"Hutterite Society"
by John A. Hostetler
Paperback edition published April 1997
(same as Hardcover edition of 1974)

© copyright 1997 by FEEFHS, all rights reserved
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First Posted: 18 January 1997

Ordering Information and Summary of Contents

FEEFHS is pleased to announce that Hutterite Society by John A. Hostetler is being republished in April 1997 as a Paperback by the copyright owner, Johns Hopkins University Press.

To Order by Telephone using a Credit Card:
For U.S. telephones, call 1-800-537-5487
Ask for "Hutterite Society"
ISBN 0-8018-5639-6
Single copy retail price: US$24.95 plus postage and handling

Copies may also be ordered from the publisher by FAX or mail:

Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland
Telephone: (410) 516-6900
FAX: (410) 516-6998
eMail address: books@mail.press.jhu.edu

For further details on this and other books see the Johns Hopkins University Press Web Site: http://www.jhu.edu/~jhupress/

Webmaster's note: UMI (University Microfiche) also sells this book on microfiche at an estimated price of US$120.00)


(Jacket Summary for the Paperback edition of Hutterite Society published April 1997)
Reprinted by FEEFHS by premission of Johns Hopkins University Press, the copyright owners
"John Hostetler's study of the Hutterites, originally published in 1974, is now available again in paperback. Written to mark the centennial of the Hutterites' arrival in North America, the book traces their history from the founding of their society over four centuries ago to the early 1970's, and analyzes their social and cultural organization, the difficulties of communal living and their strategies for survival."

"Essential to any study of the Hutterites" - American Historical Review

Hutterite Society ... is surely destined to become a minor classic widely read and acclaimed by scholars and the general public" - Sociology


(Jacket Summary for the Hardcover edition of Hutterite Society published in 1974)
Reprinted by FEEFHS by premission of Johns Hopkins University Press, the copyright owners
"At a time of growing interest in communal societies and alternative lifestyles, John. A. Hostetler offers a complete and fascinating picture of the oldest and largest family-style communal society in North America. Believing that the communal structure is ordained by God, the Hutterites regard each colony as a Noah's Ark, a God-given provision for living in a world that is otherwise hopelessly lost.

"In 1974, the year marking the 100th anniversary on this contnent, the Hutteritan Bretheren number more than 20,000. The members of this German Anabaptist sect live in the northern Great Plains aras of the United States and Canada in colonies of 70 to 140 people. Since they produce, consume and distribute goods communally, members work without the incentive for private gain. Although the Hutterites eschew world;y ambitions, they use modern methods in the operation of their very efffective aagricultural enterprises.

"Hutteite Society traces the historical development of the Hutterites from their founding four centuries ago until the present. Hostetler recounts the religious persecution that caused the Brethern to travel throughout Europe and eventually to emigrate to North America. Drawing upon his own research at state archives, museums, early colony sites, and archeological excavations in Europe, Hostetler skillfully combines new material with previous knowledge of Hutterite history.

"The second part of the book deals with Hutterite communal life today -- colony organization, economic survival, attitudes, and lifestyle. Because of his Amish background, Gostetler was readily accepted into Hutterite communities, and his observations are based upon fifteen years of personal contact. He states that the community is held together by a strong sense of collective identity, and he shows that community integration is achieved through song, prayer, and worship services, and through uniform dress and strict adherence to routine. The cohesion of colony life is threatened by government interference, internal decline, affluence and stagnation.

"Although they are not attempting to achieve a utopia, the Hutterites have in fact realized some utopian goals: the elimination of extreme poverty or wealth, enjoyment of cooperative work, motivation without the incentive of private profit, an effeftive system of education and security for the individual. As in his prvious book, "Amish Society", Hostetler combines objectivity with sensititvity to human values in understanding community self-realization."

Single copy retail price: US$24.95 plus postage and handling
Ask for "Hutterite Society"
ISBN 0-8018-5639-6
To Order by Credit Card: For U.S. telephones, call 1-800-537-5487

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