Looking for books

[guitarwizard]

I am looking for great in depth unbiased books on church history. I have read Rough Stone Rolling by Bushman and absolutely loved it. It addressed the nasty things that usually are kept quiet, but did it in a respecting manner that i loved. It was a great book and has really helped strengthen my faith. I am about to read Brigham Young: American Moses and was curious as to what other books are good reads like the others? Is there a book solely on John Taylor, or did the fascination with the lives of the prophets stop after Brigham?

Background: I am a religious studies major at a public university and my goal is to be able to teach church history at some school ( longshot right?!). I tend to use my knowledge of church history in my classes and always am looking to expand my knowledge. I just wrote a paper for my Islam class comparing Islam to the Church from the origins to succession issues.

[bytebear]

Here ar some to consider:

Amazon.com: Building the Kingdom: A History of Mormons in America: Claudia Lauper Bushman, Richard Lyman Bushman: Books

Amazon.com: 40 Ways to Look at Brigham Young: A New Approach to a Remarkable Man: Chad M. Orton and William W. Slaughter: Books

Amazon.com: 500 Little-Known Facts in Mormon History: George W. Givens: Books

Amazon.com: 500 More Little-Known Facts in Mormon History: George W. Givens: Books

Amazon.com: The Mormon Experience: A HISTORY OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS: Leonard J. Arrington, Davis Bitton: Books

Amazon.com: Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition: Jan Shipps: Books

[Justice]

I enjoyed Plates of Gold by Matthew Brown. It pulled the more common quotes and journal entries together with many that are more obscure and less known, and ties them together chronologically.

I enjoyed it.

[pushka]

Quote guitarwizard: 'Background: I am a religious studies major at a public university and my goal is to be able to teach church history at some school ( longshot right?!). I tend to use my knowledge of church history in my classes and always am looking to expand my knowledge. I just wrote a paper for my Islam class comparing Islam to the Church from the origins to succession issues.'

I have a fascination with the number of, and variety of religious faiths in the world. I'm a little lazy when it comes to researching them however, just doing a little here and there on the net these days, and watching some documentaries. A recent documentary here in the UK, which was really interesting, was Around the world in 80 Faiths. I loved discovering the 'new', to me, religions and cultures/customs that had grown around the communities.

[mikbone]

I just picked up

Waiting for World's End

The Diaries of Wilford Woodruff

Edited by Susan Staker

First Edition published 1993

Im thru 91 of 425 pages in a couple days and have enjoyed it.

[Saguaro]

I'm currently reading David O McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, it's a great book so far.

[cjmaldrich]

"The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism" by Grant Underwood... I haven't actually read it yet, but I went to a presentation he gave at my university concerning work that he's done with the Joseph Smith Papers project and he impressed me enough to buy this book on the spot :)

"Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion" by Philip Barlow

[Hemidakota]

I am looking for great in depth unbiased books on church history. I have read Rough Stone Rolling by Bushman and absolutely loved it. It addressed the nasty things that usually are kept quiet, but did it in a respecting manner that i loved. It was a great book and has really helped strengthen my faith. I am about to read Brigham Young: American Moses and was curious as to what other books are good reads like the others? Is there a book solely on John Taylor, or did the fascination with the lives of the prophets stop after Brigham?

Background: I am a religious studies major at a public university and my goal is to be able to teach church history at some school ( longshot right?!). I tend to use my knowledge of church history in my classes and always am looking to expand my knowledge. I just wrote a paper for my Islam class comparing Islam to the Church from the origins to succession issues.

"History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" by B. Roberts [5 Volume SET]

[Guest HEthePrimate]

I haven't read it yet, but I've heard that David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, by Gregory A. Prince and William Robert Wright is a really good biography of President McKay.

People of Paradox : A History of Mormon Culture, by Teryl L. Givens, which I have, is quite interesting.

Also, Building the City of God: Community & Cooperation Among the Mormons, by Leonard J. Arrington, Dean May, and Feramorz Y. Fox is excellent work.

Finally, Working toward Zion : Principles of the United Order for the Modern World, by James W. Lucas and Warner P. Woodworth, is good.

[guitarwizard]

ok, i am looking for Leonard J. Arrington's "Adventures of a Church Historian." Does anyone have a copy they are willing to sell or know where i can get a copy for under $50. I am dying to get my hands on this one.

[bmy-]

Read pro-LDS material.. and anti-LDS material..

Then divide by 2.

[cjmaldrich]

Read pro-LDS material.. and anti-LDS material..

Then divide by 2.

I was trying to find a text version of this talk, but all you can do is listen to it... But you reminded me of it: Speeches Website

[rayhale]

Here are some Church history books that are good to read:

A comprehensive history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - 6 volumes by B.H. Roberts

History of the Church – 7 volumes by B.H. Roberts

History of Joseph Smith by his mother – Lucy Mack Smith

Journal of Discourses – 27 volumes (church historians have said over, and over, that this is NOT an official publication of the Church)

Joseph Smith Papers – this is a volume that is not done yet. The Editors promise that they will publish all documents that Joseph Smith wrote, or had written for him, even the documents that will make the Church look bad.

There are other books you can read, but the main thing you have to consider is the date that book was written in. It could have just regurgitated what an earlier book has said.

Here is my list of things I would look for, when looking at a Church history book:

Does it have sources for what it states, and are the sources independent of each other, or is one quoting another, which is quoting another?

Who, or what group, authored this book, is the author pro, anti, or neutral?

For those of us who do not have access to private libraries, journals, or anything else not public, how many of the source texts can you buy and read for YOURSELF?

[Jasmin]

I just finished writing a huge paper on Mormon polygamy from a feminist persepective and I needed to write a section about church history. I had a really hard time with it and it was hard to divide the pro from the anti which was difficult. One book which is an older one that I used and thought was good and uncritical were these ones: (they are in citation form as I copied and pasted them from my bibliography)

Bushman, Richard. Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1984.

Daynes, Kathryn. More Wives than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2001.

Eliason, Eric. Mormons and Mormonism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.