In celebration of the release of Saints, reference librarian Elise Reynolds compares some of the many written histories of the Church that are currently on display at the Church History Library.
You have probably heard about the release of Saints, volume 1: The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846. You may have even read it or at least started. This volume is the first in a four-part narrative history of the Church, written by historians here at the Church History Library. This history is a wonderful new resource accessible to all readers and will be used in homes, seminaries and institutes, and other Church settings for years to come. However, it is not the first history of the Church that has been written. Many other histories of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been prepared, each one with its own unique background and purpose.
For example, Saints is not the first multivolume history of the Church to be produced. The seven-volume History of the Church (manuscripts available to view on josephsmithpapers.org) was the result of a commandment given to Joseph Smith to keep a record of the Church. In the face of serious opposition to the Church, this history also served as documentary evidence of the events of the Restoration. Another multivolume history, A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was produced by B. H. Roberts to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Church in 1930. This six-volume work evolved from articles Roberts published in response to inaccurate information circulating about the origins of the Book of Mormon.
There are also histories produced by the Church as curriculum materials for members. The books Our Heritage and Truth Restored
is a collegiate-level institute manual. These histories were written to help build faith and understanding in conjunction with gospel learning and worship.
Other perspectives on Church history are provided by single-volume academic histories written by both Latter-day Saints and others. These books were written by historians in order to inform a non-Latter-day Saint audience.
Portrait of Lucy Mack Smith; manuscript page of Lucy’s history; first page of History of the Church, begun in 1839
Many Church histories come from primary sources (accounts written by those who experienced events firsthand). For example, Lucy Mack Smith’s history (original pages on display in the Foundations of Faith exhibit
at the Church History Library, and manuscripts available to view at josephsmithpapers.org) was written because of the many questions Lucy received about her family and her faith. However, most primary sources remain unpublished. There are hundreds of journals and diaries that record Church history, some in our collections and even more in private possession waiting to be discovered.
Most of us think of history books as dense, textbook-like tomes, but not all of them are like that. For example, Saints is written like a story, with relatable characters and a flowing plot. Some histories are not even text-based. One history of the Church, The History of the Mormons in Photographs and Text: 1830 to the Present
, by Douglas F. Tobler and Nelson B. Wadsworth, draws on historical images to tell the Latter-day Saint story. Another highly visual reference volume is Mapping Mormonism: An Atlas of Latter-day Saint History. This volume uses maps, charts, graphs, and other visual formats to share the history and growth of the Church. Exploring the many histories of the Church and the reasons they were created can be as interesting as history itself.
So, if after reading Saints you are hungry for more history on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, check out the online catalog or drop by to see our curated collection of Church history volumes on display in the public area of the library. We’ll be happy to help you find your next great Church history read! You can read or listen to Saints online here
