The Ephrata Cloister was an Early American powerhouse of printing and publishing.
The Arndt and Eck bibliography lists 68 German-language books, pamphlets, and almanacs printed at the Ephrata Cloister between 1745 and 1792.
The Cloister printed only one English-language book, a 1767 hymnal for the Episcopal churches in Lancaster, Pequea, and Caernarvon. Only one copy of this book is known. It is in California's Huntington Library. The book's title is The Family Prayer-Book, Containing Morning and Evening Prayers...
Here are five German-language books printed at the Cloister. The rye-straw breadbasket also is from the Cloister.
These books are (left to right, back row first):
- Christliches Gemüths - Gespräch (Christian Spiritual Conversation) by Gerhard Roosen 1769. Printed for the Mennonites.
- Creutz-Schule (School of the Cross) by Valentin Wudrian. 1762.
- Die Ernsthafte Christenpflicht (The Earnest Christian Duty). 1785. The most popular Mennonite and Amish prayer book, even today.
- Die Ernsthafte Christen - Pflicht (The Earnest Christian Duty). 1770. The most popular Mennonite and Amish prayer book, even today.
- Die Ganz Neue Testament (The Complete New Testament). 1787.
