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Early Utah Church School Books
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History
of Joseph Smith for Youth
President Cannon wrote both an adult and a children's history of Joseph
Smith-this being written for children. Both have been recognized
as "classics" in Mormon literature. The intent of this
volume was to give youth in the Church greater historical insight into
the life and martyrdom of Joseph Smith and to understand the sacrifices
of their forebearers. President Cannon gives readers an
understanding of early Church events in New York, Ohio, Missouri and
Illinois and, more importantly, the particular role of Joseph Smith in
the Restoration. Because of the depth of the material, many adults
marvel that it was directed to youth and not adults. To add
greater readability to his information, personal and family vignettes
are added to help the reader enjoy a closer relationship with the
Prophet.
Softbound, $11.95.
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Joseph
Smith as Scientist
John A. Widtsoe (scientist,
university president and apostle) wrote textbooks and was the author of
several books for Church members which harmonized and highlighted both
scientific and gospel subjects. This work, subtitled "A
Contribution to Mormon Philosophy," treats Joseph Smith's teachings
concerning the earth's creation and laws governing the universe and
other parallel phenomena with more recent scientific thought. In
addition to placing Joseph Smith's teachings into a framework of
universal law, Elder Widtsoe also discusses the "Law of
Evolution" and the role of the "Sixth Sense."
Softbound, $10.95.
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My
First Mission, George Q. Cannon
"When a youth, it was my
good fortune to live in the family of President John Taylor. It
was my chief delight in those days to listen to him and other Elders
relate their experiences as missionaries. Such conversations were
very fascinating to me. They made a deep impression upon me.
The days of which they spoke were days of poverty when Elders traveled
without purse or scrip among strange people who were ignorant of the
principles, and too many of them were ready to mob and persecute.
They traveled by faith, and were pioneers for the Lord in strange lands,
and He was their only reliance. Their missions were rich in
instances of His power exhibited in their behalf. What I heard
strengthened my faith and increased the desire in my heart to be a
missionary. No calling was so noble in my eyes as that of a
standard-bearer of the gospel.
"The
thought which prompts me to publish My First Mission is that
perhaps it may have the effect upon some of the youth of Zion that the
recitals of faithful Elders had upon me. -"President George
Q. Cannon
Softbound, $6.95.
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A
String of Pearls-from the
Faith-Promoting Series
"Probably no people in the world possess so rich and varied an
experience as do the Latter-day Saints, and especially the Elders who
have labored in the ministry in various lands. Contributions from
them, giving a relation of their personal experience, are most
profitable for young people to reuse."
"This present age is one of doubt and
unbelief. Faith in God, in His willingness to hear and answer
prayer, and in the gifts of the gospel, has almost vanished from the
earth. As a people we have this to contend with. Our
children, not having had experience themselves, have to be carefully
watched lest they, too, should partake in the leaven of unbelief.
We feel that it is a duty that we owe to them to place within their
reach the evidences that their fathers and their mothers have received
of the existence of God, of his willingness to hear and answer prayer,
and to bestow His gifts upon those who seek for them in the right
way."
"We see no reason why the volumes of the
FAITH-PROMOTING SERIES already published, as well as these which may
follow, should not be regarded as standard works of the Church and used
for home reading or Sunday school class books when the authors and those
of whose history they treat shall have passed to another sphere of
action." -George Q. Cannon
Softbound, $8.95.
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Leaves
from My Journal
Written by President Wilford Woodruff, perhaps the Church's most
successful missionary and leader during its most troubled times, these
journal entries cover a combination of inspiration and tribulation
unknown to most Latter-day Saints. The compilers of President
Woodruff's journal wrote: "Brother Woodruff is a remarkable
man. Few men now living, who have followed the quiet and peaceful
pursuits of life, have had such an interesting and eventful experience
as he has. Few, if any in this age, have spent a more active and
useful life. Certainly, no man living has been more particular
about recording with his own hand, in a daily journal, during half a
century, the events of his own career and the things that have come
under his observation. His elaborate journal has always been one
of the principal sources from which the Church history has been
compiled."
Softbound,
$10.95.
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Early
Scenes from Church History
Published as one of the Faith-Promoting Series, this book was
designed to build the faith of the Saints by demonstrating the obvious
hand of the Lord in the lives of early Church members. Many
examples of healings and manifestations are retold by early missionaries
including experiences with Abraham O. Smoot, Wilford Woodruff and Orson
Spencer. The final chapters of this reader are made up of Philo
Dibble's first hand account of activities in Kirtland, Missouri and
Nauvoo including several singular insights into the lives of Joseph
Smith and Sidney Rigdon.
Softbound,
$6.95.
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Life
of Brigham Young
The Life of Brigham Young in an account written 16 years following his
death which describes his activities in the early Church; his
relationship with Joseph Smith; and the growth of his leadership
following the martyrdom at Carthage. In addition to descriptions
of President Young's personal qualities, various aspects of Utah history
are reviewed including the affect of the California gold rush on the
Saints; political turmoil in the territory; the Utah War; and
colonization efforts through the West. Plural marriage and its
impact is also discussed including Brigham Young's publicized divorce
from Ann Eliza Webb and his day in the Utah Penitentiary.
Softbound,
$10.95.
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Deseret's
Pioneer Histories
Once reading this collection of short
histories, who will be able to forget the sacrifice and faith of the
Latter0day Saint pioneers? Who wouldn't worry with the first
settlers in Parawan as they guarded their walled town against Indian
attacks; smiled with the settlers on the Sabbath day while in Indian
chief compared the white man's dance to a demonstration of an Indian
dance; mourned with an immigrant whose wife was stolen by Indians while
coming west on the Mormon Trail; celebrated with the Saints as they
witnessed answered prayers to protect their harvest against
grasshoppers; and thrilled with a young boy caught between cliffs on an
exploring activity?
Sometimes
flowery while other times quite plainspoken, these early stories from
the pens of LDS pioneers are not only exciting, but an inspiration for
all readers.
Softbound,
$6.95.
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The
Life of Nephi
President George Q. Cannon's intent in this work of the FAITH-PROMOTING
SERIES was to write to young people about the current-day applicability
of the Book of Mormon - although adults of today will find much
new and stimulating material in this book. A believer that all
scripture should be "like unto us," events from Church history
are woven into principles both learned and taught by Nephi. In
this work, Book of Mormon geographical locations are also
hypothesized and customs of Nephite life are postulated by President
Cannon.
Softbound,
$9.95.
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Thrilling
Experiences, Solomon Kimball
"Thrilling Experiences" is one of the
most readable of the early autobiographical pioneer accounts.
"Sol" Kimball (son of President Heber C. Kimball and brother
to general authority J. Golden Kimball) received spiritual promptings to
share many of his experiences - the good ones as well as the bad ones -
as a testimony of the Lord's intervention throughout his life.
Coupled with his superb humor and spiritual insight, Brother Kimball
shares several forgotten glimpses of the hardworking early pioneer
Saints in their hostile environment. To understand the day-to-day
lives of LDS pioneers, this book should be on the reading lists of all
LDS youth, teachers and researchers.
Softbound,
$8.95.
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Jacob
Hamblin
The narrative of Jacob Hamblin (told in the first person) is one of the
most exciting accounts in frontier history. Led by a strong
sensitivity to spiritual promptings and a love for Indians, Jacob
Hamblin served as a Mission President, an arbitrator for the Church and
Utah residents, and a scout working throughout Utah, Nevada and
Arizona. This book lends personal insight into various Indian
uprisings during Utah's territorial period, the Mountain Meadows
Massacre, and particular misunderstandings with the Navajo Nation.
This narrative has won acclaim for its action, understanding of frontier
Indian relations and for its spiritual depth.
Softbound,
$10.95.
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From
Plowboy
to Prophet, (for very young)
William A. Morton was a recognized specialist in early childhood
education and a member of the church's General Board of Education.
From Plowboy to Prophet was one of the first Church books written
using a children's format; but despite the juvenile introduction
("My dear little friends") this volume still contains healthy
doses of Church doctrine and pertinent historical information.
Seeing the need for early childhood instruction in the home, Brother
Morton wrote this book as a bedtime or rainy-day-reader for
children.
Softbound,
$9.95.
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Mother
Stories from the Book of Mormon
William A. Morton was a highly respected educator who specialized in
children's curriculum and literature. He was a member of the
General Board of Church education and a board member of the Deseret
Sunday School Union. This work retells and adepts stories from the
Book of Mormon for use as bedtime readers for children.
Softbound, $9.95.
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