M. Guy Bishop

Local History, Well Done | Brigham D. Madsen, Corinne: The Gentile Capital of Utah

According to a myth which circulated in Utah during the 1870s, Brigham Young had placed a curse on the town of Corinne and prophesied that the community’s ungodly existence would be short-lived. In Corinne: The…

Mormonism from the Top Down | Gordon Shepherd and Gary Shepherd, A Kingdom Transformed: Themes in the Development of Mormonism

A Kingdom Transformed is required reading for anyone who may feel that statistical analysis can make only negligible contributions to the study of Mormon history and culture. Those who were already believers in the value…

After Sutter’s Mill: The Life of Henry Bigler, 1848-1900

Henry William Bigler marched west with the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican War (1846-47) and by January 1848 was an employee of Johann Sutter, constructing a saw mill on the American River northeast of Sacra…

History for the People | Dean L. May, Utah: A People’s History

Dean L. May has tackled a difficult problem in this brief survey of Utah’s history. First of all, his book came after the successful media presentation of the same material instead of vice versa, as…

“What Has Become of Our Fathers?” Baptism for the Dead at Nauvoo

Dialogue 23.2 (Summer 1990): 85–97
Chronicling the history  of baptizing for the dead during the Nauvoo Period, this article introduces the practice from the first baptizers to how it was altered after Joseph Smith’s death.

A New Synthesis | Kenneth H. Winn, Exiles in a Land of Liberty: Mormons in America, 1830-1846

Exiles in a Land of Liberty is part of the University of North Carolina’s “Studies in Religion” series. The author, Kenneth H. Winn, is a relative newcomer to Mormon studies and, if this book is…

“In Obedience There Is Peace and Joy Unspotted” | B. Carmon Hardy, Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous Passage

The prophet Joseph Smith once told Nancy Rigdon, whom he was attempting to persuade to become his plural wife, that whatever God required was right, no matter what it was (374). Smith went on to…

Celebrating Utah’s Centennial | Jean Bickmore White, Charter for Statehood: The Story of Utah’s State Constitution

Charter for Statehood chronicles Utah’s constitutional history from its territorial days through the present. Dr. White, emeritus professor of political science at Weber State University, employs her vast skills in state and local history and…

The Life of a Controversial Biographer | Newell G. Bringhurst, Fawn McKay Brodie: A Biographer’s Life

Winner of the 1999 “Best Biography Award” from the Mormon History Association, Fawn McKay Brodie measures up to the honor. A biographer commonly finds varied reasons for selecting his or her subject. Newell Bringhurst candidly…

Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, by Will Bagley

A New Look at Old Sites on Mountain Meadows: Historical Topography, by Morris A. Shirts and Frances Anne Smeath