The Venture of Belief by Philip Marshall Brown — Second Edition
The Venture of Belief: A Letter from N.S.D. to T.H.S.
Philip Marshall Brown
Second Edition (1937) · Fleming H. Revell Company
Hardcover with Original Dust Jacket
Overview
Offered here is the 1937 Second Edition of The Venture of Belief by Philip Marshall Brown—a sought-after Oxford Group era title that captures the movement’s practical, experience-based spirituality at a time when its influence was spreading rapidly through American religious life.
Issued in a distinctive “letter” format and originally connected to the Oxford Group circle, this book emphasizes the heart of the movement’s message: faith proven through lived experience—honesty, surrender, restitution, and service—rather than theology as abstract debate.
Notably, the original dust jacket features an endorsement from Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, one of the most important spiritual influences on early A.A. and the Oxford Group’s best-known American voice.
Why Collectors Want This Book
The Venture of Belief is a strong companion piece for Oxford Group and early A.A. roots collections because it reflects the exact spiritual atmosphere that shaped “first generation” recovery thinking: a direct call to self-examination, spiritual dependence, and making right what has been made wrong.
This Second Edition is especially interesting because the author steps forward more openly, acknowledging responsibility for the work and describing additional correspondence that helped form his convictions—adding context and immediacy for readers and collectors.
From the Dust Jacket (Shoemaker)
The jacket highlights Shoemaker’s praise for the book’s lived, experiential religion and its usefulness for “modern intellectuals” seeking God through a practical, coherent faith—an endorsement that ties this volume directly into the Oxford Group’s most influential American network.
Book Details
- Title: The Venture of Belief: A Letter from N.S.D. to T.H.S.
- Author: Philip Marshall Brown
- Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company
- Edition: Second Edition
- Date: Copyright page indicates 1937
- Format: Hardcover
- Dust Jacket: Original dust jacket present
Condition
- Book: Very Good overall.
- Noted flaws: Stamp and handwriting on two pages at the front of the book.
- Interior: No other writing or markings noted.
- Dust Jacket: Original; shows expected age handling (please view photos for exact condition).
Please view all photos for the most accurate representation of condition.
Collector’s Note
A classic Oxford Group-era title with a strong Samuel M. Shoemaker connection—and made especially desirable here by the presence of the original dust jacket. An excellent addition for collectors focused on Oxford Group literature, early spiritual movements, and the roots of A.A.
