Being a Quaker

“This book contains everything you always wanted to know about Quakerism but were afraid to ask. It is an ideal gift to give to newcomers who want to understand what ‘the Quaker way’ is all about.”

- Trish Carn, The Friend

Ever since it first came out in 2011, Geoffrey Durham’s Being a Quaker: a guide for newcomers has been generally acknowledged to be the most helpful introductory book on Quakerism written this century. It has so far gone through two editions and six printings, and it’s sold thousands of copies in its first thirteen years.

Geoffrey has recently completed a radical revision of the book, its third, to keep it up to date with current trends in Quakerism and the world, and we at Discovering Quakers have become its new publishers. Our bright new edition promises to stay relevant for many years to come.

Among many innovations, Geoffrey gives full details of how Quaker meetings can now work online, and he also describes the ways ‘hybrid’ meetings work, which enable people who don’t live near a meeting house to participate in the life of a Quaker community. And he has updated scores of other details too, as well as completely revising the list of books and websites for people new to Quakerism.

He remembers to address all the vital little questions that newcomers need answers to but that books like this often overlook. Practical stuff like… Can I sit anywhere I like when I first turn up to a Quaker meeting? Can I stand and speak during the meeting without being a Quaker? Do Quakers always meet in silence? And crucially: what else do Quakers do that might interest me?

Geoffrey also explains some of the more intriguing customs of this unique religious group – how Quakers take group decisions without voting, how they run their affairs without rules, and how they meet together without anyone being in charge.

And then there are the other aspects of their way of life that have made Quakers unique among religious groups. They don’t have a creed, they turn their backs on religious doctrine, and many of them don’t believe in God – yet their practice of inner peace continues to inspire people of all ages, backgrounds and experience. And they work for peace at a practical level, in conflict situations across the world. They maintain offices at the United Nations in both Geneva and New York, where they work as mediators in situations of conflict.

It’s a fascinating story.

You can buy the paperback edition of this inspiring little book from the Quaker Bookshop (173-177 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ) which is a great source of religious and humanist literature of all kinds, as well as having an excellent café. It’s well worth a visit.

Or it’s available through the bookshop’s website.