British & Foreign Bible Society Book Order Form Ottoman Empire Era

British & Foreign Bible Society Book Order Form (Ottoman Period)

Description:

An original English-language book order form issued by the British & Foreign Bible Society during the Ottoman period, dating to the early 1900s. The British & Foreign Bible Society was an international missionary organization active within Ottoman territories, focusing on the distribution of the Bible and supporting Christian education and missionary activities.

Historical records indicate that representatives of the Society first arrived in İzmir in 1818, initially serving Greek-speaking Christian communities. The primary aim of the organization was to make the Bible accessible to all. Beyond its official offices and book depots, the Society employed itinerant Bible sellers (“Seyyar Mukaddes Kitap Satıcıları”), who traveled to assigned regions, communities, and language groups to distribute and sell copies of the Bible.

During the Ottoman era, non-Muslim subjects were generally prohibited from operating licensed bookshops or working officially as booksellers (sahaf). Religious restrictions particularly concerning the handling of Islamic sacred texts prevented non-Muslims from obtaining sahaf licenses. As a result, Christian communities often relied on foreign missionary organizations such as the British & Foreign Bible Society or the American Bible Society to obtain religious texts. Through these networks, Bibles were distributed among Greek, Armenian, and Jewish communities within the Ottoman Empire.

This example is a blank order form with “İstanbul” noted as the location, making it a representative piece of missionary publishing and distribution history from the early 20th century.

Key Features:

• Type: Book order form

• Organization: British & Foreign Bible Society

• Language: English

• Date: Early 1900s

• Period: Ottoman Empire

• Location Noted: Istanbul

• Content: Blank (unused) order form

• Purpose: Ordering and distribution of Bibles through missionary networks

• Historical Context: Christian access to religious books via foreign missionary societies

• Communities Served: Greek, Armenian, and Jewish populations

• Significance: Illustrates missionary activity and Bible distribution in Ottoman lands

• Collectibility: Valuable ephemera for missionary history and Ottoman Christian history collectors