Ernest C. Reisinger (1919-2004) was a pastor and writer who wrote Every Christian A Publisher (http://www.chapellibrary.org/files/1813/7643/3199/ecap.pdf) where he states "The ministry of books can be used to evangelize, teach, train and expel ignorance as it has done in the past."
Also "A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call To The Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity.
Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others."
This same, or almost the same, mysterious passage shows up every once in a while in Christian literature. I hope to track down the source in future blog articles. More to come.