McConkie is painted on the canvas of faith in colors as bold as the sermons he preached. In the pages of this biography, written by Elder McConkie's son Joseph, the reader is invited to become acquainted with the man as he was known to his family and closest friends. The book captures something of his humor, the depth of his faith, his love of life and of his dear Amelia, his devotion to the gospel, his discipline, the extent of his suffering, and his endless efforts to mentor his children. No one in the history of the Church has written more by way of testimony of Christ than Bruce R. McConkie. In this work the members of the Church are invited to meet the man whom they have quoted so often.

    Through complete access to Nibley's correspondence, journals, notes and papers, Petersen has painted a portrait that reveals the man behind the legend. Starting with a foreword written by Zina Nibley Peterson (the author's wife and Nibley's daughter) and finishing with appendixes that include some of the best of Nibley's personal correspondence, the biography reveals aspects of the tapestry of the life of one who has truly consecrated his life to the service of the Lord.

    Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations. An arresting narrative of the birth of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling also brilliantly evaluates the prophet’s bold contributions to Christian theology and his cultural place in the modern world.

    McKay served as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1951 until his death in 1970. Under his leadership, the church experienced unparalleled growth—nearly tripling in total membership—and becoming a significant presence throughout the world. The first book to draw upon the David O. McKay Papers at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah, in addition to some two hundred interviews conducted by the authors, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism focuses primarily on the years of McKay's presidency. During some of the most turbulent times in American and world history, McKay navigated the church through uncharted waters as it faced the challenges of worldwide growth in an age of communism, the civil rights movement, and ecumenism. Gregory Prince and Robert Wright have compiled a thorough history of the presidency of a much-loved prophet who left a lasting legacy within the LDS Church. Winner of the Evans Handcart Award.  Winner of the Mormon History Association Turner-Bergera Best Biography Award.

    This book is a biographical reconstruction of Emma Smith's life from documents and evidence other than the few letters and one page of blessings she left behind.

    Unlike most of our conversations, which deal with family updates and the like, he began this call with a rather firm declaration. "I know what your next book should be," he said. I had recently completed a book with two dear friends, the late Rex E. Lee and his wife, Janet-and I responded that I did not have plans to write another book. He continued, undeterred, "No, you need to write a biography of  James E. Faust." Though still half asleep, I knew immediately that he was right, but I asked him anyway why he would make this suggestion. His answer was simple: "Because he's a good man, and the members of the Church don't know enough about him." Not knowing President Faust, but feeling a need to act on my father's suggestion, I passed the idea along to Sheri Dew, who is the vice-president of publishing at Deseret Book and a long-time friend. She, in turn, discussed it with Ron Millett, president of Deseret Book, and the two of them arranged to meet with President Faust and discuss the idea with him. He listened politely and said he would consider their proposal and then let them know of his decision. Having read, some months later, his journal entry for that day, I know that his initial reaction was a preference that such a book not be done. But after several weeks of discussion with his wife, family members, and a few close associates, he informed Ron and Sheri that he would agree to have a book done-but with two conditions: First, that the biography be brief; and, second,  that a selection of his teachings be included in the same volume.

    Not a perfect man, nor a man who hasn’t faced and even struggled with mortality’s challenges. But a man of conviction and courage. A man who has remained true to the principles in which he deeply believes. A man who has responded to assignments within the gospel kingdom that have demanded total commitment and faith in the Lord. This is a man who has faced hardships, has worked to overcome personal shortcomings, has had triumphs, and through it all, has turned his life completely over to the Lord.” —Sheri DewThis is the story of Ezra Taft Benson, thirteenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.It is the saga of a farm boy who loved the land and the Lord – a plough boy who became a prophet. It tells of his romance and marriage to a “city girl,” Flora Amussen, a young woman who had more faith in him than he had in himself. He is a family man, the father of six and the eldest of eleven brothers and sisters.This is the story of the most formally educated president of the Church. He received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, a master’s degree from Iowa Sate University, and did post-graduate work at the University of California. He subsequently wrote several books, received many honorary degrees, and delivered thousands of addresses.It is the story of a man who, after working with rural people in various capacities, became the first Latter-day Saint to serve in the cabinet of the president of the United States – eight years as Secretary of Agriculture in the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. His fight to help the farmers of America be free and prosperous marked him as a man of conviction who stood by his principles despite enormous political pressures.Ezra Taft Benson is a man of God. Twice he served as a stake president and twice as president of the European Mission. At the close of World War II he served a mission of mercy, ministering to the spiritual and temporal needs of destitute Latter-day Saints in Europe.When he came to the office of president of the Church in November 1985, he had known more heads of state and was perhaps the most widely traveled of any prophet in this dispensation. He had served forty-two years as an apostle, including twelve years as president of the Quorum of the Twelve.The Lord tutored him well for his call as a prophet. There was divine design in his life that prepared him for the new and heavy tasks that lay ahead.

    This one the product of Truman Madsen's deep love for the subject and years of research illuminates specific facets of Joseph Smith s greatness. The topics discussed include Joseph Smith's First Vision; his personality and character (including perspectives on his family life); his spiritual gifts and attributes; his varied trials; his Kirtland Temple experience; doctrinal developments in the Nauvoo era; and the last months and martyrdom. The book is filled with fascinating detail about key events in the Prophet's life and his impact on people. The result is a vivid, riveting portrayal of this remarkable prophet. Those who knew Joseph Smith best testified that he lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people. This wonderful book by a beloved scholar will serve to confirm and strengthen that conviction for Latter-day Saints today.

    Monson. Beginning with President Monson's family heritage and his early years in Salt Lake City, it included his vocational preparation and his career in the world of journalism. More important, this inspiring book recounts his lifetime of Church service. Called as a bishop at the age of twenty-two, as a mission president at thirty-one, and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at age thirty-six, he has traveled the globe to minister to the Saints for more than fifty years. This book shares many of his personal experience, from his visits behind the Iron Curtain to his contributions on the Scriptures Publication Committee and in the missionary and welfare areas; it also provides up-to-the-minute information about his work as Church President.Filled with wonderful photographs and little-known accounts, this biography is a portrait of a leader who ministers both to the one and to the many, and who is completely dedicated to doing whatever the Lord prompts him to do.

    

    Understanding its origin and development through the experiences of Wilford Woodruff will answer questions posed by individuals inside and outside of the Church. What is the relationship of temple ordinances and Old Testament rituals? Why have some ordinances been discontinued? Why did married women choose to be sealed to Joseph Smith? What is priesthood adoption? When were proxy ordinances introduced?Many books and articles address a specific temple ordinance or a period of time in Mormon history, but the development of all temple ordinances has never been included in a single volume - until now.Jennifer Mackley's meticulously researched biographical narrative chronicles the development of temple doctrine through the examination of Wilford Woodruff's personal life. The account unfolds in Woodruff's own words, drawn from primary sources including journals, discourses, and letters. Mackley elucidates the doctrine's sixty-year progression from Old Testament practices of washings and anointings in the 1830s, to the endowment, sealings, and priesthood adoptions in the 1840s, through all of the vicarious ordinances for the dead in the 1870s, to the sealing of multigenerational families in the 1890s. Her narrative is enhanced by 120 archival images (some previously unpublished), as well as extensive footnotes and citations for the reader's further study. More information can be found at www.wilfordwoodruff.info.

    Packer's life and ministry the gospel principles this outstanding teacher has taught and practiced come through with striking clarity. The book itself will thus be a powerful teacher to its readers"

    In later years, when I was an administrator and a teacher at Ricks College and then at BYU, I saw him often in Church Educational System meetings, where he was a key figure on the Church Board of Education. In 1996 I was called to the Seventy and assigned to an Area Presidency in Australia, where I remained until returning to Utah in August of 2000. Like so many other Church members, my wife, Marie, and I were stunned by the news of Elder Maxwell's leukemia in late 1996, and we worried and prayed about his health. During October conference 1999, he invited me to come by his office. As we talked, he indicated he was not certain about his condition. He said he was receiving an experimental treatment but "one of these days" the leukemia just might fully return. That was the main reason, he said, why he'd finally yielded to prodding from others that he allow the writing of his biography. I thought a book on his life story would be wonderful until he asked if I would write it. As honored as I felt, I honestly thought my doing this was not a good idea. I believed that he, his family, and the Church deserved thorough research and writing, and the work needed to be done at once to maximize the possibility of being published during his lifetime. He shared those hopes. But given the frightening uncertainty about his health; given that acceptable biographies can take years to document and write; given that he hadn't kept a personal journal, which would necessitate additional months of original research; and given that I was half a world away on a Church assignment I replied that someone who could give this project immediate and full-time attention was needed. Nonetheless, after more visits with Elder Maxwell and with others, within a few days I had agreed to begin the project and to move as quickly as possible. In the weeks that followed, I worried about having committed myself to something as unreachable as this task seemed. As I would awaken to hear the colorful birds that rule those fresh Australian mornings, I would sometimes wonder if indeed, I would hope that I had agreed to write Elder Maxwell's biography only in a dream. Then the reality would hit me again. At times I would remember Nephi's words about the Lord preparing a way for people who have a work to do.

    He was not merely an entrepreneur with a shared vision of America as the Promised Land; he was a prophet with visions of his own and he built beyond himself."

    Three years later, an angel guides him to an ancient record buried in a hill near his home. With God’s help, he translates the record and organizes the Savior’s church in the latter days. Soon others join him, accepting the invitation to become Saints through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But opposition and violence follow those who defy old traditions to embrace restored truths. The women and men who join the church must choose whether or not they will stay true to their covenants, establish Zion, and proclaim the gospel to a troubled world. The Standard of Truth is the first book in Saints, a new, four-volume narrative history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fast-paced, meticulously researched, Saints recounts true stories of Latter-day Saints across the globe and answers the Lord’s call to write history “for the good of the church, and for the rising generations” (Doctrine and Covenants 69:8).