The ASSU was a prolific publisher and disseminator of religious tracts for youth; their mission was the promotion of Sunday schools and spiritual development as well as literacy.  They were especially active in the late 19th century. Authors of ASSU publications received little or no compensation for their work and this was one way that the ASSU was able to subsidize the distribution of their texts.  In many cases, books were distributed for free or for a substantially reduced cost.

Many people who contact us, often in the eastern, mid-west, and mid-Atlantic U.S, have discovered American Sunday School Union books (in attics and basements, and relative's houses) and are interested in understanding how the book came to their family.  In some cases, a youthful hand has written their name on the inside cover and that certainly helps to investigate. 

The ULS has quite a few ASSU publications, all in our Elizabeth Nesbitt Collection.  Please see our Nesbitt Collection LibGuide on the American Sunday School Union for additional information. If you are interested in visiting Archives & Special Collections and viewing some ASSU material, please write to us at Ask an Archivist with more details. 

The Billy Graham Center has microfilm of the ASSU archives. The archive itself is held at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.