As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Mormon pioneers' arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, LDS church president George Albert Smith tasked Hinckley (then employed as the Executive Secretary to the Church Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee) to write a book which would introduce the Church to non-members; it is divided into two sections— "The Mormons Today: A Contemporary Picture" and "The Mormons Yesterday: Their History"; beginning in 1969, the Church began publishing the historical part alone under the title Truth Restored: A Short History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A semiofficial encyclopedia for topics relevant to the LDS Church. Published in four volumes, with an optional fifth volume containing the "Standard Works."
A compact (144 pages) history of the LDS Church, and survey of contentious issues in contemporary Mormonism; an installment in the Very Short Introductions book series by an eminent historian and practicing Mormon.
Scholarly analysis of the religion's origins and development; written by a cultural historian, who is a leading authority on Mormonism (yet not a member of the faith).
A collection of the viewpoints of contemporary Mormons in America, on their beliefs, rituals, and practices; also their views on race, ethnicity, social class, gender, and sexual orientation.
A single-volume history covering the LDS Church down to 1991. Commissioned by the Church Historical Department; it puts the history of the Church in the context of its times. First published on the one-hundredth anniversary of Joseph Fielding Smith's birth; it was subject to some controversy within the Church, with some considering it not "spiritual enough."
Smith, Joseph (1858). Roberts, B. H. (ed.). History of the Church. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0875794866. Originally entitled History of Joseph Smith; a revised edition was published in seven volumes under the title History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1902 to 1932; it is currently published under the shortened title. [5]
A semi-official history of the early Latter Day Saint movement during the lifetime of Joseph Smith. It is largely composed of Smith's writings with interpolations and editorial comments by Smith's secretaries and scribes; and, after Smith's death, historians of the LDS Church.
Smith, Joseph Fielding (1922). Essentials in Church History: A History of the Church From the Birth of Joseph Smith to the Present Time (1922), With Introductory Chapters on the Antiquity of the Gospel and the "Falling Away,". Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press. ISBN 1290646546. [6]
Single volume history produced by the LDS Church; written by an Apostle.
An examination of the first two decades of LDS history and the move from Joseph Smith's charismatic spontaneity, and the egalitarian chaos of the early church, to Brigham Young's well-defined structure and the bureaucratization of Mormonism.
Grow, Matthew J.; Smith, R. Eric, eds. (4 September 2017). The Council of Fifty: What the Records Reveal about Mormon History. RSC BYU, Deseret Book. ISBN 978-1944394219.
A collection of essays about primitive Christianity, with particular focus on the connection between the practices and the doctrines of the early Church and the LDS Church.
Bates, Irene M.; Smith, E. Gary (2017) [1996]. Lost Legacy: The Mormon Office of Presiding Patriarch (expanded ed.). University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252083099.
A study of the office of Presiding Patriarch in the LDS Church; chronicling its history.
A historiographical survey of how the writing of Mormon history has evolved since the establishment of the church; a companion volume to the bibliography, Studies in Mormon History, 1830–1997; includes a contribution by Armand Mauss.
Compilation of fourteen essays on history and the Mormons by Arrington, the first professional historian to serve as Church Historian, and a prominent founder of the New Mormon history; includes a biographical sketch by Walker, a bibliography of his works and speeches by Whitaker, and a personal tribute by his daughter, Susan Arrington Madsen.
A study of the early history of the Church, introducing readers to groups and individuals who seem to have anticipated its kind of religious primitivism, especially the Seekers (who resembled Mormonism's concept of authority during its formative years).
Bowman, Matthew (28 August 2012). The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith. Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0812983364. [13]
Survey of Mormon history and doctrine; recounting the church's origins, explaining the evolution of the Mormon vision, and its place in American public life.
Taysom, Stephen C., ed. (15 June 2011). Dimensions of Faith: A Mormon Studies Reader. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 978-1560852124.
A history of the development of Mormon doctrines and the attempt to develop a communal utopia under a theocratic government during the 1830s and early 1840s; an interpretation of the LDS movement as a reaction to the diminishing role of religion in an emerging democratic, competitive, and increasingly secular world.
Regional studiesedit
Britainedit
Allen, James B.; Esplin, Ronald K.; Whittaker, David J. (1992). Men with a Mission: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles, 1837–1841. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. ISBN 1590389980. Republished on 13 May 2009.
Jensen, Richard L.; Thorp, Malcolm R., eds. (1989). Mormons in Early Victorian Britain. Publications in Mormon Studies, Volume 4. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 0874803225.
A collection of 16 biographical, local, background, and general articles on Mormonism in the British Isles, emphasizing the period of 1840 to the late 1850s; written by a mix historians of British history, and of American history.
Denmarkedit
Allen, Julie K. (30 May 2017). Danish But Not Lutheran: The Impact of Mormonism on Danish Cultural Identity, 1850-1920. University of Utah Press.
Story of the social and cultural ramifications of Danish conversions to Mormonism; explores the range of Danish public reactions over a seventy-year period.
Underwood, Grant, ed. (1 December 2000). Voyages of Faith: Explorations in Mormon Pacific History. Studies in Latter-day Saint History series (Book 2). Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University. ISBN 0842524800.
A reader-friendly version reformating the complete, unchanged 1920 text in the manner of modern translations of the Bible, with paragraphs, quotations marks, poetic forms, topical headings, multichapter headings, indention of quoted documents, italicized reworkings of biblical prophecies, and minimized verse numbers; also featuring a hypothetical map based on internal references, an essay on Book of Mormon poetry, a full glossary of names, genealogical charts, a basic bibliography of Mormon and non-Mormon scholarship, a chronology of the translation, eyewitness accounts of the gold plates, and information regarding the lost 116 pages and significant changes in the text.
An analysis of the work's narrative structure; takes readers through its characters, events, and ideas, as it explores the story and its messages; seeks to reconcile believing and nonbelieving readings by offering a literary approach.
Nyman, Monte S. (1 September 1991). The Most Correct Book: Why the Book of Mormon is the Keystone Scripture. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft. ISBN 088494798X.
Mostly written with a beginner in mind; it makes a case for Joseph Smith's description of the Book of Mormon as "the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion," and that "a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."[1]
Othersedit
Rosenvall, Lynn A.; Rosenvall, David L. (24 November 2017). A New Approach to Studying the Covenants of Our Fathers: A Harmony of Genesis, Moses and Abraham. Olive Leaf Foundation. ISBN 978-0998717814.
Biographical sketch of Joseph Smith with background information about the origin of the Book of Mormon; posits the idea that Smith used the 1823 work View of the Hebrews as a source of ideas in creating the Book.
Larson, Charles M. (1 March 1992). By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri. Institute for Religious Research. ISBN 0962096326. [21]
Collection of teachings from the 6th president of the LDS Church (from 1901 to 1918); first published as a course of study for Melchizedek Priesthoodquorums.
Talmage, James E. (1915). Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to the Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. ISBN 1598111957. [25]
Richards, Franklin Dewey (1857). A Compendium of the Faith and Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Compiled from the Bible; and Also from the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Other Publications of the Church. Orson Pratt. ISBN 1331100658. [30]
A lengthy reference work combining doctrine and history; each chapter summarizes a particular doctrine followed by scriptural references from the standard works, and any relevant statements from Joseph Smith; a favorite of field missionaries at the time.
An encyclopedic work written by a general authority of the LDS Church; intended primarily for a LDS audience, it covered a wide array of gospel topics in much detail; very popular among average Church members.
Jaques, John (1888) [1854]. Catechism for Children: Exhibiting the Prominent Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deseret News. ISBN 1333042817. [32] [33] [34]
Originally serialized in the LDS Millennial Star, this basic instructional work was very popular among Latter-day Saints.
An attempt to consolidate the author's "theological thought into a unified whole and to reconcile science with scripture." Deemed too controversial by the LDS First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, it went unpublished for over 60 years.
A controversial book by one of the September Six and his wife (who some view as a "seventh" member of the Six); explores a range of theological issues, such as the nature of God, gender roles, religious authority, and symbolism.
McMurrin, Sterling M. (2000) [1965]. The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion: And, the Philosophical Foundations of Mormon Theology. Signature Books. ISBN 156085135X.
Philosophical study of the similarities between Mormonism and Hellenistic Christianity; and Mormonism's contribution to the overall pursuit of life's fundamental, ontological questions.
Collection of sermons and writings by Spencer W. Kimball, a LDS Apostle (from 1943 to 1985) and Church President (from 1973 to 1985); quotations aiming to provide instruction and inspiration on a wide range of gospel topics.
Spencer, Orson; Crowel, William (1848). Letters Exhibiting the Most Prominent Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: In Reply to Rev. William Crowel. Deseret News Company. ISBN 137544607X. [36] [37] [38]
A series of letters from Rev. Crowell (a Baptist former colleague) inquiring about Spencer's conversion to the Mormon faith, together Spencer's responses.
An approach to the subject of death from both a medical and a theological point of view by a (then) LDS Apostle; discussing topics such as the purpose of life and of death; the purpose of mourning; factors of choice, such as suicide, euthanasia, and use of mechanical means to extend life; and life after death.
Brown, Samuel Morris (1 December 2011). In Heaven as It Is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0199793570.
Narrative history of the foundational beliefs of early Mormonism; interpreting them through the lens of Joseph Smith's preoccupation with death.
Evenson, William E.; Jeffery, Duane E. (11 January 2006). Mormonism and Evolution: The Authoritative LDS Statements. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books. ISBN 1589580931.
Compilation of all known authoritative statements by LDS Church leaders on the topics of evolution and the origin of human beings; with historical context for the statements.
Stephens, Trent D.; Meldrum, D. Jeffrey; Peterson, Forrest B. (15 February 2001). Evolution and Mormonism: A Quest for Understanding. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 1560851422.
A review the scientific data about how life developed on Earth, written for a general LDS audience.
Sessions, Gene A.; Oberg, Craig J., eds. (1 March 1993). The Search for Harmony: Essays on Science and Mormonism. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 1560850205. [42]
Compilation of essays on the theological implications of science, by LDS scientists.
Paul, Erich Robert (1 June 1992). Science, Religion, and Mormon Cosmology. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252018958. [43]
Historical survey of the LDS Church's varied relationship to science.
Study of the role of 19th-century New England folk magic lore in Joseph Smith's early visions and in the development of the Book of Mormon.
Reeve, W. Paul; Wagenen, Michael Scott Van, eds. (23 May 2011). Between Pulpit and Pew: The Supernatural World in Mormon History and Folklore. Utah State University Press. ISBN 978-0874218381.
Analysis of the Reed Smoot hearings and their impact on the "Mormon Problem."
Bringhurst, Newell G.; Foster, Craig L. (11 September 2011) [2008]. The Mormon Quest for the Presidency: From Joseph Smith to Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman (expanded and updated volume). John Whitmer Books. ISBN 978-1934901090.
Bringhurst, Newell G.; Foster, Craig L., eds. (1 November 2010). The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy. John Whitmer Books. ISBN 978-1934901137.
Bringhurst, Newell G.; Foster, Craig L., eds. (13 September 2013). The Persistence of Polygamy: From Joseph Smith's Martyrdom to the First Manifesto, 1844-1890. John Whitmer Books. ISBN 978-1934901144.
Bringhurst, Newell G.; Foster, Craig L., eds. (17 August 2015). Persistence of Polygamy: Fundamentalist Mormon Polygamy from 1890 to the Present. John Whitmer Books. ISBN 978-1934901168.
Garrett, Matthew (31 December 2016). Making Lamanites: Mormons, Native Americans, and the Indian Student Placement Program, 1947-2000. University of Utah Press. ISBN 978-1607815693.
A collection of thirty official or authoritative Church statements on the status of African Americans in the LDS Church; with editorial comments and analysis, contextualizing each within the history of race and religion in the US.
Study of the evolution of traditional Mormon beliefs and practices concerning minorities; examining how members of the LDS Church have defined themselves and others in terms of racial lineages.
A molecular biologist's explanation of DNA research on Native Americans and Polynesians origins, conflicting with standard LDS Church teachings.
Sexualityedit
Christofferson, Tom (25 October 2017). That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith and Family. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. ISBN 978-1629723914.
Perspectives of a self-described "happy gay Mormon"; a brother of LDS Apostle D. Todd Christofferson, who left the Church, and then returned to it.
Once popular work about the atonement, repentance, and the plan of salvation by a, then, Apostle of the LDS Church; controversial for its treatment of masturbation, homosexuality, premarital sex, and rape.
Published by the LDS Church, it discusses the doctrine, purpose, and importance of temples; the first book to contain photographs of the interiors of Mormon temples (including those in Kirtland, Nauvoo, Salt Lake, St. George, Logan, and Manti).
LDS Apostle discusses the doctrine and purpose of the temples, including an explanation of the entrance requirements; also explains why Church teachings focus on family history and genealogy; Deseret Book published an extended, illustrated version of the book in 2007.
Violenceedit
Denton, Sally (17 June 2003). American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857 (First ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-41208-5. [58]
A reproduction of two of the collections uncovered during research for Massacre at Mountain Meadows; one compiled in the 1890s by Andrew Jenson, the second a decade later by David H. Morris (1858–1937), an attorney and judge in St. George, Utah.
Investigation of the histories of the LDS Church, and the crimes of a small splinter group called the School of Prophets; also examines the ideologies of both the LDS Church and the fundamentalist Mormon polygamous groups, such as the FLDS Church.
The story of the Mark Hofmann case, told from the perspectives of the murder victims and the LDS Church; written by an Assistant Church Historian with church leaders' support and access to interviews, diaries, journals, memoranda, and other records.
Womenedit
Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society. The Christopher Publishing House. 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
Shepherd, Gordon; Anderson, Lavina Fielding; Shepherd, Gary, eds. (29 July 2015). Voices for Equality: Ordain Women and Resurgent Mormon Feminism. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books. ISBN 978-1589587588.
A collection of articles by twenty-five scholars and activists on the issue of gender equality in the LDS Church; examines the high public visibility of the Ordain Women movement, and details the theological debates about gender and priesthood authority.
A survey of the involvement of Mormons in the women's movement (including early Utah leaders such as Emmeline B. Wells) and the shift to championing a more conservative view of women's roles; culminating in the concerted effort to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
A history of marriage and family life among first-generation Latter-day Saints; focused on the world of early Mormon women— pieced together through diaries, letters, albums, minute-books, and quilts— their practice of "plural marriage," and their attainment of female suffrage.
Contemporary exposé of early Mormonism; considered to be the first anti-Mormon book; republished as History of the Mormons in 1840.
Beckwith, Francis; Mosser, Carl; Owen, Paul, eds. (2010) [2002]. The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement. Zondervan. ISBN 978-0310231943. [67]
Paulson, Matthew A. (5 September 2000). Breaking the Mormon Code. WingSpan Press. ISBN 1595940677. [68]
Critique of FARMS scholarship; by a CARM researcher.
Givens, Terryl (31 January 2013) [1997]. The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy (Updated ed.). Oxford University Press USA. ISBN 978-0199933808. [69]
Examination of the presence and reception of the Mormon image in contemporary culture; how nineteenth- and twentieth-century American writers frequently cast the Mormon as a stock villains in fiction; the updated edition has an expanded final chapter, on the Mormon presence in contemporary American culture, discussing the musical, The Book of Mormon, and the political campaigns of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.
Burningham, Kay (2011). An American Fraud: One Lawyer's Case Against Mormonism. AmicaVeritatis. ISBN 978-0615465890.
A chronicle of the author's journey out of the LSD faith; and an exposé by a civil trial attorney, alleging fraud committed by generations of Mormon Leaders— misrepresentations resulting in damages (political, environmental, and psycho-social) to believers; presents The Book of Mormon as a 19th-century work of fiction
Overviews a variety of the world's religions with commentary following each one; offering a LDS perspective, noting beliefs held in common, and divergences.
Collection of papers from a BYU symposium in October 1981; focuses on parallels, similarities, and contrasts with Islam and the LDS. Revised edition includes new material by Arnold H. Green and Daniel C. Peterson.
Thomas, John Christopher (31 March 2016). A Pentecostal Reads the Book of Mormon: A Literary and Theological Introduction. CPT Press. ISBN 978-1935931553.
A monograph by a PentecostalNew Testament scholar offering an irenic, critical reading of the Book of Mormon; utilizing narrative analysis, it investigates of the book's overall structure; presents an extended reading focused on its literary and theological dimensions; and traces the book's reception amongst followers and opponents alike.
A collection of essays bringing some of the stories of missionaries of the LDS Church to the study of Mormon missiology; the result of a BYU Church History Symposium.
Branches and sectsedit
Shields, Steven L. (1990) [1975]. Divergent Paths of the Restoration: A History of the Latter Day Saint Movement (fourth, revised and enlarged ed.). Bountiful, Utah: Restoration Research. ISBN 0830905693.
Discusses the histories and theologies of more than a hundred different churches, organizations, and individuals in the Latter Day Saint movement.
Davis, Inez Smith (1998) [1934]. The Story of the Church: A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and of Its Legal Successor, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (thirteenth, updated ed.). Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House. ISBN 0830901884.
A history, by the daughter of RLDS Apostle and Church Historian Heman C. Smith.
Edwards, Paul M. (1991). Our Legacy of Faith: A Brief History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House. ISBN 0830905944.
A four-volume biographical dictionary by an Assistant Church Historian; includes a church chronology and biographical information about leaders and other prominent members of the LDS Church from its founding in 1830 until 1930.
Smith, Joseph (30 November 2015). Hedges, Andrew H.; Smith, Alex D.; Rogers, Brent M. (eds.). The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Volume 3: May 1843-June 1844. Joseph Smith Papers: Journals Series (Book 3 of 3). Salt Lake City: Church Historian's Press. ISBN 978-1629721477. [75]
A biography of the formative years, covering the period of Smith's life up until 1831; argues that Smith was a pious fraud, interpreting the Book of Mormon as springing from his psychology and experiences.
Caswall, Henry (1843). The Prophet of the Nineteenth Century: Or, The Rise, Progress, and Present State of the Mormons, Or Latter-day Saints: to which is Appended, an Analysis of the Book of Mormon. J. G. F. & J. Rivington. ISBN 1435751701. [80]
The first biography ever written on Joseph Smith; a hostile account.
Faithful biography presenting Smith "as a greater leader than Moses and a greater prophet than Isaiah.
Hill, Donna (15 March 1999) [1977]. Joseph Smith: The First Mormon. Signature Books. ISBN 156085118X. [81]
Comprehensive biography by a Mormon historian; described as having a temperate, balanced, middle-of-the-road approach— in the spectrum of pro and con biographies.
Admiring biography of Brigham Young, the 2nd President of the LDS Church (from 1847–1877); nicknamed the "American Moses" because he led his followers in an exodus through a desert, to what they saw as a promised land.
Whitney, Orson F. (14 January 2017) [1888]. Life of Heber C. Kimball: An Apostle, The Father and Founder of the British Mission. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft. ISBN 978-1540792716. [84]
Essay collection discussing Heber J. Grant's life and service; from his birth to middle age, prior to becoming the 7th President of the LDS Church (from 1918 to 1945).
Biography of Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of the LDS Church (from 1973 to 1985), written by his son; focused exclusively on Kimball's ministry at Church President.
Biography of J. Reuben Clark; focused on his time as an attorney and government servant, prior to being called as a Counselor in the First Presidency (from 1933 to 1961).
Madsen, Susan Arrington; Jones, Emily Madsen; Thornton, Rebecca Madsen (2018). Fathers of the Prophets: From Joseph Smith to Russell M. Nelson. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. ISBN 978-1629724485.
J. Reuben Clark's life and impact (intellectual and administrative) as counselor to three LDS Church presidents.
Gibbons, Francis M. (14 January 2018). Daniel Bay, Gibbons (ed.). Russell M. Nelson. Sixteen Stones Press. ISBN 978-1942640257.
Biography of Russell M. Nelson, the seventeenth President of the LDS Church; a collection of personal reminiscences, written by a former secretary to the First Presidency, drawing on more than sixty years of association with President Nelson; the eighth and final part of the series entitled Remembering the Prophets of God.
Hartley, William G. (1 December 1993). My Best for the Kingdom: History and Autobiography of John Lowe Butler, a Mormon Frontiersman. Salt Lake City: Aspen Books. ISBN 1562362127. [91]
Hartley, William G.; Alder, Lorna Call (2007). Johnson, H. Lane (ed.). Anson Bowen Call: Bishop of Colonia Dublán. Provo, Utah: L.C. Alder. ISBN 978-1928845522.
An assemblage of writings about the Latter-day Saints by a preeminent non-Mormon interpreter of Mormonism; combination of a portrait of the evolution of contemporary Mormonism (from a provincial to a universal belief system), with an intellectual autobiography of her personal encounters.
Memoir of growing up in a devoutly LDS home; growing older and coming to wrestle with some tenets of the Church (including its stance on women's rights and homosexuality).