Collection Development "Mormonism": A Perfect Storm

Since well before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and through Mitt Romney's run for the U.S. Presidency, an unprecedented number of news stories have been published about the Mormon faith; indeed, historian Richard Bushman has termed the last decade a “perfect storm of publicity about Mormonism.”

In 1820, 14-year-old Joseph Smith prayed for guidance as to which church he should join and was visited by a vision of God and Jesus Christ telling him to join none. By 1827, he'd received further instructions as well as visits from an angel who gave him an ancient record written on gold plates and revealing an ancient people living in the Americas who were visited by Jesus Christ after his death and resurrection. Smith translated and published this record as the Book of Mormon.

Smith went on to found the LDS Church, attracting both followers and detractors. Members were driven out of cities in Ohio, Missouri, and, finally, Illinois, where a jailed Smith was shot by a mob in 1847. Leadership of the Saints fell to Brigham Young as persecution of the church's members forced them to leave Illinois and settle in Utah. Still, the Saints continued to experience opposition to their beliefs and way of life, particularly with regard to the practice of polygamy by some of their number. Ceasing that practice in 1890, the Saints have only gradually come to be known for their other practices, e.g., close-knit family ties, temple building, and belief in three separate beings in the Godhead.

Since the LDS Church's formation, writing about the Mormons has often been characterized by sensationalism or the countering of LDS religious doctrines. Such negative depictions, generally written by non-Mormons or disaffected members, are understandably difficult reading for believers. Alternately, idealized portrayals of Mormons and their leaders, generally written by fellow Mormons, often don't find an audience outside the LDS Church.

Fortunately, there are resources that avoid these extremes and instead provide fresh, nuanced insight into the personality of Joseph Smith and the LDS Church's history, beliefs, and practices. We've done our best to include such resources here, by both believers and nonbelievers, and advise librarians to collect across the spectrum of viewpoints. We also suggest reevaluating collections every five years to ensure the faith is represented in a recognizable way to believers.

In 1957, Thomas O'Dea, a Harvard-educated Catholic, published The Mormons, which brought together historical and sociological perspectives of the LDS Church and its members while avoiding sensationalism or attempts to prove the religion false. Since that seminal, groundbreaking study, scholars from various disciplines, many writing from outside, i.e., those not “believing in” Mormonism, have followed O'Dea's example. This has resulted in a nearly boundless territory of historical, sociological, and theological perspectives opening for exploration—e.g., through the establishment at several universities of “Mormon studies” programs. Major publishers offering strong titles in Mormon studies include Oxford University Press and the University of Illinois.

From inside the LDS faith, writers like Richard Bushman and Terryl Givens have produced a growing volume of critically acclaimed works; they are fluent in Mormonism, and their academic training gives them objectivity and an admirable ability to locate and elucidate the pressure points existent between Mormon and secular views and culture.

In towns and cities with large LDS populations (today, Mormons number upward of 13 million worldwide), books from LDS publishers are essential purchases and circulate well.

While LDS fiction is outside this article's scope, it is a large genre, and librarians should know that many LDS readers like it for its inspirational themes and family-friendly content. Historical fiction series by Gerald Lund and Dean Hughes are very popular among such readers, as are LDS romances by Anita Stansfield and Rachel Nunes and LDS mysteries by Lynn Gardner, Clair Poulson, and Betsy Green.

In the case of nonfiction, new inspirational titles by “general authorities,” i.e., church president and apostles, in Salt Lake City, do best. Names of current apostles and other authorities can be found on the LDS Church's web site, www.lds.org.

The majority of by-LDS-for-LDS works is marketed through companies specializing in the LDS market, the largest of which are Deseret Book Company and Covenant Communications. The LDS Bookseller's Association (www.ldsba.com) holds a convention every August in the Salt Lake City area, where upcoming titles from LDS publishers are displayed and available for order.

The following bibliography includes works of scripture, doctrinal overviews, contemporary views, and history. Starred [*] items are recommended as core resources for all libraries. Academic libraries and libraries with specialized religion collections will also find a number of useful and current titles here.