Thomas A. Nelson, the founder of TAN Books, a Catholic publishing house known for its books promoting traditional Catholicism in the post-Vatican II era, died Aug. 16 at age 88.

Nelson, who had previously worked as a teacher, founded TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. in Rockford, Illinois, in 1967 and an accompanying printing plant in 1978. In addition to being Nelson’s initials, TAN is an acronym for the Latin phrase Tuum Adoramus Nomen ("Let Us Adore Thy Name").

Under Nelson’s ownership, TAN became known for publishing orthodox Catholic books, including reprints of classic Catholic works on theology, Scripture, traditional devotions, the traditional Latin Mass, and the lives of the saints, as well as new titles on these subjects by contemporary authors. Its notable reprints include The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort, which TAN’s website says has sold more than 5 million copies. TAN also historically has sold Catholic booklets at quantity discounts for widespread distribution.

The Douay-Rheims Bible, an English translation of St. Jerome’s Vulgate, was out of print and no longer available when TAN began republishing it in 1971 — and continuing to this day — making that important translation once again available in the English-speaking world, TAN’s website says.

Amid financial difficulties, including a bankruptcy declaration in 2007, TAN was acquired by St. Benedict Press in 2008 and its operations moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to his obituary, Nelson had been severely incapacitated for the last five years after suffering a stroke. During his illness, he found solace in an image of Our Mother of Good Counsel, a devotion shared by Pope Leo XIV.

Nelson received last rites and he died wearing a brown scapular and a Miraculous Medal, his obituary says. Funeral celebrations were held Aug. 22 in Rockford.

Conor Gallagher, CEO of TAN Books, said in a statement posted to Instagram that TAN Books began humbly, with Nelson selling his very first title, The Secret of the Rosary, out of the trunk of his car.

“Under his leadership, TAN became known for reprinting the classics of Catholic spirituality … and restoring to circulation countless works of the saints that might otherwise have been lost,” Gallagher said. “Over the years, my admiration for Thomas has only grown, as I have come to recognize more fully the courage and foresight he had in preserving the treasures of Catholic tradition.”

Robert Royal, founder and president of the Faith & Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., said that although he did not know Nelson personally, his work had an important influence on Royal’s life.

“As a young Catholic swimming in the choppy waters of the 1970s and 1980s — and without much experience yet to guide me through the controversies inside and outside the Church — TAN books were always a kind of lifesaver,” Royal told the Register by email.

“Whenever I spotted one, I took time to consider it carefully. I can’t say that those volumes alone preserved my faith — God ultimately is the source of all that. But they played a significant role in making me look more deeply into the Catholic tradition. And so, indirectly, I’m much in Thomas Nelson’s debt in ways too many to count.”