Very early on, the first readers demanded an abridged edition of this large Story of a soul, and in particular the influential Abbé Domin, chaplain of the Benedictine Abbey and catechist of Thérèse, who wrote in December 1898: high and, thereby, easier to distribute. That young girls with modest savings—and you know how many there are—can not only read this volume quickly, as one does a borrowed book, but put it in their library to review it at leisure, meditate on it, consult it, even lend it to friends who, even if they are less pious, will not resist the desire to read it in full, as soon as they have only read a few pages... Therese possesses eminently all that is needed to instruct, to please and to touch, as the ancients said, and consequently to lead a very large number of souls to virtue. 'once. Give us soon, my Reverend Mother, an edition po popular, so that we can spread this book as it deserves. It will be, do not doubt it, to enter into the desires of our holy Child who from the height of Heaven, wants still and more than ever, to do good on earth."
Abbé Domin will be listened to: the Carmelites will turn to the pocket book and will succeed very well.
1902 A leafless rose
A leafless rose is the first "abridged" edition. 5000 copies of 16 x 11 cm. came out in 1902. With its 288 pages, the book contains the 12 chapters of HA, the poem a Rose effeuillée and the act of offering. It will be constantly enriched over the course of 40 other editions, totaling nearly 650,000 copies until 1949. It will be offered simultaneously in 16 x 11, 20 x 13 and 23 x 5 cm formats.
1904 The Call to Little Souls (biography)
The call to little souls is the first really "lightweight" edition, with its 32 pages of carefully chosen excerpts from HA. The first edition printed 14,000 copies in 1904. Published in 16 x 10 or 15 x 13 cm., its 24 editions will exceed 900,000 copies, under changing titles: The call to little souls, The call to divine love, or with the subtitle: Abridged life of Sr Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Read here the very detailed analysis of L'APPEL written by Fr. Jean Grelier.
1913 Sr Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Read the 1914 edition here: Abridged life of Sr Thérèse
Thérèse of the Child Jesus: her life - since her death. This "abridged life" of 62 pages was released in 1913. It contains Thérèse's life for the first half of the booklet, then her graces and various interventions "since her death". In various formats but always very small (12 x 8 cm., 13 x 9, 13 x 5, 13 x 9, 15 x 10 cm.) the prints will reach in 1959 2 million copies. It will be a best-seller in the trenches during the 1st World War.
1919 The small way
Read here The little way in colors
"Mystical ascent of the Mountain of Perfection through the path of love and spiritual childhood of Thérèse of the Child Jesus" - this is the title on the 1st page. These are 31 poems facing 31 allegorical paintings. The poems are sung to 3 different tunes, the score of which is given in the appendix. Released in 16 x 12, then 18 x 13 cm, the book will be reissued until 1950 totaling 136,000, including 15,000 in color.
1921 The Way of Childhood
The little way of spiritual childhood followed by Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Under this title we find exactly the content of "La petite Voie" in a deluxe color edition 18 x 13 cm. But from 1921, it is a prose text in a very small booklet of 16 pages in 13 x 9 format, which will know 11 editions until 1954, in 287,500 copies.
1923 Life in pictures of Thérèse of the Child Jesus
life in pictures, small illustrated edition of a biography of Thérèse written on a double page: on one side the episode of Thérèse's life in verse and on the other her full-page illustration. The booklet appeared from 1923 in 15 x 12 format, then 20 x 13 and 19 x 14 cm. With the following editions until 1955, the book will be enriched with new illustrations and will total 177,888 copies.
