Dear Bahá'í friends,
Recognizing the need for a great increase in the provision
of Bahá'í literature in all languages, we have reviewed the whole process of
Bahá'í publishing including such matters as reviewing, standards of production,
sales and distribution, relationships between National Spiritual Assemblies,
the international needs of the teaching work and the position of Bahá'í
authors. We are both to stimulate the supply of new works and to liberate the
channels of publication and distribution. We wish to encourage Bahá'í authors
as well as to promote production of the basic texts of the Faith.
We therefore ask you to study the attached memorandum
yourselves, pass it on to your Publishing Trust and/or other agencies
concerned, and make it available generally to the friends in whatever way you
may find practicable.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
The Universal House of Justice
Memorandum on Bahá'í publishing -- Ridvan 1971
The following principles and observations are called to the
attention of National Spiritual Assemblies and all those concerned with the
production of Bahá'í publications:
a. At this early stage of the Cause all works by Bahá'ís
which deal with the Faith, whether in the form of books, pamphlets,
translations, poems, songs, radio and television scripts, films, recordings,
etc. must be approved before submission for publication, whether to a Bahá'í or
non-Bahá'í publisher. In the case of material for purely local consumption the
competent authority is the Local Spiritual Assembly, otherwise the National Spiritual
Assembly (through its Reviewing Committee) is the approving authority.
b. That this measure is both obligatory and temporary is
borne out by the following statements of the Guardian: They must supervise in
these days when the Cause is still in its infancy all Bahá'í publications and
translations, and provide in general for a dignified and accurate presentation
of all Bahá'í literature and its distribution to the general public.
(Principles of Bahá'í Administration, pp. 38-39)
... the administration of the Cause ... should guard against
such rigidity as would clog and fetter the liberating forces released by His
Revelation. ... ... the present restrictions imposed on the publication of
Bahá'í literature will be definitely abolished;... (The World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 9)
c. The purpose of review is to protect the Faith from
misrepresentation and to ensure dignity and accuracy in its presentation. In
general the function of a Reviewing Committee is to say whether the work
submitted gives an acceptable presentation of the Cause or not. Reviewers may
win the gratitude and good will of authors by calling attention to such things
as occasional grammatical or spelling errors, but approval should not be
refused on such grounds; all such details are editorial matters for agreement
between author and publisher.
d. As regards English, the beloved Guardian's translations
are obviously the most authentic and should be used. If, for some particular
reason, a Bahá'í author when quoting a passage of the Sacred Text which has
been rendered into English by the Guardian, wishes to use a translation other
than that made by the beloved Guardian, his request may be referred to the
Universal House of Justice. Passages from the Sacred Text not translated by
Shoghi Effendi, but already in English and published with approval, may be
used. If an author wishes to make his own translation of a passage not already
translated by Shoghi Effendi, the new translation may be submitted to the
Universal House of Justice for approval.
e. With the exception of certain oriental languages such as
Turkish, Arabic and Urdu, which are related to the original Persian or Arabic,
new translations of the Sacred Text into languages other than English must be
made from the Guardian's English translation where it exists. When there is no
translation into English by Shoghi Effendi of a particular passage, the
National Spiritual Assembly concerned should seek the advice of the Universal
House of Justice. When translations already exist, which are not made from the
Guardian's English text, but have been published and approved, they may be
used.
f. It is recommended that Reviewing Committees be small,
composed of two or three believers with adequate education and knowledge of the
Cause. It is essential that works submitted be dealt with promptly. The
standards to be upheld by reviewers are the following: (a) conformity with the
Teachings, (b) accuracy, (c) dignity in presentation. The Spiritual Assembly,
on the basis of its Reviewing Committee's report, gives or withholds approval
of the work.
g. While a National Spiritual Assembly intending to publish
Bahá'í literature is encouraged to accept the review of another National
Spiritual Assembly, it is not required to do so and has the right to review any
work prior to authorizing its publication or republication by its own
Publishing Trust or publisher in its area of jurisdiction. This does not apply
to works by Hands of the Cause, which are reviewed in the Holy Land.
h. A National Spiritual Assembly which receives for approval
a manuscript from outside its area of jurisdiction should inquire whether it
has already been submitted for review elsewhere, and in the case of its having
been refused approval, the reasons for such refusal.
i. Bahá'í publishers may not publish any work about the
Faith until it has been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly of the
country where it is to be published.
j. Approval of a work imposes no obligation upon any Bahá'í
publisher to publish it.
k. Whatever "house styles" Publishing Trusts and
other Bahá'í publishers may adopt, transliteration of oriental terms into
languages using the Roman alphabet must at present be according to the system
chosen by the Guardian and described in volumes of The Bahá'í World.
l. Cables in English
should be printed exactly as received, without interpolation.
m. Bahá'í publishers, when accepting a work for publication,
will make their own arrangements with the author on all such matters as
accuracy of quotations, documentation, grammar and spelling, dates and even the
rewriting of passages which the publisher may consider need improving, or he
may ask the author to write additional material or to delete part of the
original manuscript. Although such matters are entirely between the author and
publisher, any addition, deletion or changes which affect the meaning must be
submitted for review with the relative context.
n. Although no Bahá'í work may be published without
approval, it is not mandatory to print an approval notice in any publication.
o. Bahá'í authors should welcome review of their works, and
can greatly assist promptness in review by supplying a sufficient number of
copies of the manuscript for each member of the Reviewing Committee to have
one.
p. Bahá'í authors may submit their works for review to any
National Spiritual Assembly, and may send their works, once approved, to any
publisher they like, Bahá'í or non-Bahá'í, at home or abroad. It should be
remembered, however, that the approval should be given by the National
Spiritual Assembly of the country where the work is to be first published. And
in the case of a non-Bahá'í publisher the author should insist on use of the
system of transliteration at present used by the Faith for languages employing
the Roman alphabet.
q. It is hoped that Bahá'í authors will provide a constant
stream of new works. Introductory books, commentaries, dissertations on various
aspects of the Revelation, text books, histories, reviews, audio-visual
material are all needed to stimulate study of the Faith and to promote the
vital teaching work.
r 1. Bahá'í
publications reviewed and published in one country may be sold or, offered for
sale anywhere in the world. This includes the right of the publisher or the author
to promote the sale of the publication in any legitimate manner including the
right to advise the Bahá'ís in any country of its contents, price and
availability. It does not include the right to insist that National Assemblies,
their Publishing Trusts or Publishing Committees stock, promote or advertise
the publication or offer it for sale. If any National Spiritual Assembly feels
that a book would be damaging to the Faith in its country, it may represent
this fact to the publisher and author and ask them not to promote it in that
particular country. It is hoped that there will be great co-operation among
those publishing Bahá'í literature, and Publishing Trusts are encouraged to
supply to believers, the book trade and libraries, all Bahá'í publications from
any country.
r 2. Believers should not be prevented from purchasing
Bahá'í books reviewed and published in other countries.
r 3. National Spiritual Assemblies are not obliged to
furnish mailing lists of believers to publishers, but publishers may compile
their own mailing lists and use them for the announcement and promotion of sale
of their Bahá'í books and literature.
r 4. Five copies of every new book and every new edition
(not reprints) should be sent to the World Centre.
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963 to 1986’)
