Dear Benchmark Books Customers,

We sincerely hope you are well and are weathering this Covid storm. We all long for the day when this crisis is a distant memory.



In accordance with the advice of medical experts and government leaders, we have essentially had a closed shop with parking lot delivery or free postage and handling on mail orders. Some Utah businesses have started to open in a limited way. We have decided to keep functioning as we have been doing with this difference: we will open the shop to individuals who request an appointment (you can either give us a call or email us) to come in provided they wear a mask for everyone’s protection. We commit to doing the same by wearing masks when customers are present and by sanitizing surfaces in the store on a regular basis.



We can’t think of any better way to while away the hours at home while isolated than reading a good book, so here are a number of the newest titles for your reading and research pleasure. For the time being, we are continuing our ongoing sale of 10% off new books and 20% off used (with a few exceptions) along with free shipping and handling for mail orders.





NEW ARRIVALS



Geisner, Joseph (ed.). Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books. Signature Books, 2020. 401 pp. Paperback—$19.95/Hardcover/dust jacket—$34.95. Every great book has a great backstory. Here well-known historians describe their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past, offering an unprecedented glimpse into why they wrote these important works. Writing Mormon History is a must-read for historians, students of history, scholars, and aspiring authors. The volume’s contributors are: Polly Aird, Will Bagley, Todd Compton, Brian Hales, Melvin Johnson, William MacKinnon, Linda King Newell, Gregory Prince, D. Michael Quinn, Craig Smith, George D. Smith, Vickie Cleverley Speek, Susan Staker, Daniel Stone, John Turner. The majority of the essays appear here for the first time.



—“This book is a Mormon history and book lover’s dream come true.” (Curt Bench)



**Signature Books is offering a promotion currently here in store—purchase a copy of this book or the soon-arriving Mercy without End: Toward a More Inclusive Church (Lavina Fielding Anderson) and receive a free copy of Elder Statesman: A Biography of J. Reuben Clark (Michael Quinn, retail $49.95) or Conflict in the Quorum: Orson Pratt, Brigham Young, Joseph Smith (Gary Bergera, retail, $25.95)**



Kuehn, Elizabeth A., Matthew C. Godfrey, Jordan T. Watkins and Mason K. Allred. The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Vol. 10: May–August 1842. Church Historian’s Press, 2020. 622 pp. Hardcover/dust jacket. $54.95. The tenth volume in the Documents series, features over one hundred letters, revelations, meeting minutes, deeds, sermon accounts, and other documents from May 1842 through August 1842. These documents chronicle important developments in the church, Joseph Smith’s personal life, and the community of Nauvoo, Illinois, during these months. The rich documentary record from this period details Joseph Smith’s attempts to avoid extradition from Illinois to Missouri, efforts to build a temple, and challenges posed by John C. Bennett’s immorality and disaffection from the church. This book offers an extraordinary portrait of the breadth of Joseph Smith’s daily activities as he served as a military leader and mayor of Nauvoo, continued as editor of the church’s newspaper, attempted to secure financial relief under the nation’s new bankruptcy law, and instructed Latter-day Saints near and far through discourses and correspondence. Readers will come away from this volume with an increased understanding of Joseph Smith’s life and of this pivotal period in Nauvoo. **unfortunately, due to current conditions, we will not be able to have books signed by the volume editors—we hope, once things return to normal, to be able to get some signed copies**



Mackay, Michael Hubbard. Prophetic Authority: Democratic Hierarchy and the Mormon Priesthood. University of Illinois Press, 2020. 170pp. Paperback. $22.95. (Hardback—$110 also available as special order). The Mormon tradition’s emphasis on prophetic authority makes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unique within America’s religious culture. The religion that Joseph Smith created established a kingdom of God in a land distrustful of monarchy while positioning Smith as Christ’s voice on earth, with the power to form cities, establish economies, and arrange governments. Michael Hubbard MacKay traces the LDS claim to religious authority and sets it within the context of its times. Delving into the evolution of the concept of prophetic authority, MacKay shows how the church emerged as a hierarchical democracy with power diffused among leaders Smith chose. At the same time, Smith’s settled place atop the hierarchy granted him an authority that spared early Mormonism the internal conflict that doomed other religious movements. Though Smith faced challenges from other leaders, the nascent church repeatedly turned to him to decide civic plans and define the order of both the cosmos and the priesthood.



Davis, William L. Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon. University of North Carolina Press, 2020. Hardcover. Paperback—$29.95 (Hardback—$90 also available as special order). In this interdisciplinary work, William L. Davis examines Joseph Smith’s 1829 creation of the Book of Mormon, the foundational text of the Latter Day Saint movement. Positioning the text in the history of early American oratorical techniques, sermon culture, educational practices, and the passion for self-improvement, Davis elucidates both the fascinating cultural context for the creation of the Book of Mormon and the central role of oral culture in early nineteenth-century America. Drawing on performance studies, religious studies, literary culture, and the history of early American education, Davis analyzes Smith’s process of oral composition. How did he produce a history spanning a period of 1,000 years, filled with hundreds of distinct characters and episodes, all cohesively tied together in an overarching narrative? Eyewitnesses claimed that Smith never looked at notes, manuscripts, or books—he simply spoke the words of this American religious epic into existence. Judging the truth of this process is not Davis’s interest. Rather, he reveals a kaleidoscope of practices and styles that converged around Smith’s creation, with an emphasis on the evangelical preaching styles popularized by the renowned George Whitefield and John Wesley.



Petrey, Taylor G. Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism. University of North Carolina Press, 2020. Paperback—$29.95 (Hardback—$90 also available as special order). Taylor G. Petrey’s trenchant history takes a landmark step forward in documenting and theorizing about LDS teachings on gender, sexual difference, and marriage. Drawing on deep archival research, Petrey situates LDS doctrines in gender theory and American religious history since World War II. His challenging conclusion is that Mormonism is conflicted between ontologies of gender essentialism and gender fluidity, illustrating a broader tension in the history of sexuality in modernity itself. As Petrey details, LDS leaders have embraced the idea of fixed identities representing a natural and divine order, but their teachings also acknowledge that sexual difference is persistently contingent and unstable. While queer theorists have built an ethics and politics based on celebrating such sexual fluidity, LDS leaders view it as a source of anxiety and a tool for the shaping of a heterosexual social order. Through public preaching and teaching, the deployment of psychological approaches to “cure” homosexuality, and political activism against equal rights for women and same-sex marriage, Mormon leaders hoped to manage sexuality and faith for those who have strayed from heteronormativity.



Henshaw, Mark. Forty Years: The Saga of Building the Salt Lake Temple. Deseret Book Company, 2020. 543pp. Hardcover/dust jacket. $34.99. From the chilly February day in 1853 when the prophet Brigham Young drove a shovel into the soil to break ground for the Salt Lake Temple until its dedication in 1893, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were confronted with political hostility from the US government and severe challenges imposed by nature itself. Some of the nineteenth century’s greatest events affected this monumental temple-building project, including the California gold rush, the Civil War, and the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The Saints tangled directly with five US presidents, Congress, the Supreme Court, Johnston’s army, and hostile governors, biased judges, and zealous marshals determined to impose the federal government’s will on the Utah Territory. Despite these hardships, the Saints moved forward with faith to complete the temple that would become a symbol of their determination to serve the Lord. This book was written with the cooperation of the Church History Department and benefits from a large-scale research project coinciding with the remodeling of the temple.



Madsen, Susan Arrington; Emily Madsen Jones and Rebecca Madsen Thornton. Fathers of the Prophets: From Joseph Smith Jr. to Russell M. Nelson. Deseret Book Company, 2020. 292pp. Hardcover/dust jacket. $27.99. Joseph Smith Senior, father of the Prophet Joseph Smith, is a well-loved figure. Known for his humble demeanor and unfailing loyalty to his son, Joseph Senior quietly and faithfully moved through the background of the Restoration as a man devout to God. But what of the fathers of other latter-day prophets? Perhaps their stories are lesser known, but the fathers of the prophets are diverse and influential. In a world where the role of fatherhood is increasingly maligned, marginalized, and even dismissed, this book highlights the irreplaceable role of fathers in the lives of the chosen servants of the Lord, and in the lives of children the world over. Fathers of the Prophets is filled with stories and moments that will both inspire and delight.



Wees, Dan (ed.). The Bible to Book of Mormon Comparative, vol. 2 (Alma). Dan Wees, 2020. 519pp. Hardback. $74.99 or purchase both volumes for $125 (no further sale discount). From a review by H. Michael Marquardt: “Students of the Bible typically feel the influence of the 1769 King James Edition while reading the Book of Mormon. This influence has been identified in different ways through the years. Emphasis has usually been placed on the similarities to the New Testament, since this seems to point out the anachronistic nature of the Before the Christian Era (BCE) pages of the book. Though New Testament similarities are overwhelming, so are the comparisons to the Old Testament and the obscure books of the Apocrypha. In The Bible to Book of Mormon Comparative Dan Wees has chosen to compare the text of the Book of Mormon with the Bible. The comparison evidences the complete saturation of likeness, with most comparisons being word-for-word patterns. This three-volume set began with a verse-by-verse analysis of First Nephi through Mosiah (2019) … and will conclude in 2021 with Helaman through Moroni. This analysis is worthy of study. Though many individuals search for the elusive smoking gun source for the Book of Mormon, the answer may well lie within the book itself.”



Sainsbury, Derek R. Storming the Nation: The Unknown Contributions of Joseph Smith’s Political Missionaries. RSC/Deseret Book, 2020. 380pp. Hardcover/dust jacket. $27.99. This volume uncovers the significant but previously unknown contributions of the electioneers who advocated for Joseph Smith’s 1844 presidential campaign. The focus is the cadre of more than six hundred political missionaries—who they were before the campaign, their activities and experiences as electioneers, and who they became following the campaign’s untimely collapse. This book recounts the important and even crucial contributions they made in the succession crisis, the exodus from the United States, and the building of Zion in the Great Basin. Importantly, this narrative describes how their campaigning with the Quorum of Twelve Apostles using theodemocratic themes, coupled with the shock of Joseph Smith’s assassination, steeled and subsequently spurred many of them into effective religious, political, social, and economic leaders—leaders who shaped Latter-day Saint history.



Neilson, Reid L. and Carson V. Teuscher (eds.). Pacific Apostle: The 1920–21 Diary of David O. McKay in the Latter-day Saint Island Missions. University of Illinois Press, 2020. 314pp. Paperback. $27.95 (Hardback—$110 also available as special order). In 1920, David O. McKay embarked on a journey that forever changed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His visits to the Latter-day Saint missions, schools, and branches in the Pacific solidified the Church leadership’s commitment to global outreach. As importantly, the trip inspired McKay’s own initiatives when he later became Church president. McKay’s account of his odyssey brings to life the story of the Church of Jesus Christ’s transformation into a global faith. Throughout his diary, McKay expressed his humanity, curiosity, and fascination with cultures and places–the Maori hongi, East Asian customs, Australian wildlife, and more. At the same time, he and his travel companion, Hugh J. Cannon, detailed the Latter-day Saint missionary life of the era, closely observing logistical challenges and cultural differences, guiding various church efforts, and listening to followers’ impressions and concerns. Reid L. Neilson and Carson V. Teuscher’s meticulous notes provide historical, religious, and general context for the reader. Blending travelogue with history, Pacific Apostle illuminates the thought and work of an essential figure in the twentieth-century Church of Jesus Christ.



Bennett, Richard E. 1820: Dawning of the Restoration. RSC/Deseret Book, 2020. 380pp. Hardcover/dust jacket. $31.99. This volume examines the “four cornerstones” of the early nineteenth century, the time of the gospel’s Restoration: revolution and reform, Romanticism, emancipation and religious revivalism. To illustrate the significance of these cornerstones, the book focuses on remarkable figures in each of these movements, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander von Humboldt, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Charles Wesley. The author weaves together the biographies of these extraordinary people in order to give readers a glimpse into the spirit of the age. This was a time that fostered new revolutions in politics, economics, the arts, science, and religion. Readers will gain greater insight into the exciting and dynamic era of 1820. Such an awareness of the Restoration’s place in history can encourage a deeper sense of appreciation among Church members for the Restoration of Christ’s Church on the earth.



Givens, Terryl. 2nd Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction. Neal A. Maxwell Institute, 2020. 114pp. Paperback. $9.99. In the wake of epic cataclysm, Nephi launches a second book of writings. Inspired by the prophet Isaiah’s remark­able account of the scattering and gather­ing of God’s covenant people, Nephi aches to reassure his family by providing a clear understanding of their unbroken place in God’s designs. Interweaving history, theology, and prophecy, Nephi brings together the covenant’s ancient roots and its future fulfillment, orienting everything around the person of Jesus Christ. In this brief theological introduction, Terryl Givens echoes Nephi’s invitation for readers to keep Christ front and center in their minds, hearts, and wor­ship. Givens finds clear emphasis on the Redeemer’s healing atonement, the promise of resurrection, the necessity of oppositional strife and of agency wisely employed, and other plain and precious truths lost or obscured by time. Above all, Nephi presents essential elements of the doctrine of Christ, emphasizing repentance as a lifelong process of heart reeducation, and of scripture as a re­source for spiritual succor and personal revelation. Jerusalem is destroyed. But all is not lost.

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