We are happy to report that sales of the English version of The URANTIA Book continue at a pace comparable with the high level of sales reached last year. In fact, 1987 was the second best year in terms of sales of the English version since its publication in 1955 and was the best year ever for total distribution (which includes sales as well as gift and library placements) with over 11,000 copies being dispensed.
Amadon Corporation, an affiliate of URANTIA Foundation, reports that sales of the French translation (titled Le Livre d'Urantia for the first half of this year are also comparable with the same period oflastyear. In 1987, approximately 1500 copies of the French translation were sold. If figures for both the French translation and the Englishversion are combined, then the total number ofcopies distributed in 1987 is over 12,800 books, which is considerably beyond any previous combined count.
Also, we wish to report that URANTIA Brotherhood Corporation, sales agent, and URANTIA Foundation hosted a booth at both the London Book Fair, which was held from March 28 through 30 in London, England, and at the annual convention of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), which was held in Anaheim, California from May 28 to 31. The Foundation provided the funds for UBC to attend both activities, while UBC utilized the modular display unit which it purchased last year for such activities.
The primary objective for attending the London Book Fair was to learn more about the channels of book distribution and sales in Great Britain and the European continent. As a result of attending the Fair, contacts were made with book distributors and it is anticipated that opportunities to make the English and French versions of The URANTIA Book more generally available in British and European bookstores will soon significantly expand.
As was the case last year, the primary purposes for having a booth at the ABA convention in Anaheim are to continue to increase awareness of the availability of The URANTIA Book within the publishing industry, as well as to encourage the appreciation of the Foundation and Brotherhood as operating within the channels of book distribution. The booth was staffed by both Brotherhood and Foundation representatives and was located in what is known as the small press area, very near the areawhere authors autographed copies of their books. As a consequence of being near the autograph area, there was a steady stream of people going by the booth every day of the convention. More than a hundred people visited the booth, the majority being representatives of bookstores or book distributors, and additional hundreds, if not greater numbers, of people passed by and saw the booth display.