God the Bestseller is a fantastic blend of History, Religion and Social Science that explains the ways that Religion and Commerce connected to bring about a new religious revolution and a profit boom in the United States.

Stephen Prothero transports readers back to the early days of printing and faith and shows how one man's ambition and clarity helped the message of God spread across the US and make him a fortune that is rivaled to this very day. Prothero brings the time period to life and allows readers to understand the circumstances that lead to the religious awakening in the US.

Overall I greatly enjoyed God the Bestseller and recommend it to any person who is interested in history or religion.

Stephen Prothero is to be commended for this very well researched biography of Harper Collins editor Eugene Exman. . Harpercollins.com informs us that "Eugene Exman was editor-manager of Harper's religious book department. He was made a member of the firm's board of directors in 1944, a vice president in 1955, and retired in 1965 after thirty-five years with the company."

Prothero details an expansive panorama of Exman's personal involvement with many nationally known figures. The book's Introduction states "In fact, almost all of the most popular and enduring books on Exman’s list are records of religious experiences: autobiographies by Harry Emerson Fosdick and Dorothy Day, biographical accounts of Albert Schweitzer, King’s reminiscences of the Montgomery bus boycott, and so on." It informs the reader of the country's religious topography as it changed and expanded from the 1940's through the 1960's.

This is a very pleasurable read about a person who made a big impact through his editorship and should be more widely known.