Mormon History

Mormonism Unvailed, authored by Eber D. Howe and published in 1834, presents one of the first published critiques and investigations into the origins and credibility of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church or Mormon Church) and its founder, Joseph Smith. The book elucidates the skepticism and criticism of early Mormonism, disputing its authenticity and alleging fraudulent and deceptive practices within its early formation.

Among all the various figures in 19th century America who left controversial legacies, it is hard to find one as influential as Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Mormonism, and the Latter-Day Saint movement. Revered as a prophet on the level of Moses by some, reviled as a perpetrator of large-scale fraud by others, what everyone can agree on is that Joseph Smith founded a religious movement that played a crucial role in the settlement of the West, especially in Utah.

The Book of Mormon is a religious record of three groups of people who migrated from the Old World to the American continents. These groups were led by prophets who recorded their religious and secular histories on metal plates. The Book of Mormon records the visit of Jesus Christ to people in the Americas following his resurrection. A 200-year era of peace followed that visit of Christ.

In Revelation, Resistance, and Mormon Polygamy, historian Merina Smith explores the introduction of polygamy in Nauvoo, a development that unfolded amid scandal and resistance. Smith considers the ideological, historical, and even psychological elements of the process and captures the emotional and cultural detail of this exciting and volatile period in Mormon history.

"The narration by Wariner compliments the candid nature of her story...A captivating and emotional story delivered in a straightforward way without an ounce of self-pity." — Library Journal A riveting, deeply-affecting audiobook memoir of one girl's coming-of-age experiences in a polygamist...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, this extraordinary work of investigative journalism takes readers inside America’s isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities. Now an acclaimed FX limited series streaming on HULU. “Fantastic.... Right up there...

Learn about the scriptures and understand them as never before with beloved scholar David Ridges as he narrates his best-selling audiobook. Make the most of your scripture study and gain insights that will draw you closer to the Lord, improve your teaching skills at home and church, and make you a scripture rock star! Have more "ah-ha" moments than ever before as you truly apply, love, and teach the scriptures.

Nephi puts us on notice in his very first sentence that The Book of Mormon was written by temple worshippers and for temple worshippers. He and the other prophets of The Book of Mormon, who called themselves the visionary men and the peaceable followers of Christ, knew and practiced a mystery, an ordinance by which they ascended through the temple and entered into the presence of God. This ordinance was embodied in a dramatic representation of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden and their return to it, in which initiates played the roles of Adam and Eve or their descendants.

A brief and early account of the goin's on in Nauvoo among the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) including details on the secretive "Endowment" ceremony, polygamy and polyandry (multiple wives for the men), and an account of the doctrines being taught after the death of Joseph Smith when the saints had moved to the Utah territory.

Discover the “convincingly researched and thoroughly entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) history of the world’s oldest and most influential fraternity Founded in London in 1717 as a way of binding men in fellowship, Freemasonry proved so addictive that within two decades it had spread...

Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page Book of Mormon when he was 23 and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age 38. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the acclaimed author of Evil Geniuses comes an electrifying, provocative history of American delusion—“an important book for understanding America in the age of Trump” (Walter Isaacson, author of Elon Musk). “A frighteningly convincing and sometimes...

With Mormonism on the verge of an unprecedented cultural and political breakthrough, an eminent scholar of American evangelicalism explores the history and reflects on the future of this native-born American faith and its connection to the life of the nation. In 1830, a young seer and...

Orrin Porter Rockwell believed in his prophet, Joseph Smith. He spent most of a year chained in an Independence dungeon for his belief, then walked across Missouri to Nauvoo, stumbling into Joseph’s house on Christmas Day. Joseph said to him then, “Cut not thy hair and no bullet or blade can harm thee,” and the legend was born. But although he walked with presidents and generals, scholars and scoundrels, in a life lived at the center of many of the great events of the American frontier, he has remained an enigma, a source of continuing controversy.

Mr. Mormon can take a normal LDS member and turn them into a Super-Mormon by using new ideas and discoveries from science, the cosmos, world history, and the scriptures. Mr. Mormon teaches about a supernova that was recorded by Chinese astronomers at the time of the birth of Jesus. It discovers that Joseph Smith taught the theory of time relativity over a half of a century before Albert Einstein.

Jon Krakauer’s literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. In UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his book is an appalling...

Insights derived from the author’s knowledge of Isaiah’s prophecies as he applies them to many contexts in the Book of Mormon, transform the experience of reading or listening to the Book of Mormon into a journey of fresh scriptural discoveries. The challenge to dig deeper into hidden meanings behind the words we read on the surface, or how events in Book of Mormon times relate to today, starts with this series of revealing mini-studies.

The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2200 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.

In our busy world, we sometimes find our scripture study isn't always productive. The solution is here with The Book of Mormon Made Easier! Along with the complete text of the Book of Mormon, this valuable study guide includes additional insights and commentary. A perfect study companion!

Nephi's small plates are a time capsule from the sixth century B.C., containing a "loser's eye view" of religion that strongly contrasts with the ideology of the Jerusalem establishment of the time. Lehi's dream and Nephi's interpretive vision are visionary-literary accounts of the two temple ordinances at the heart of the worship of Lehi's "visionary men" -- the Peace Offerings and the Day of Atonement. Learning to understand those visions opens up the rest of the Book of Mormon, and ancient scripture in general.