Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books

by Joseph W. Geisner (Editor)

Overview

Every great book has a great backstory. Here well-known historians describe their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past, offering an unprecedented glimpse into why they wrote these important works. Writing Mormon History is a must-read for historians, students of history, scholars, and aspiring authors. The volume’s contributors are Polly Aird, Will Bagley, Todd Compton, Brian Hales, Melvin Johnson, William MacKinnon, Linda King Newell, Gregory Prince, D. Michael Quinn, Craig Smith, George D. Smith, Vickie Cleverley Speek, Susan Staker, Daniel Stone, and John Turner. The majority of the essays appear here for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781560852827
Publisher:	Signature Books, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	420
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Joseph W. Geisner is an independent Mormon researcher. He has published in the Journal of Mormon History, Sunstone, John Whitmer Historical Journal, Irreantum, and elsewhere. With Lavina Fielding Anderson, he created the chronologies for Confessions of a Mormon Historian: The Diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997. He is currently on the board of directors for the John Whitmer Historical Association. He and his wife live in northern California, where they provide residential services for people with developmental disabilities. The Geisners are the parents of three children.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 Ladder to the Moon Polly Aird 1

2 History Never Stops Will Bagley 37

3 Plural Accidents: Writing In Sacred Loneliness Todd Compton 65

4 Joseph Smith's Polygamy: History and Theology Brian C. Hales 103

5 Writing Mormon History Melvin C. Johnson 121

6 Enlisted for the Duration: Discovering the Utah War, Writing At Sword's Point William P. Mackinnon 133

7 Living the Journey, Reaping the Whirlwind: Reflections on Writing Emma Hale Smith's Biography Linda King Newell 161

8 How I Did It: Writing David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism Gregory A. Prince 207

9 On Writing Mormon History, 1972-95: From the Diaries and Memoirs of D. Michael Quinn: Edited Joseph W. Geisner 237

10 The Publication History of Juanita Brooks's Dudley Leavitt: Pioneer to Southern Utah Craig S. Smith 273

11 Pursuing Four Forgotten Chapters of Mormon Frontier Experience George D. Smith 287

12 To Hell in a Handbasket: My Journey to Find the Truth about the Angel and the Brass Plates Vickie Cleverley Speek 311

13 An Accidental Church Historian: On the Trail of a Book of Joseph Susan Staker 329

14 Resurrecting a Buried Life: Writing William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet Daniel P. Stone 365

15 Writing Brigham Young John G. Turner 379

Contributors 397