Quest Books
Quest Books is the imprint used by the Theosophical Publishing House (Wheaton), the publishing arm of the Theosophical Society in America. It originated in 1966 when the TPH predecessor, Theosophical Press, decided to produce a line of paperback books at the urging of Herbert A. Kern, Sr..[1] The first book published was The Essential Unity of All Religions by Bhagavan Das.[2]
TSA President Joy Mills was granted funds from The Kern Foundation to establish this new line of books:
With the approval, then, of our first request for grants from the Kern Foundation, we began at once, under the direction of Helen Zahara, the publication of paperback books. It was my own view that a special name should be given to this new publishing program, a name that would have its significance in terms of the philosophy being offered and would be distinctive in identifying the books when distribution to book stores could be effected. Various names were suggested, as several of us sought for the ideal designation; one day, however, when a few of us had gathered in the Olcott kitchen for afternoon coffee, I tossed out casually, "Let's call them Quest Books!" The name seemed exactly right, and so the series became known.[3]
In 2023-2024, the decision was taken to sell the Quest Books imprint to RedWheelWeiser, which now distributes the books at https://redwheelweiser.com/imprints/quest-books/. The Theosophical Publishing House continues to sell a separate line of Theosophical classics such as The Secret Doctrine by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.
Notes
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 163.
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 131.
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 166.