- Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Century I Author(s) B. H. Roberts Country United States Language English Subject(s) Mormon history Publisher The Church and Deseret News Press Publication date April 6, 1930 [1] Media type Print (Hardcover) Pages 3,459 (6 volumes) [2] OCLC Number 03366367 Preceded by "The History of the Mormon Church" (published in Americana) A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Century I is a six-volume history published in 1930 by B.H. Roberts, a general authority and Assistant Church Historian of the LDS Church. It should not be confused with the seven-volume History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Documentary History of the Church), which was also edited by Roberts in the early 20th-century but focuses on the history of Joseph Smith, Jr.
Contents
Background
After the American Historical Magazine, owned by the American Historical Society, published articles on the Spalding–Rigdon theory of Book of Mormon authorship, Roberts requested the magazine also allow him to publish a rebuttal. After his four-part response, the editor was so pleased that he invited Roberts to next write a detailed history of the LDS Church.[1] The magazine was willing to change its frequency and format to accommodate the size of this task. From July 1909 to July 1915 Roberts wrote "The History of the Mormon Church" in forty-two-page installments for each issue of the newly named Americana magazine (sometimes called Americana Illustrated).[3][1]
After the final article appeared, the First Presidency wanted to publish the work in six volumes,[4] but this was dropped due to the cost, despite Roberts willingness. He even considered condensing the material into a single volume after Joseph Fielding Smith's one-volume Essentials in Church History was authorized for publication.[2] In 1928 Apostle George Albert Smith asked Roberts to revisit and update his work for publication in commemoration of the church's 1930 centennial.[1]
For this reference work used by members of the church, a separate index volume was published in 1959 by the Brigham Young University Library.[5]
Reception
The Comprehensive History has been called "Roberts's most important historical labor"[2] and "his magnum opus."[6] It is seen as the "high-water mark" of historical studies before the academics of the New Mormon History[6] and was "far superior to any history of Mormonism which had yet appeared."[7] It was the first to publish some major portions of recent history and to chronicle so wide a period of the Mormon past in one work. It referenced copious primary and secondary sources and sought to reject historical myths, "the untruth, the spectacular, the bizarre" that was "based on worthless testimony".[2][6] However, the work has been criticized for manifesting a strong Mormon bias[2] and using Romantic, "rhapsodic prose that sometimes overshoots the mark."[6]
Volumes summary
- Volume I
- Joseph Smith's early history until the church's experience in Missouri
- Volume II
- Settlement in Illinois up unto the exodus from Illinois
- Volume III
- The pioneer trek up until federal intervention in Salt Lake City
- Volume IV
- Various events in Utah in the 1850s
- Volume V
- Volume VI
- Events leading up to the Manifesto and other events to 1930
Notes
- ^ a b c d Godfrey, Kenneth W. (2000). "Comprehensive History of the Church, A". In Arnold K. Garr; Donald Q. Cannon; Richard O. Cowan. Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. ISBN 1573458228.
- ^ a b c d e Walker, Ronald W.; David J. Whittaker; James B. Allen. Mormon History. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. pp. 35–37. http://books.google.com/books?id=-iSVA0KRs4MC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA35. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
- ^ Roberts 1930
- ^ Roberts 1930
- ^ "Index to A comprehensive history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". iLink BYU Online Catalog. Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. http://catalog.lib.byu.edu/uhtbin/cgisirsi/X/0/0/123/?srchfield1=TI^TITLE^SERIES^^keyword+anywhere&query_type=keyword&user_id=WEBSERVER&new_gatewaydb=ILINK&library=ALL&searchdata1=Index%20to%20A%20comprehensive%20history%20of%20the%20Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20of%20Latter-day%20Saints. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
- ^ a b c d Alder, Douglas D. (1992). "Comprehensive History of the Church". In Daniel H. Ludlow. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York: Macmillan. http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Comprehensive_History_of_the_Church. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
- ^ Davis Bitton (Winter 1968). "B. H. Roberts as Historian". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 3 (4): 25. http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/dialogue,5847. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
References
- Roberts, B. H. (1930), "Preface", A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Century I, Salt Lake City: The Church.
External links
Categories:- 1930 books
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints texts
- History books about the Latter Day Saint movement
- History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Works by B. H. Roberts
- Deseret Book books
- 1930 in religion
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