Studies in Mormon History, 1830-1997

Book excerpt: Fifteen years in the making, Studies in Mormon History is the most complete and comprehensive bibliography ever attempted on historical literature about the Mormons. Created by three of the leading figures in Mormon studies, this volume provides author and topical listings of books, articles, theses, and dissertations dealing with the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints beginning with its inception in 1830. This massive compilation contains more than 2,600 books, 10,400 articles, 1,800 theses and dissertations, and 150 significant typescripts and task papers. While most highly polemical literature has been excluded, the authors have endeavored to include every English-language publication that contributes substantively to a historical understanding of the church's development and its place in the larger context of American history and religion. These writings range from works of serious scholarship to stories of the pioneers, biographical sketches of church officers, and devotional biographies of leading Mormon men and women. A monumental achievement, Studies in Mormon History is an indispensable guide to research and scholarship in Mormon history as well as in the history of the American West. This work also features an important topical guide to Mormon social science literature, compiled by Armand L. Mauss and Dynette Ivie Reynolds.