WalkerW Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 I used to read a lot of Church history, but have moved away from it as of late. Not for any particular reason. Just different interests (e.g. history of science, philosophy, Christian history, economic theory, etc.). I'd love suggestions. What are some of the best Church history books or articles? It can be on any topic in Church history. Link to comment
Kevin Christensen Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 I used to read a lot of Church history, but have moved away from it as of late. Not for any particular reason. Just different interests (e.g. history of science, philosophy, Christian history, economic theory, etc.). I'd love suggestions. What are some of the best Church history books or articles? It can be on any topic in Church history.Terryl Givens, People of Paradox. A cultural history that asks, "What makes us distinctively Mormon?"Kevin ChristensenPittsburgh, PA Link to comment
WalkerW Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 Terryl Givens, People of Paradox. A cultural history that asks, "What makes us distinctively Mormon?"Kevin ChristensenPittsburgh, PAThat could be especially interesting, considering my current interests have been the history of ideas and how they shape cultures. I have a research paper due next month on organizational culture and innovation. Whatdya know: UNT has it. Thanks, Kevin. Link to comment
LifeOnaPlate Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Some great books to try:The Mormon Experience, A History of The Latter Day Saints, Leonard ArringtonThe Story of the Latter-day Saints, Glen Leonard, James AllenJoseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling, Richard BushmanBrigham Young, American Moses, ArringtonMassacre at Mountain Meadows Walker, Richard Turley, Leonard, AllenWaiting for World's End: The Diaries of Wilford Woodruff, ed. by Susan StakerMormonism in Transition, Thomas AlexanderDavid O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, Greg PrinceLengthen Your Stride-The Presidency of Spencer W. Kimball, Edward Kimball Why depend totally on the work of others, though? There is also an overabundance of good online resources and journals that you might want to keep in mind (not all are explicitly focused on history, although all at least contain articles and info on history). Primary and secondary sources for your enjoyment include but are not limited to:Harold B. Lee Library Digital Collections (a great lds history section, old church periodicals, etc.)J. Willard Marriott Library (digital collections has books and stuff)The Journal of Mormon HistoryJoseph Smith Papers Projectscriptures.byu.edu (has General Conference addresses from 1942-present, and other fun stuff)Mormon Historical StudiesJohn Whitmer Historical AssociationJuvenile Instructor blogKeep-A-Pitchin'-In (Ardis Parshall's blog)Book of Abraham Project (a blog on church history stuff from WV Smith)FAIR Wiki (has loads of stuff, Journal of Discourses, known accounts of BoM translation witnesses, etc.)International Journal of Mormon StudiesBYU StudiesDialogue: A Journal of Mormon ThoughtAlso, I ought to pitch my own podcast, which has discussed issues of church history in 4 episodes thus far:FAIR PodcastFinally, there have been some impressive dissertations/theses recently as well, which haven't been published but may be accessible from various friends and authors, etc. These include works by people like David Grua, Christopher Jones, Robin Jensen, Mike Reed (still need to read his), Sam Brown (independent research) and others. Link to comment
LifeOnaPlate Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Added FAIR Podcast link. Link to comment
Emerson Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 LoaP nailed it, listing many of the "must reads" of the genre. If I could add a few more:Givens's By the Hand of Mormon is perhaps an even more important book than his People of Paradox--and that is really saying something, because PoP is extraordinary!Kathleen Flake's Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle is absolutely outstanding. One of the most important books on Mormonism, primarily because it is well researched and theoretically sound (a rarity among Mormon historiography). (Random side note: even Elder Oaks said it was the best history book he's read in some time!)If you want a more academic book, Sally Gordon's The Mormon Question is unrivaled. Perhaps the most successful book on Mormonism that addresses larger American themes.For quick, light reads, Oxford's Very Short Introduction series has two fantastic books on Mormonism (Bushman) and Book of Mormon (Givens).Though I'm biased, I second LoaP's recommendation of Juvenile Instructor--lots of good stuff there that will keep you aware of major trends in the field. Indeed, they even have two posts (with important discussions in the comments!) related to your question: a poll of young, academically trained Mormon historians on what the "top" books in the field are, a listing of some of the best Mormon biographies, and an overview of the most important works released in 2009 (which hopefully will become a yearly tradition). Link to comment
urroner Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 I have heard tale that Nurse Kevin Christensen, Nurse Bill Hamblin, and Doctor Scratch are soon to release a book that is going to rock the very core of how all the world and maybe even the heavens view Mormon history and philosophy. It's called "The Once and Future Mopologist: Bed Pan Collector DCP."I, for one, eagerly await its release with bated breath. Link to comment
volgadon Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I recently inherited a copy of Hyrum Andrus' "Doctrines of the Kingdom." Haven't dived into it yet, but from a glance it looks to be a good compendium of Joseph's thoughts and teachings on the government of Zion. Link to comment
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