Welcome! Here's how to Pre-Order the North American Thebaid Book!

Early prototype cover design, actual cover may vary.

Welcome to the Online Store for The North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage.

Primary travel and photography for the Thebaid Project extended from September 2016 through September 2018, with a few additional trips and images made up through Summer 2022.

Following publishing delays and a major setback due to the Covid-19 lockdown, we are pleased to announce that the resulting book, The North American Thebaid, A Photographic Pilgrimage to Orthodox Christian Monasteries, Photographs by Ralph H. Sidway, is officially in pre-production, and will soon be published by St. Tikhon's Monastery Press, South Canaan, Pennsylvania.*

This large-format, fine-art "coffee table" book represents the culmination of a unique multi-year project, which has combined crowdfunding, social media, and an unprecedented photographic pilgrimage to over thirty Orthodox monasteries across the American continent, to help raise awareness of and interest in the Orthodox Church and its ancient monastic traditions, and thus contribute to the "churching" of America.

Full book specifications are provided for each item. Signed copies are offered, with signed & matted fine art prints. Quantity discounts for signed bundles are also available. At a glance:

Preorder the Standard Edition, with fine-art print, both signed by the photographer,
or the Deluxe Limited Edition in Bonded Leather, with fine-art print, both signed by the photographer.

Quantity discounts available for signed book & print bundles.
Discounts for bookstores and resellers will be available through St. Tikhon's Monastery Press.
Scroll to the end of this article for more info and answers to frequently asked questions.

Early design for the Deluxe Limited Edition

Some details (cover design, layout, number of photographs, total number of pages, etc.) are in the process of being finalized, but the size and format, and the selection of museum-quality archival materials for the cover and pages have been established through early (January 2016) consultations with Four Colour Print Group of Louisville, Kentucky, a fine-art book printer with over thirty years' experience, and a client list comprised of university and museum presses, as well as artists and photographers of renown.

By pre-ordering these signed copies of the North American Thebaid Book (with signed & matted prints), you are helping bring this multi-year endeavor to a successful fulfillment, and will join over 150 other early supporters who pre-ordered either the Standard Edition or the Deluxe Limited Edition, whether through our crowdfunding campaigns on Indiegogo (2016) and GoFundMe (2017-2018), or through this webstore, or at over a dozen parish presentations made in between the monastery visits.

Pre-orders will be delivered prior to retail distribution.

Thank you for your prayers and support! We invite you to sign up for email updates (via the Menu) regarding the Thebaid book, and to return to the official Thebaid Project Website to explore the dozens of online photo galleries with hundreds of images from Orthodox monasteries in North America, and learn more about Orthodox monasticism.

We can't wait to get the finished book into your hands, to share with you this beautiful and soul-stirring visual pilgrimage with its glimpses into the hidden way of Orthodox Christian monasticism.

* Sample cover designs shown throughout the Thebaid Store; actual cover design may vary. Additional cover designs appear with the different product listings.

____________

MORE INFO:

Our Online Store is powered by PayPal —

PayPal is a great solution for us and for many online stores for its ease of use, robust security, and ability to handle transactions made with Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, Discover, and other credit and debit card providers.

You do not have to have a PayPal account in order to complete your order, there is an option to check out without a PayPal account.

If you would like to pay by check, please send us a message using the Comment option in the Menu.

Shipping is calculated at $15 per book for US destinations; we will ship pre-orders via USPS Priority Mail (insured), in the order in which the orders were received. We will contact international customers with a revised shipping cost following order placement.

Sales Tax — The question of online stores collecting sales tax for internet sales varies by state. Please note that applicable sales tax may be added to your purchase by PayPal during checkout.

Bookstore and Wholesale Requests — Discounts will be available for church bookstores and qualified distributors and resellers. Please contact St. Tikhon's Monastery Press with queries about bookstore and wholesale purchases.

Questions about something not covered here? — Please use the Comment option in the Menu to send us a message, and we'll get back to you asap!

Some specifications on the book are subject to change.

The North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage Project

was established in 2016 with the Blessing of His Eminence, the Most Rev. +Paul, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America.