The Urantia Diaries of Harold and Martha Sherman
LATEST RELEASE!
LATEST RELEASE!
THE URANTIA DIARIES OF HAROLD AND MARTHA SHERMAN
Volume Six: 1955-1998
This final volume of The Urantia Diaries of Harold and Martha Sherman spans four decades; it begins with the Shermans’ receiving the just-published The Urantia Book in October 1955 and ends with Martha’s death in 1998, Harold predeceasing her in 1987. This book follows not only the parallel tracks of the slowly growing Urantia readership and the later stages of Harold’s career, but also the intersections—the Shermans’ witting and unwitting encounters with Urantia Book readers and those otherwise connected with the book.
Square Circles Publishing
eISBN: 978-1-7344621-2-8
Volume One:
1898-1942
The Urantia Diaries of Harold and Martha Sherman are a comprehensive revision of the five-volume Sherman Diaries (2002-2008), in which the Shermans recorded what was said and done at every Forum meeting they attended between 1942 and 1947. We have replaced Sherman's business-related correspondence with bridges, restored the Harry Loose letters to their original, unedited forms, improved the footnotes and added an index.
Volume One presents Sherman’s 1941-1942 correspondence with Dr. William S. Sadler and two notable Forumites, famed Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins and retired detective Harry J. Loose, prior to their moving to Chicago in May 1942. Through letters and in person Loose introduced the Shermans to the Urantia revelation and thrilled Harold with the assurance that he was to play a leading role in its presentation to the world.
Print: 464 pages, $19.95
Kindle: $4.95
Volume Two:
1942
Volume Two, covering May to December 1942, records the Shermans' first flush of enthusiasm for the Urantia revelation as well as the events that culminated in the first major conflict among Urantia believers.
The book opens as the Shermans arrive in Chicago, begin reading the Urantia papers and attend the Sunday Forum meetings. But, as Harold reads the manuscript and learns of Sadler’s plans to set up a foundation for publishing the Urantia Book and to form an official membership organization for Urantia believers, he is besieged by questions and concerns. He helps write a petition, signed by almost fifty Forumites, asking Sadler to allow free and open discussion of the planned organizations. Sadler's reaction to the petition confounds the Forumites and reveals an unexpected, dark side to his character.
Print: 486 pages, $19.95
Kindle: $4.95
Volume Three:
1943
This volume documents a full year of Urantia-related activity as witnessed by Harold and Martha Sherman and described in their diaries and letters. During this year, 1943, the Shermans continue to attend the weekly Forum meetings almost without fail and to record their recollections soon afterward. Feeling unjustly blamed by Dr. Sadler for the so-called rebellion the previous summer, they share their frustrations with their few friends in the Forum, and confide their growing doubts about the Doctor’s trustworthiness as custodian of the Urantia papers. Their closest confidante remains Harry J. Loose, now in failing health but still providing advice and instruction through long, frequent letters. The year culminates with Loose’s death, which Harold and Martha perceive as opening a new era in their lives.
Print: 476 pages, $16.95
Kindle: $4.95
Volume Four:
1944-1945
In this volume Harold and Martha Sherman report their Urantia-related experiences for the years 1944 and 1945. During this period the Forum hears the papers that became Part III of the Urantia Book, and the Shermans record their impressions of each paper as well as their discussions with Forum friends on these and other subjects. Harold is forced to miss a number of Forum meetings while in New York and Hollywood pursuing various book, stage and radio projects, but Martha attends regularly. No longer in the forefront of controversy, the Shermans quietly maintain their criticisms of Dr. Sadler’s handling of the papers. In late 1945 a frank meeting with Harry Loose’s close friend, Reverend Williams, causes the Shermans to reflect anew on their involvement with the Urantia project, resulting in a turning point of sorts.
Print: 432 pages, $15.95
Kindle: $4.95
Volume Five:
1946-1955
This volume documents the years 1946 to 1955, spanning Harold and Martha Sherman’s last year and a half as Forumites and the period leading up to the long-awaited publication of the Urantia Book.
In the summer of 1947 the Shermans moved to their cottage in the Arkansas Ozarks from where Harold continued a busy career as a writer and traveling lecturer. During these years the Shermans kept in regular contact with Forumites Elsie Baumgartner, Rachel Gusler, and Sir Hubert Wilkins. Their letters—touching on matters personal, political, philosophical, and spiritual—provide a glimpse into the concerns and perspectives of members of the first generation of serious students of the Urantia papers. In their travels the Shermans renewed acquaintance with a number of other Forumites and former Forumites, recording their experiences in letters and diary entries.
Print: 636 pages, $21.95
Kindle: $4.95