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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 342 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 342 pagesAbout this book
Who is the man behind the pulpit when the sermon ends and the household sees him?
T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him brings you close to an American Presbyterian preacher whose sermons reach readers far beyond his church. Credited to Thomas De Witt Talmage and his widow, Eleanor McCutcheon Collier Talmage, this memoir turns from the public speaker to the person known at home.
Eleanor’s personal tribute places his work beside the ordinary hours of meals, travel, letters, and preparation. Faith stands at the center of this portrait, shaping choices and daily habits. The perspective is affectionate rather than detached: you meet Talmage through someone who loves him, in an age when sermons enter newspapers, homes, and street conversations.
What you’ll discover
- Beyond the public pulpit Look past the celebrated preacher to the man his household knows in ordinary hours.
- A world of sermons Enter an American church culture where a preacher’s words reach into homes and public conversation.
- The quiet work Follow the preparation behind public speaking, alongside letters, travel, and the rhythms of home.
- Conviction in daily life Explore a portrait in which religious belief and a minister’s working life remain closely bound.
- Affection with a perspective Read a spouse’s tribute with room to notice both its intimacy and its leaning toward praise.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy American history told by someone who was there, lively personal stories, famous names met face to face, or the faith that drove a great speaker.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Humble beginnings teach him human worth
- An uncertain student finds his calling
- Kindness steadies a beginner in trouble
- His ministry reaches beyond the church
- Prayer guides his move to Brooklyn
- Hostile attention opens an unexpected pulpit
- Public honesty belongs in the pulpit
- Repeated losses do not stop him
- Cheerfulness runs through a public life
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T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him
by Thomas De Witt Talmage; Eleanor McCutcheon Collier Talmage · 1912
A farm boy from New Jersey grows into a preacher whose sermons reach millions, and three churches burn around him.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“I have always found it safe to trust the Lord.”
In short
What would you put in your life story if your words had reached more readers than almost anyone else's? T. De Witt Talmage faced that question late in the nineteenth century.
T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him at a glance
- Reading time
- About 8 h 10 min6 h 30 min fast, 9 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 116,300 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1912by Thomas De Witt Talmage; Eleanor McCutcheon Collier Talmage
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The youngest of twelve grows up in a hardworking home
Talmage opens with the family Bible, which records his birth on January 7, 1832. He was the youngest of twelve children, born in Middlebrook, New Jersey, where his father worked at a tollgate. Money was short.
His early years were a run of illnesses. Scarlet fever came so near to killing him that neighbors finished his burial clothes. He believed those epidemics left him with a lifetime of unusual health, and he thanked God for it.
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A farm boy from New Jersey grows into a preacher whose sermons reach millions, and three churches burn around him.
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Details
- First published
- 1912
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
- Paperback
- 342 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 342 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 584 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print hardcover
- 584 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives Wed 2 Dec to Tue 8 Decto United States, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Talmage, Thomas De Witt, and Eleanor McCutcheon Collier Talmage. T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/t-de-witt-talmage-as-i-knew-him.
Talmage, T. D. W., & Talmage, E. M. C. (2026). T. De Witt Talmage as I knew him. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/t-de-witt-talmage-as-i-knew-him (Original work published 1912)
Talmage, Thomas De Witt, and Eleanor McCutcheon Collier Talmage. T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/t-de-witt-talmage-as-i-knew-him.
@book{talmage2026t,
author = {Talmage, Thomas De Witt and Talmage, Eleanor McCutcheon Collier},
title = {T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/t-de-witt-talmage-as-i-knew-him},
note = {First published 1912}
}
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What is T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him about?
It is the autobiography of a famous American preacher, from his boyhood in New Jersey to his ministry in Brooklyn and Washington, with a final section by his wife Eleanor describing his last years, travels and death.
Who was T. De Witt Talmage?
He was a Presbyterian minister whose weekly sermons were printed in newspapers around the world. He led the Brooklyn Tabernacle, lectured across America and Europe, and edited religious magazines before his death in 1902.
Who wrote the last chapters of the book?
Eleanor McCutcheon Collier Talmage, his wife, wrote the closing biographical sketch. She drew on scrapbooks, notebooks and her daughter's travel diary to describe their life together from 1898 until his death.
The author
Thomas De Witt Talmage
1832–1902 · American Presbyterian preacher
Thomas De Witt Talmage (1832–1902) was an American Presbyterian minister. He was born in Bound Brook, New Jersey, and died in Washington, D.C. He served churches in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Washington. During the nineteenth century, he published collections of sermons and other religious writings. His sermons also appeared in newspapers.
“I have always found it safe to trust the Lord.”
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