A companion volume to their massive bibliography Studies in Mormon History, 1830–1997, this descriptive history by a team of top Mormon scholars provides a comprehensive view of how the writing of Mormon history has evolved since the establishment of the church. Mormon History offers an interpretive survey of Mormon historical writings, from the partisan and often ephemeral history of the nineteenth century through the shift in the twentieth toward a more balanced and professional approach and an emphasis on how the Mormons helped settle the American West. The authors examine Mormon biography and autobiography and discuss social science literature on the Mormons, including studies of social geography, rural sociology, and agricultural economics. Two valuable appendices round out this volume, one on the development and nature of Mormon imprints, the other on conducting historical research in Mormon sources.
Preface ix
1. Beginnings: Nineteenth-Century Historical Writing 1
2. Traditionalism Meets Modernism, 1990-1950 31
3. The New Mormon History: Historical Writing since 1950 60
4. The Challenge of Mormon Biography 113
5. Flowers, Weeds, and Thistles: The State of Social Science Literature on the Mormons, by Armand L. Mauss 153
APPENDIXES
A. Mormon Imprints as Sources for Research: A History and Evaluation 199
B. Mormon Americana: A Guide to Reference Works and Bibliographies 239
Index 265
