Mystery Meat Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 I am looking for some good, trustworthy Church History books. From Palmyra era all the way to the Manifesto. I am not looking for anti-mormon spin. I am also looking for honest discussion. I am currently re-reading Rough Stone Rolling. I want to dive into the B.H. Roberts History of the Church. What else should I look into? I also love a good biography/auto-biography.
stemelbow Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 Just now, Mystery Meat said: I am looking for some good, trustworthy Church History books. From Palmyra era all the way to the Manifesto. I am not looking for anti-mormon spin. I am also looking for honest discussion. I am currently re-reading Rough Stone Rolling. I want to dive into the B.H. Roberts History of the Church. What else should I look into? I also love a good biography/auto-biography. May I be so bold to recommend a couple of books that deal a lot with polygamy? In Sacred Loneliness and Mormon Enigma. I don't think either have "anti-Mormon" spin in them even if there are areas of dispute. Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism I've also been buying up the Joseph Smith Papers volumes. I think most of it is online, but some of it isn't. I'm eagerly looking forward to the series from the Church that is coming out--which is said will be a comprehensive history. THis was a recent thread on the topic: 4
hope_for_things Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 22 minutes ago, Mystery Meat said: I am looking for some good, trustworthy Church History books. From Palmyra era all the way to the Manifesto. I am not looking for anti-mormon spin. I am also looking for honest discussion. I am currently re-reading Rough Stone Rolling. I want to dive into the B.H. Roberts History of the Church. What else should I look into? I also love a good biography/auto-biography. Richard Van Wagoner's Natural Born Seer is the best biography on Joseph Smith's early years that I've read to date, highly interesting and impeccably researched. Currently reading Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's House Full of Females and the writing style is excellent, and from everything I've read so far, this is one of the more important books that has come out in recent years, I highly recommend it, and you can follow along with the JI summer book club too. http://juvenileinstructor.org/ji-summer-book-club-2017-iii-a-house-full-of-females-chapter-3/ 1
JLHPROF Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 39 minutes ago, Mystery Meat said: I am looking for some good, trustworthy Church History books. From Palmyra era all the way to the Manifesto. I am not looking for anti-mormon spin. I am also looking for honest discussion. I am currently re-reading Rough Stone Rolling. I want to dive into the B.H. Roberts History of the Church. What else should I look into? I also love a good biography/auto-biography. That is a huge range, and a lot of Church History books are topic specific. Is there any particular topic you are interested in? Having already read so many of the general history books out there I find myself now reading more narrow focus titles. There are literally thousands of books on Church history. I think you would need to narrow it down a bit to get good recommendations. 29 minutes ago, stemelbow said: May I be so bold to recommend a couple of books that deal a lot with polygamy? In Sacred Loneliness and Mormon Enigma. I don't think either have "anti-Mormon" spin in them even if there are areas of dispute. Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism I've also been buying up the Joseph Smith Papers volumes. I think most of it is online, but some of it isn't. I consider these relatively objective too. Not particularly faith based OR anti. They at least attempt scholarly objectivity. 1
clarkgoble Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Mystery Meat said: I am looking for some good, trustworthy Church History books. From Palmyra era all the way to the Manifesto. I am not looking for anti-mormon spin. I am also looking for honest discussion. I am currently re-reading Rough Stone Rolling. I would check out the Hales, Joseph Smith's Polygamy as offering some views not quite the same as the other books mentioned. For a good list of essential books in history I'd check out this JI post. Edited June 20, 2017 by clarkgoble
stemelbow Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 8 minutes ago, clarkgoble said: I would check out the Hales, Joseph Smith's Polygamy as offering some views not quite the same as the other books mentioned. For a good list of essential books in history I'd check out this JI post. I should read the Hales book you mention. THanks for the reminder. 1
Mystery Meat Posted June 20, 2017 Author Posted June 20, 2017 9 minutes ago, JLHPROF said: That is a huge range, and a lot of Church History books are topic specific. Is there any particular topic you are interested in? Having already read so many of the general history books out there I find myself now reading more narrow focus titles. There are literally thousands of books on Church history. I think you would need to narrow it down a bit to get good recommendations. I consider these relatively objective too. Not particularly faith based OR anti. They at least attempt scholarly objectivity. That's the problem....I am interested in everything. For now, I am starting with the founding. So I am reading a lot about Joseph Smith in Palmyra/Kirtland. I would like to progress into Missouri and Nauvoo from there. I have always loved Church History, now I feel like I finally have time to dedicate to the study.
JLHPROF Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 14 minutes ago, Mystery Meat said: That's the problem....I am interested in everything. For now, I am starting with the founding. So I am reading a lot about Joseph Smith in Palmyra/Kirtland. I would like to progress into Missouri and Nauvoo from there. I have always loved Church History, now I feel like I finally have time to dedicate to the study. Ok, so the best books on the early Church - New York/Kirtland. I can't honestly say I know of many reliable academic books dealing with that early time period. Not sure about "scholarship" but the Lectures on Faith are a must and so are much of Wilford Woodruff's writings from that period, especially his missionary journals. There are some great biographies/autobiographies of those who converted during that time period like Whitney's "Life of Heber C. Kimball" or Parley P. Pratt's Autobiography - both great reads. I'm not going to lie - that's not the time period I've studied the most. I consider that to be a transitional period for the Church, leading most members from their traditional Christian culture into the restored gospel. That is why so many Church teachings from that time were supplanted by later revelation. I have given the Nauvoo period with the establishment of temple ordinances most of my attention. 1
clarkgoble Posted June 20, 2017 Posted June 20, 2017 26 minutes ago, clarkgoble said: I would check out the Hales, Joseph Smith's Polygamy as offering some views not quite the same as the other books mentioned. For a good list of essential books in history I'd check out this JI post. Just to add to the above, here are some I recommend. There's so many great Mormon history books though that it's hard to keep up on everything. There's tons of good books I've not yet read. Thomas Alexander, Mormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-day Saints, 1890-1930. A bit dry but an essential book on the transition period in Mormon history. Samuel Brown, In Heaven as It is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death. A fascinating book that deals with early Mormon history through a more theological lens. A must read. Ronald Walker’s Wayward Saints. To me a must read. It's the best history of the rise of apostate movements in Utah, the inconsistent ways Brigham Young dealt with them, the influx of spiritualism into Utah, as well as the rise of the Salt Lake Tribune. Fantastic book. John Turner Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet. A warts and all history of a key figure in our history. Devery Anderson, The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History. Primarily documentary and not a history putting all the pieces together but an important book. Leland Gentry, Fire and Sword: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri. Dated in many ways, yet still a good overview of the war. I'm forgetting a ton and my books are all boxed up right now so I can't jog my memory. 1
hagoth7 Posted June 22, 2017 Posted June 22, 2017 (edited) On 6/20/2017 at 9:16 AM, Mystery Meat said: I am looking for some good, trustworthy Church History books. From Palmyra era all the way to the Manifesto. I am not looking for anti-mormon spin. I am also looking for honest discussion. I am currently re-reading Rough Stone Rolling. I want to dive into the B.H. Roberts History of the Church. What else should I look into? I also love a good biography/auto-biography. I have a good number of books that you may either use or have. Would very much prefer that they get circulation. Drop a line. Promptly. If you're serious. Ditto for anyone else here. Edited June 22, 2017 by hagoth7
Calm Posted June 22, 2017 Posted June 22, 2017 1 hour ago, hagoth7 said: I have a good number of books that you may either use or have. Would very much prefer that they get circulation. Drop a line. Promptly. If you're serious. Ditto for anyone else here. You can always donate them to the FairMormon book auction we have each conference.
Scott Lloyd Posted June 22, 2017 Posted June 22, 2017 On 6/20/2017 at 9:16 AM, Mystery Meat said: I am looking for some good, trustworthy Church History books. From Palmyra era all the way to the Manifesto. I am not looking for anti-mormon spin. I am also looking for honest discussion. I am currently re-reading Rough Stone Rolling. I want to dive into the B.H. Roberts History of the Church. What else should I look into? I also love a good biography/auto-biography. At the recent Mormon History Association Conference, Elder Steven R. Snow, the Church Historian and Recorder, said that a new, four-volume comprehensive Church history will be published by the Church Historian's Press beginning next year, with one volume to appear each year for the next four years. It was the subject of a thread I started earlier this month. I haven't seen it yet, of course, but I have high hopes and expectations for it. 1
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