Recent Books

Joseph Smith's Seer Stones

By Michael Hubbard MacKay and Nicholas J. Frederick

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When the Church released photos of the brown seer stone that was owned and used by Joseph Smith, the news ignited a firestorm of curiosity and controversy. People wanted more information and wondered why they weren’t aware of the stone’s existence.

This book discusses the origins of Joseph Smith’s seer stones and explores how Joseph used them throughout his life in a way that goes beyond translating the Book of Mormon. It also traces the provenance of the seer stones once they leave his possession. 

A Historian in Zion

The Autobiography of Andrew Jenson, Assistant Church Historian

Edited by Reid L. Neilson and R. Mark Melville

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The Autobiography of Andrew Jenson, first published in 1938 by the Deseret News Press in Salt Lake City, Utah, tells the personal story of a Danish Mormon convert who eventually served as Assistant Church Historian of the LDS Church for over forty years. The author mined his voluminous personal journals and assembled Church records to tell the story of the Restoration of the gospel since the 1850s when he arrived in Utah as a European immigrant.

A Reason for Faith: Navigating LDS Doctrine and Church History

Edited by Laura H Hales

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A Reason for Faith was written to do just as the title implies: provide reasons for faith by offering faithful answers to sincere questions.  Before the Internet, historical and doctrinal questions not addressed in LDS Church curriculum were mostly found in the scholarly articles of academic journals. This is no longer the case. These topics are now widely debated and discussed online and in other forums. And when members of the LDS Church come across information that is unfamiliar, they may feel surprise, fear, betrayal, or even anger (more info).

Sacred Space

Exploring the Birthplace of Mormonism

By Michael Hubbard MacKay

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Many Church members may not realize that the birthplace of Mormonism is not just a cut-and-dried bit of historical trivia. In fact, initial Church publications referring to the organizational meeting mistakenly claimed it happened in Manchester, New York. The authors of the book Inventing Mormonism challenged traditional Latter-day Saint history by pointing out inconsistencies concerning the Church’s birthplace. This book sorts through the complicated history of where the Church was established.

The Worldwide Church

Mormonism as a Global Religion

Edited by Michael A. Goodman and Mauro Properzi

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This volume is a compilation of scholarly papers prepared by presenters at the BYU Church History Symposium entitled The Worldwide Church: The Global Reach of Mormonism. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, was the first keynote speaker. He emphasized the importance of learning our history. Quoting Michael Crichton he stated, “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” The second keynote speaker, Terryl Givens, highlighted the universal nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Zion's Trumpet: 1855 Welsh Mormon Periodical

Edited by Ronald D. Dennis

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In the first issue of Zion’s Trumpet in 1855, Dan Jones declares that he was beginning the year “with greater desire and confidence” than ever before. Despite expressions of frustration and disappointment throughout the 1855 volume there are many segments in which Dan Jones’s unflagging optimism still appears.

Let Us Reason Together

Essays in Honor of the Life's Work of Robert L. Millet

Edited by J. Spencer Fluhman and Brent L. Top

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A single volume cannot accurately measure the influence of a beloved colleague, but this one nevertheless stands as modest evidence of Robert L. Millet’s prodigious impact over a career that spanned nearly four decades. His retirement provided an opportunity to gather some of us who count him as a mentor, colleague, and friend. We offer this collection of essays as a monument to his remarkable career as an administrator, teacher, and writer.

Far Away in the West

Reflections on the Mormon Pioneer Trail

Edited by Scott C. Esplin, Richard E. Bennett, Susan Easton Black and Craig K. Manscill

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The story of the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo to a new mountain home “far away in the west” still stirs the imagination of writers, artists, historians, and musicians. Letters, diaries and other manuscript sources continue to be discovered that recount this stirring chapter in Mormon history. An entire believing people came to trust that they would find their place to worship without fear of persecution if they followed their God.

Provo's Two Temples

By Richard O. Cowan and Justin R. Bray

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Provo, Utah, is the home of two LDS temples, each with a distinctive story. This volume includes a comprehensive account of each of these two temples, which have very different histories. One temple was built from the ground up and dedicated in 1972. The other is like a phoenix, born again of the ashes of a building destroyed by fire. This book includes richly illustrated pictures and text that traces the unique construction, history, and many other details that help tell the stories of each of Provo’s two temples.

Approaching Antiquity

Joseph Smith and the Ancient World

Edited by Lincoln H. Blumell, Matthew J. Grey and Andrew H. Hedges

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This volume is a collection of essays by prominent LDS scholars–including keynote speakers Richard Bushman and David Holland–that discuss the interest in the ancient world shared by Joseph Smith and the early Latter-day Saints. Topics include Joseph Smith’s fascination with the ancient Americas, his interaction with the Bible, his study of Hebrew and Greek, his reading of Jewish and Christian apocryphal writings, and his work with the Book of Abraham in the context of nineteenth-century Egyptology.

The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon

A Marvelous Work and a Wonder

Edited by Dennis L. Largey, Andrew H. Hedges, John Hilton and Kerry Hull

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The 2015 Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium explored the modern miracle of the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. Featuring a keynote address by Elder Merrill J. Bateman discussing the Book of Mormon's restoration of plain and precious truths, this volume describes the development of the teenage seer Joseph Smith Jr. and includes marvelous accounts of the many witnesses to the plates.

Rediscovering the Sites of the Restoration

The 1888 Travel Writings of Mormon Historian Andrew Jenson, Edward Stevenson, and Joseph S. Black

Edited by Reid L. Neilson, Justin R. Bray and Alan D. Johnson

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On September 6, 1888, three Church history missionaries—Andrew Jenson, Edward Stevenson, and Joseph S. Black—left on a fact-finding mission to the Church’s historic sites in Missouri, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Iowa, spending a majority of their time visiting the sacred sights of the Restoration. The observations they made were the subjects of a lengthy correspondence to the Deseret News. These letters were later compiled into a pamphlet entitled The Infancy of the Church.

A Missionary’s Story

The Letters and Journals of Adolf Haag, Mormon Missionary to Switzerland and Palestine

Edited by Larry W. Draper and Kent P. Jackson

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This personal narrative of missionary Adolf Haag is a compelling story of one missionary who sacrificed everything to travel to a foreign land and faithfully share his beliefs with others.

Against the Wall

Johann Huber and the First Mormons in Austria

By Roger P. Minert

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This is the fascinating and inspiring story of Johann Huber, one of Austria’s earliest LDS converts. Huber was a controversial political figure in Haag but soon went from the frying pan into the fire when he informed his neighbors of his LDS baptism in Munich in 1900. For the next decade, he weathered relentless persecution from friends, neighbors, Catholic clerics, the local public school, and government officials.

From Darkness unto Light

Joseph Smith’s Translation and Publication of the Book of Mormon

By Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat

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This book was written to provide a detailed explanation of how Joseph Smith and the scribes who served with him described the process of translating the gold plates and the difficulties encountered as they sought to publish the completed book. Although both members and academics alike often think of this story as well known, recent insights and discoveries associated with the efforts by the Church History Department to publish The Joseph Smith Papers have provided a fuller, richer understanding of the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon.

Conversations with Mormon Historians

Edited by Alexander L. Baugh and Reid L. Neilson

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The sixteen interviews in this volume tell the stories of remarkable men and women who have made careers out of researching, writing, and teaching about the past. Friends and colleagues conducted these conversations over a decade or so. All were subsequently published in the Mormon Historical Studies journal or Religious Educator periodical, and now are brought together as a single book of personal essays.

An Eye of Faith

Essays in Honor Richard O. Cowan

Edited by Kenneth L. Alford and Richard E. Bennett

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An Eye of Faith contains nineteen thought-provoking and new essays about the following topics: ancient and modern temples, revelations to the Latter-day Saints, serving others and sharing the gospel, increasing scriptural understanding, and Church history. Jointly published by Deseret Book and Brigham Young University’s Religious Studies Center, this book was written by established Church scholars including Susan Easton Black, Richard E. Bennett, Kent P. Jackson, S. Kent Brown, Richard Draper, Alexander L. Baugh, Craig Ostler, Brent L. Top, and other notable writers.

Psalms of Nauvoo

Early Mormon Poetry

Edited by Hal R. Boyd and Susan Easton Black

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In the mid-nineteenth century, in the growing city of Nauvoo, Illinois, poets found ample publication outlets in the Times and Seasons, the Wasp, and the Nauvoo Neighbor. Others, however, penned poetry in private correspondence and personal diaries. They wrote of revelations, restored scriptures, prophecies, temples, and their testimonies of Jesus Christ. To these faithful psalmists, their religion served as inspiration for distinctive poetry. Psalms of Nauvoo: Early Mormon Poetry is a narrative collection of these poems.

Our Savior’s Love

Hope & Healing in Christ

Edited by Alonzo L. Gaskill and Stanley A. Johnson

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When we actually, really know, understand, and feel of our Savior’s love—we are transformed; we are changed in our understanding of what divine love is. It is the encounter with Christ’s love that causes us to submit our wills and lives to God’s will and way. Our Savior’s love enables us to see ourselves in proper perspective and helps us to see others as God sees them, and to love them as deeply as he loves them. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing new life and renewed life.

Zion’s Trumpet: 1854 Welsh Mormon Periodical

Edited by Ronald D. Dennis

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As Dan Jones assumed the editorship of Zion’s Trumpet at the beginning of 1854, he was a year and a half into his first mission to his native Wales in fulfillment of a prophecy uttered by Joseph Smith on the eve of his martyrdom: “You will see Wales and fulfill the mission appointed you ere you die.”Jones calls this seventh volume of Zion’s Trumpet“ a treasury of heavenly pearls, a gift given to the age that unfolds.” As with the English translation of the six preceding volumes of Zion’s Trumpet, this 1854 volume is published in a “facsimile translation” format to provide

The Oakland Temple: Portal to Eternity

By Richard O. Cowan and Robert G. Larsen

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The Oakland California Temple plays an important role in the culture of the Bay Area. This book tells the story of the temple from early prophecy to the construction and dedication and through its jubilee. When David O. McKay announced that the Oakland Temple would be built, referring to prophecies by Brigham Young and others, he declared, “We feel that the time has come when these prophecies should be fulfilled.”

The Ministry of Peter, the Chief Apostle

The 43rd Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium

Edited by Frank F. Judd, Eric D. Huntsman and Shon D. Hopkin

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This volume sheds important light on the mission of the man whom Jesus himself referred to as “the rock.” As a sometimes fallible but nonetheless earnest disciple, Peter is an important example of grace, transformation, service, and power. Essays in this collection treat his cultural background and context, his role in the apostolic church, many of his noted teachings, and his important legacy in early Christianity and the Restoration.

Nauvoo and Hancock County, Illinois

A Guide to Family History and Historical Sources

By Kip Sperry

Winner of the Harvey B. Black and Susan Easton Black Outstanding Publication Award (Church History). This comprehensive family history reference book describes hundreds of genealogical and historical resources for Nauvoo, Hancock County, and west-central Illinois. It includes descriptions of original records, primary and secondary sources, computer databases, finding aids, guides, websites, indexes, manuscript collections, newspapers, oral histories, historical and genealogical periodicals, library collections, and much more.

Exploring Book of Mormon Lands

The 1923 Latin American Travel Writings of Mormon Historian Andrew Jenson

Edited by Justin R. Bray and Reid L. Neilson

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Described as “the most traveled man in the Church,” Andrew Jenson had been a lifelong globetrotter since his emigration from Denmark to Utah as a young boy in 1866. Although Jenson’s lifelong interest in the whereabouts of ancient Nephite and Lamanite ruins propelled him to visit the remote areas of Latin America, he returned with a powerful impression that the Latter-day gospel should be spread south, beyond the borders of Mexico.

Called to Teach: The Legacy of Karl G. Maeser

By A. LeGrand Richards

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Karl G. Maeser has rightfully been called the spiritual architect not only of Brigham Young University but also of the Church Educational System. As the first superintendent of Church Schools, he helped found and maintain over fifty academies and schools from Canada to Mexico. He helped develop the public education system in Utah and helped establish the Utah Teachers Association. The students he taught personally included future United States senators and members of the House of Representatives, a United States Supreme Court justice, university presidents, and many General Authorities.

By Divine Design: Best Practices for Family Success and Happiness

Edited by Brent L. Top and Michael A. Goodman

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The prophets of God continually raise their warning voices and lovingly give counsel to strengthen our families and heighten the spirituality of our children. This is a gospel-centered “best practices” book for husbands and wives, fathers and mothers that is founded on prophetic teachings and substantiated by good science. This book will help readers gain new and important insights about our most important responsibilities in time and eternity—our families. By bringing together the “words of wisdom” from both religious sources and from the discoveries of solid research, families can be better equipped in their pursuit of success and happiness.

Zion's Trumpet: 1853 Welsh Mormon Periodical

Edited by Ronald D. Dennis

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Two volumes of Zion’s Trumpet were completed during 1853—the 26 weekly issues of volume 5 that were published from January to June, and the 27 weekly issues of volume 6 that were published from July to December.

It was two days after Christmas in 1852 that Dan Jones arrived back in Wales to serve his second mission, and in a year’s time he would be called as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wales in place of William S. Phillips and as editor of Zion’s Trumpet in place of John S. Davis. 

Read more . . .

 

Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and His Times

Edited by Craig K. Manscill, Brian D. Reeves, Guy L. Dorius and J. B. Haws

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This book is a compilation of presentations from a BYU Church History Symposium. It features more than twenty messages about the life of Joseph F. Smith, including chapters by Elder M. Russell Ballard and Joseph Fielding McConkie. Elder Ballard, great-grandson of Joseph F. Smith, describes how the Lord prepared President Smith to lead the Church.

By Our Rites of Worship: Latter-day Saint Views on Ritual in History, Scripture, and Practice

Edited by Daniel L. Belnap

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Winner of the Harvey B. Black and Susan Easton Black Outstanding Publication Award (Ancient Scripture). While negative meanings are often attached to the words rite and ritual, these terms simply mean “with correct religious procedure; in the manner required, properly, duly, correctly, rightly, fittingly.” Thus, the term perfectly describes an array of practices within our church, including baptism, the laying on of hands, and temple ordinances.

Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament

The 42nd Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium

Edited by David Rolph Seely, Jeffrey R. Chadwick and Matthew J. Grey

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The Psalmist asks, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?” This year’s Sperry Symposium discusses ascending into the Lord’s mountain within the context of theophany, ancient temple worship, sacred space, sacrifice, offerings, and hymns and songs in the text of the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. The scriptures contain a rich treasury of information of how ancient Israelites and the people in the Book of Mormon worshipped God and expressed themselves through ritual and devotions as found in the Psalms. These explorations of ancient temple worship help us to better understand and appreciate latter-day temple and worship traditions.

With Healing in His Wings

Edited by Camille Fronk Olson and Thomas A. Wayment

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At times, prophets have compared various aspects of the Savior’s ministry to the mother hen, teaching that he has healing in his wings. The Savior likewise used that metaphor to describe his own power to offer refuge to his followers. By likening himself to a mother hen, the Savior testifies that he will cover us symbolically with his wings to save us if we, like the chicks, will come to him. This volume discusses the Savior, his life, his mission, the Atonement, and his healing influence in our lives today. Contributing authors are Elder Gary J. Coleman, Elder John M.

Zion's Trumpet: 1852 Welsh Mormon Periodical

Edited by Ronald D. Dennis

eBook available - click to purchase

The epic story of the early Welsh Mormons was virtually unknown until Professor Dennis personally mastered nineteenth-century Welsh—a major challenge even for a linguist. After writing impressive books on Welsh immigration and literature, he focused for a dozen years on producing “facsimile translations,” or reproductions of early Welsh missionary texts and volumes of official Welsh Mormon periodicals produced during the great harvest of converts from that land.

Go Ye into All the World: The Growth and Development of Mormon Missionary Work

Edited by Reid L. Neilson and Fred E. Woods

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This book features the winner of the Mormon History Association's Best International Article Award, Ronald E. Bartholomew's essay “The Role of Local Missionaries in Nineteenth-Century England.” Just as the risen Christ charged his Apostles, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” he also charged his latter-day followers to do likewise. Using the Prophet Joseph Smith as his instrument, the Lord created his missionary system early in the Restoration. The Prophet received many revelations regarding missionary work and its urgency.

Exploring the First Vision

Edited by Samuel Alonzo Dodge and Steven C. Harper

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This volume explores some of the seminal articles that examine Joseph Smith’s First Vision, which were written by the foremost experts who have studied it for half a century. This book preserves and shares that work. Those who study the First Vision today depend very much on the works of the scholars that are reprinted in this volume. The book includes articles by and interviews with James B. Allen, Richard L. Anderson, Milton V. Backman Jr., Richard L. Bushman, Steven C. Harper, Dean C. Jessee, Larry C. Porter, and John W. Welch.  

Tales from the World Tour

The 1895-1897 Travel Writings of Mormon Historian Andrew Jenson

Edited by Reid L. Neilson and Riley M. Moffat

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What was the heritage of Jenson’s expedition to Mormondom abroad? How did his two-year fact-finding mission help shape the balance of his life and the Latter-day Saint historical enterprise? Jenson’s global tour was an unprecedented adventure in Latter-day Saint history. Through his own hard work and the seeming hand of Providence, historian Andrew Jenson found his niche as a laborer in the cause of the Restoration. He pursued the goal of collecting and writing comprehensive, accurate, and useful histories of the Church with a rare passion.

Light and Truth: A Latter-day Saint Guide to World Religions

By Roger R. Keller

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Do we as Latter-day Saint Christians really need to know about other faiths? Do we not know all we need to know? Sometimes we create our own skewed version of other faiths. If we are to be a world church, it is helpful to understand and appreciate all the good that God has given to persons beyond the Latter-day Saint pale and to represent it accurately. President George Albert Smith said to persons of other faiths, "We have come here as your brethren ... and to say to you: 'Keep all the good that you have, and let us bring to you more good, in order that you may be happier and in order that you may be prepared to enter into the presence of our Heavenly Father.'"

A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church, Vol. 3

By Peter Crawley

This volume continues the bibliography begun in volumes 1 and 2 of the same title. It covers the period 1853-57. The scope of the bibliography remains those books produced by Mormons in support of the Church, where the term book means any printed piece with one or more pages having text bearing on some Church issue. Excluded are individual newspaper or magazine articles, maps, prints, bank notes, and ephemeral pieces such as printed forms or elders' licenses.

  • $54.95
  • ISBN: 978-0-8425-2810-8
  • Published in 2012

You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine & Covenants

Edited by Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan and Rachel Cope

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The 41st Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium: The Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “This generation shall have my word through you.” The Doctrine and Covenants helps fulfill that purpose. Jesus declares of this record, “These words are . . . of me; . . . for it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power.” The Doctrine and Covenants is another witness of Jesus Christ to the children of God in these latter days. It strengthens faith and confidence in the words of the Lord.

Civil War Saints

Edited by Kenneth L. Alford

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Winner of the Harvey B. Black and Susan Easton Black Outstanding Publication Award (Church History and Doctrine, 2013), Civil War Saints takes a fresh look at Latter-day Saints and Utah Territory during the Civil War. Come learn the stories of Latter-day Saints who fought in Union blue and others who wore confederate gray.

The Earth Shall Teach Thee: The Lifework of an Amateur Artist

By Boyd K. Packer

The BYU Religious Studies Center, in cooperation with Deseret Book, has published a book by President Boyd K. Packer featuring a significant number of his paintings, drawings, and wood carvings. The book is titled The Earth Shall Teach Thee: The Lifework of an Amateur Artist.

Zion's Trumpet: 1851 Welsh Mormon Periodical

Edited by Ronald D. Dennis

eBook available - click to purchase

The epic story of the early Welsh Mormons was virtually unknown until Professor Dennis personally mastered nineteenth-century Welsh—a major challenge even for a linguist. After writing impressive books on Welsh immigration and literature, he focused for a dozen years on producing “facsimile translations,” or reproductions of early Welsh missionary texts and volumes of official Welsh Mormon periodicals produced during the great harvest of converts from that land.

By Study and by Faith: Selections from the "Religious Educator"

Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson

By Study and By Faith is a collection of articles and essays from past issues of the Religious Educator, which provides informative and inspirational peer-reviewed article that are focused on the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Since the first issue, hundreds of thoughtful, well-researched articles and essays have been published by dedicated scholars, teachers, and Church leaders, creating a remarkable library of historical, doctrinal, pedagogical, and devotional resources to inspire readers as they strive to understand and teach the things that matter most. (Reprinted in 2012)

  • $11.95
  • ISBN: 978-0-8425-2718-7
  • Published in 2012

No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues

Edited by Robert L. Millet

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Winner of the Harvey B. Black and Susan Easton Black Outstanding Publication Award (Ancient Scripture, 2012). From the time young Joseph Smith Jr. walked out of the grove of trees, opposition to what he had seen and experienced has been constant. To suggest that all the existing churches were wrong and that their creeds were an abomination in the sight of God was to stir up a hornet’s nest, to invite criticism and suspicion, and to open the door to persecution.

Salt Lake City: The Place Which God Prepared

Edited by Scott C. Esplin and Kenneth L. Alford

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For more than 150 years, “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” the anthem of the pioneer journey, has praised Salt Lake City as “the place, which God for us prepared.”  This new book from Brigham Young University’s Religious Studies Center analyzes the fulfillment of that poetic longing.  The sixteenth in a series of regional studies on Latter-day Saint church history, it contains a collection of essays by faculty members in the Department of Church History and Doctrine discussing Salt Lake’s place in our sacred story.  Topics include histories of significant landmarks, stories from the city’s past, and

Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible: Electronic Library

Edited by Scott H. Faulring and Kent P. Jackson

Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible: Electronic Library brings together a wealth of information and recent scholarship on Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible. The Electronic Library also includes high-resolution images of every page of the original manuscripts, images and transcriptions of the earliest copies made from those manuscripts, and a collection of recently published studies based on the manuscripts. Each manuscript is preceded by a short introductory essay.

  • $19.95
  • ISBN: 978-0-8425-2792-7
  • Published in 2011

Under the Gun: West German and Austrian Latter-day Saints in World War II

By Roger P. Minert

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This volume is filled with gripping and fascinating stories of members of the LDS Church in West Germany and Austria during World War II. Today we are mostly unfamiliar with the conditions the German Saints faced during World War II. They did not have ready access to the many conveniences American Saints took for granted—including their local Church leaders, clean places to meet, cars, and temples. In fact, German Saints could only experience the temple by crossing the Atlantic Ocean and most of the North American continent.

Notes from an Amateur: A Disciple’s Life in the Academy

By John S. Tanner

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The word amateur derives from the Latin for “love.” An amateur is at root a lover—a lover of sport, science, art, and so forth. Tanner explains, “There is much to recommend the professional ethic, including rigor, methodology, high standards of review, and so forth. . . . Yet it is hoped that we also never cease to be amateurs in our professions—that is, passionate devotees of our disciplines.” This book gathers together brief messages entitled “Notes from an Amateur” that were periodically sent to the faculty at Brigham Young University by former academic vice president John S.

The King James Bible and the Restoration

Edited by Kent P. Jackson

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The King James translation of the Bible celebrated its four hundredth anniversary in 2011. This historic text, the product of many hands and many years, has had a greater impact on the world than any other book in the English language. It is still in print today, four centuries since it first came off the London presses. This is not a book solely about the history of the King James Bible and its contributions to the world in general.

The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi's Dream and Nephi's Vision

The 40th Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium:

Edited by Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn and Stanley A. Johnson

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A dark and dreary waste, a man in a shining robe, a rod of iron, and a tree of life—these symbols evoke powerful images in our minds and deepen our appreciation for the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The 2011 Sperry Symposium volume explores the rich symbolism of Lehi’s dream and Nephi’s vision, placing such symbols as the mists of darkness, the great and spacious building, and the church of the Lamb of God in the context of the last days.

My Redeemer Lives!

Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson

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This volume brings together talks from two Brigham Young University Easter Conferences. Presentations address the Savior, his life, his mission, the Atonement, and his influence in our lives today. The contributors include Elder John H. Groberg, Elder Gerald N. Lund, Robert L. Millet, and others. The topics range from the infinite sweep of the Atonement to its personal reach in perfecting individuals.

Converging Paths to Truth

The Summerhays Lectures on Science and Religion

Edited by Michael D. Rhodes and J. Ward Moody

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Many great scientists such as Newton and Einstein spoke and wrote freely of their religious thoughts and feelings, seeing no fundamental conflict between them and their science. Today there is a tendency to emphasize conflict more than harmony. Sometimes people of faith are criticized as blind, naive, or shallow, while scientists are painted as arrogant, unfeeling, or deceived. Educated dialogue between these two camps has too often been reduced to shallow platitudes or, even worse, silence.

A Firm Foundation: Church Organization and Administration

Edited by David J. Whittaker and Arnold K. Garr

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How did a church that started with just six official members blossom into a global organization of over fourteen million members? Authors such as Richard L. Bushman, John W. Welch, and Susan Easton Black show how Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other leaders established the foundation upon which the Church was built.

Zion's Trumpet: 1850 Welsh Mormon Periodical

Edited by Ronald D. Dennis

eBook available - click to purchase

The epic story of the early Welsh Mormons was virtually unknown until Professor Dennis personally mastered nineteenth-century Welsh—a major challenge even for a linguist. After writing impressive books on Welsh immigration and literature, he focused for a dozen years on producing “facsimile translations,” or reproductions of early Welsh missionary texts and volumes of official Welsh Mormon periodicals produced during the great harvest of converts from that land.

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer

Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson

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The future of scholarship concerning the Prophet and Seer Joseph Smith has never appeared brighter. Amid the publication of the Joseph Smith Papers, this book adds poignant context to his writings and revelations. Drawing from a lecture series held at Brigham Young University entitled “Joseph Smith’s Prophetic Ministry,” the leading scholars and educators on Joseph Smith shared their wealth of knowledge on his life and history.

Within These Prison Walls: Lorenzo Snow’s Record Book, 1886–1897

Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Andrew H. Hedges

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The leather-bound record book was a perfect place for Lorenzo Snow to preserve his outgoing correspondence while incarcerated in the territorial penitentiary. The record book’s significance lies in three areas. First, the record book sheds much-needed light into the thoughts, personality, and personal life of Lorenzo Snow. The deftness with which he puts his thoughts into verse, his vocabulary, as well as his humor and compassion all reveal facets of Snow’s intellect and character unfamiliar to many Church members today. Second, the record book is significant for its doctrinal content.

The Voice of My Servants

Apostolic Messages on Teaching, Learning, and Scripture

Edited by Scott C. Esplin and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

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Seasoned by time and coupled with an endowment of spiritual light, the prophets, seers, and revelators of our time offer messages with special meaning for all who seek gospel insight. Fulfilling their divine mandate, the prophets in this dispensation have authored a large collection of essays, articles, and addresses expounding God’s truths to his children. In particular, they have addressed issues related to gospel teaching, learning, and scripture.