Rotary International is pleased to announce a new paperback edition of its popular history book A Century of Service: The Story of Rotary International . It is available at shop.rotary.org in English, Japanese, and Spanish for US$15 and includes a new foreword by 2004-05 RI President Glenn E. Estess Sr.

Written by Rotarian David C. Forward, the book captures the successes of Rotary's first century of service in a rich collection of facts, stories, and photographs. Since its hardcover release at the 2004 International Assembly, the book has sold more than 30,000 copies.

“Although the packaging has changed, the material remains the same -- a timeless record of a century of successes,” Estess writes.

Order your copy today!

Hardcover and leather-bound versions are available in French, Korean, and Portuguese.

The following is an excerpt from chapter 1, “The Man behind the Movement”:

In contrast to the rudeness and indifference typical of merchants he saw downtown, Paul noticed how these storeowners greeted Frank with a smile, a handshake. At the grocery, soda fountain, the newsstand, the proprietors and Bobby Frank greeted one another by their first names. It was obvious they exchanged business with each other because of a genuine mutual trust and friendliness.

That simple afternoon constitutional came back to Paul Harris's mind a thousand times over the next five years. He had finally found an oasis where strangers could be united in commerce and friendship, where Wallingford and Chicago came together. A seed had been sown in the fertile mind of Paul Percy Harris.

Read the entire first chapter.