Self-published books

Self-published books

I've uploaded PDFs of two books that I've self-published for all to view and download.

If you click on the links below, the files will open in your browser. If you want to download the files to your hard drive, right-click on the link and choose Save Target As.

Letters Home (800 KB) — This is a collection of letters written by Eva Bauernfeind Spreng, my grandfather's first wife. They were in China in 1920 preparing to be missionaries, but were there for only 7 months before Eva fell ill and they returned to the Unted States for an operation. She died a month later. The letters are a fascinating look into a young missionary couple's first sojourn into China and show what a wonderful woman Eva was.

The Life and Times of a Bishop (1.3 MB) — This is an accounting by Samuel Peter Spreng (my great-grandfather) of his experiences as a 19th century minister in the Evangelical Association (a German-American denomination). It's from a series of articles originally published in The Evangelical Crusader in 1931.

Contact me if you are interested in nicely printed and bound copies of these books. I don't have any copies left from the first printing, but I'm thinking of having these available on Cafe Press or another book publishing website (or printing them myself again) if there is any interest.

Update: I have just done a 2nd printing of The Life and Time of a Bishop. They are for sale for $18.00, which includes shipping and handling. 70 pages, plastic-coil bound, printed in color. Click here to view pictures of the front cover and a sample interior spread. Email me if you'd like to purchase one.

Other Spreng family historical documents

A Short History of the Family of John Jacob Spreng (PDF, 200 KB) — Written by Emma Spreng Gamertsfelder in 1931.

Martha Hake Mission Letter (HTML) — Letter from Miss Martha Hake, a missionary to China, sent out by the Evangelical Church, detailing a trip to Peking in 1924. (Martha Hake married Dr. Ralph Spreng in Kuling, China, July 30, 1925.)

NEW Orphans in an Earthquake (HTML) — The Story of Dr. Susan Bauernfeind, by L. Ethel Spreng, published as a pamphlet in 1942.