T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him

Thomas DeWitt Talmage was one of America's most famous preachers in the late nineteenth century, commanding congregations in the thousands and wielding influence that extended far beyond his Brooklyn pulpit. This autobiography, written explicitly for his children, traces his journey from the youngest of twelve children in a modest household to becoming a national religious figure. What emerges is not merely a chronicle of sermons preached or crowds gathered, but an intimate record of a man reflecting on the forces that shaped him: a father who worked sixteen-hour days, a mother's unwavering faith, and the American promise that a poor boy could rise. Talmage writes with the directness of a man who has outlived many contemporaries and wishes to leave something more lasting than property behind. For readers interested in American religious history, the texture of nineteenth-century American life, or simply the genre of spiritual memoir, this book offers a window into the mind of a man who helped define evangelical Protestantism for a generation.