association’s offices and leads to the relocation of its headquarters to Takoma Park, Maryland.
- 1901
Gospel Herald Publishing Company becomes Southern Publishing Association
[1]The Nashville-based Gospel Herald Publishing Company, established by Edson White, adopts the Southern Publishing Association name.
- 1850
The Advent Review is published
[1]The Advent Review follows The Present Truth and helps build a recurring communications platform for the emerging Seventh-day Adventist movement.
- 1849
James White begins the publishing work
[1]James White publishes The Present Truth, establishing the early periodical work from which the Review and Herald publishing organization developed.
Products and positioning
A denominational religious publisher serving Seventh-day Adventist readers, congregations, schools, and families.
Religious periodical
Adventist Review
A major English-language Seventh-day Adventist periodical associated with the Review and Herald publishing tradition. It communicates denominational news, religious commentary, theological perspectives, and material relevant to Adventist members and institutions.
Religious-liberty magazine · 1906
Liberty
A religious-liberty magazine published since 1906. The title addresses questions concerning freedom of religion and the relationship between religion and public life, serving readers within the Seventh-day Adventist community and a wider audience interested in religious-liberty issues.
Illustrated religious book series · 1950
The Bible Story
A substantial illustrated Bible-story series developed during the 1950s under the authorship of Arthur S. Maxwell. It contains 411 Bible stories and was distinguished by the use of color illustrations on each opening, making it a notable family and educational publishing project for its period.
Educational and denominational resources
Church and school materials
A broad group of resources produced for Seventh-day Adventist congregations, schools, families, and individual subscribers. The category has included study guides, instructional materials, church resources, and other content supporting denominational education and religious practice.
Religious multimedia
Multimedia and games
The association’s historical catalog extended beyond printed books and periodicals to CDs, videos, and games. These products broadened the ways Adventist educational and religious content could be used by churches, schools, families, and individual subscribers.
Brand decisions
2014
Continue as a publisher without printing and distribution facilitiesStrategyBackground
After decades of operating as a substantial publishing, printing, and distribution organization, Review and Herald faced a structural transition in its operating model.
Action taken
The association decided to remain in existence as a publisher while discontinuing its printing and distribution facilities. It retained a board and administrators.
Aftermath
The decision shifted the organization toward editorial and publishing functions coordinated with external production and distribution arrangements. The supplied sources do not provide subsequent financial or staffing results.
1980
Merger with Southern Publishing AssociationM&ABackground
The Southern Publishing Association was a related Seventh-day Adventist publishing institution based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Action taken
Southern Publishing Association merged with Review and Herald, consolidating the two publishing operations.
Aftermath
The merger strengthened the concentration of North American Seventh-day Adventist publishing activity within Review and Herald.
Sources1 sources
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