I was given the wonderful opportunity to review 3 books from
Salem Ridge Press .
Here’s a little about the company straight from the website…
{ Salem Ridge Press is a publishing company, established in 2005, dedicated to bringing back quality children’s books of the 1800’s and early 1900’s for a new generation of readers. We strive to republish wholesome "living books" for the whole family, and we hope that you enjoy these books as much as we have!
How we choose our books
Here at Salem Ridge Press we know how challenging it can sometimes be to find wholesome books for your family. Well-written books that teach godly character and high moral values are hard to come by. Many books written during the late 1800's and early 1900's fit this criteria, but it still takes time to search them out and preview their contents. We purchase many old books, often using leads from old catalogs, and carefully evaluate each one, republishing only the best of the best.
Our Standards
I feel very responsible for the content of books that we republish and if I am going to bring a book back into print, I want to be able to stand behind it with no reservations. Very early on we realized that we were going to have to decide carefully what was appropriate in our books and what was not. I sometimes joke that our number one rule is, "No Kissing!" While many books from the 1800's and early 1900's are no problem at all this way, in several cases we have slightly edited passages which included a brief kiss or embrace. We want to be an encouragement to young people to maintain the highest standards of purity in their relationships. We have also edited out some derogatory comments that we felt were unnecessary or offensive. On several occasions the illustrations have presented a challenge and so we edited them to keep things modest and appropriate. Most of the changes that we make are very minor but I think they go a long way towards upholding our standard which is found in the Bible:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8)."
Daniel Mills
Daniel Mills, the founder of Salem Ridge Press, lives in Pennsylvania with his family. He is a homeschooling graduate who loves the Lord and desires to serve Him and other people, especially other homeschooling families, through his business. In his early teen years, he read two particular old books,
At Seneca Castle by William Canfield, and
Our Fellows by Harry Castlemon, that so impressed him with a desire to see them republished that the idea was planted of someday doing that himself.
Daniel graduated from high school in June, 2003, and pursued training in Disaster Relief and Search and Rescue at the International Alert Academy in Big Sandy, Texas. Graduating from Alert in November, 2004, he then spent the first ten months of 2005 serving in two different ministry opportunities and also working for a family friend. In November, 2005, he began his republishing business. Daniel firmly believes that what we read matters and what we take into our minds is a major factor in forming our ideas and character. His goal is to be a blessing to others by providing reading material that fits the qualifications outlined in the Bible. While not every title that Salem Ridge Press publishes is explicitly Christian, all of our titles have strong moral values and encourage positive character. }
Can you say WOW?!
I was sent 2 e-books…Mary Jane’s Her Visit and The American Twins of the Revolution and one physical book titled Soldier Fritz and the Enemies He Fought.
{ Mary Jane Her Visit--- In this story, the second book in the Mary Jane series, five-year-old Mary Jane has more happy wholesome adventures, this time at her great-grandparents' farm in the country where she hunts for eggs, picks berries, finds baby rabbits, goes to the circus and more! }
I thought this book was a very sweet story…my kids enjoyed listening to it. I think I would love to live on a farm!
{ Soldier Fritz and the Enemies He Fought---Young Fritz wants to follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther and be a soldier for the Lord, so he chooses a Bible from the peddler’s pack as his birthday gift. When his father, the Count, goes off to war, however, Fritz and his mother and little sister are forced to flee into the forest to escape being thrown in prison for their new faith. Disguising themselves as commoners, they must trust the Lord as they wait and hope for the Count to rescue them. But how will he ever be able to find them? }
I totally loved this book…Fritz learns how to be a true soldier for the Lord and aren’t we all, as Christians, trying to do this? He had such a “proud and passionate heart” and when I say passionate I mean a quick temper, full of anger. Through reading this book we get to see the life-changing transformation of a family who come to know the Lord and who are changed by His grace. His mother was such an example of someone who taught her children from God’s word and showed the love of the Lord to those around her. Excellent book, I can’t say enough about it. It teaches about Church History of Martin Luther and the Reformation.
{ The American Twins of the Revolution--- General Washington has no money to pay his discouraged troops and twins Sally and Roger are asked by their father, General Priestly, to help hide a shipment of gold which will be used to pay the American soldiers. Unfortunately, British spies have also learned about the gold and will stop at nothing to prevent it from reaching General Washington. Based on a true story, this is a thrilling episode from our nation’s history! }
I am looking forward to reading this story in just a few months to the kids, as we are studying American History this year. I read a tidbit from it and it looks like another great story. I love reading historical stories.
Now that I told you about the company and the books they sent me. Let me tell you what I love about Salem Ridge Press…
I love what it stands for…
I love that we can read these books without worrying about something offensive…
I love the language and vocabulary…they even have the synonym of a word that may not be used nowadays at the bottom of the page
I love that is was started by a young man who wanted to republish old books because he had enjoyed them as a kid…
I remember awhile ago I had seen this website before and looked at some of the book options (mind you it was only the bookcovers I looked at) and thought hmm they don’t look all that interesting, but now that I have read about the company and have had the chance to read some of the books…I have a different view. The bookcovers and illustrations may look old to you or your children, but the old adage applies,
“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”.
If you’d like to read other TOS Crew reviews on this Company or other reviews go here…
TOS Crew Blog.
Disclaimer---I was given these products for free from the vendor in exchange for my honest review.
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