“I found a role model in that traveling printer whom Harold Bell Wright had brought to life. He set me on a course I’ve tried to follow even unto this day. I shall always be grateful.”
—Ronald Reagan, in a letter to Harold B. Wright’s daughter-in-law in 1984
“This is a book that will appeal to both men and women. It should have a place in church libraries.”
—Church and Synagogue Library Association
“Many of Reagan’s accomplishments, as well as his outlook on life, can be traced back to that dog-eared copy of That Printer of Udell’s.”
—John Fund, Wall Street Journal columnist
After reading the book at age 11, Ronald Reagan noted that this book provided a lasting impact on his life, shaping his own moral sense. He identified with the central character, Dick Falkner. Falkner’s childhood was one of poverty and abuse from an alcoholic father. Recognizing his life for what it was, he ran away from his home, but he could not run away from all of his problems. Sixteen years later he found himself hungry of body and empty of spirit in a small Midwestern town.
Eventually, he is taken in by George Udell, a local printer and a kind-hearted man. George Udell gives the young man a job, and something more important: spiritual support. Through hard work and Christian morals, the man who becomes known as “that printer of Udell’s” rises above his past to a new life with God, doing what he could to change the lives of the town people.
About the Author
This was the first book by Harold Bell Wright (1872–1944), a Disciples of Christ minister. His second, The Shepherd of the Hills, was the first book of American fiction to sell more than one million copies. His ongoing battle with tuberculosis led him to settle in Imperial Valley, California, where he wrote The Winning of Barbara Worth. The following books are published by Pelican as a trilogy by Wright: The Shepherd of the Hills, The Calling of Dan Matthews, and God and the Groceryman.
About the Foreword Writer
John Fund is a political columnist for the Wall Street Journal. His articles have appeared in Esquire, Reader’s Digest, the New Republic, and National Review. Fund frequently appears on radio and television programs as a political commentator.
THAT PRINTER OF UDELL’S
By Harold Bell Wright
Foreword by John Fund
FICTION / Classics
360 pp. 5 1/4 x 81/2
ISBN: 9781455615407