Faithful History
Essays on Writing Mormon History
GEORGE D. SMITH, EDITOR
Essays on Mormonism Series No. 5
Paperback. 324 Pages. / 1-56085-007-8 / $18.95

Over the past decade, Mormon history has undergone a transformation as LDS scholars have debated how their church's story should be written. So-called New Mormon Historians distinguish between what they believe is verifiable and what they suspect may be folklore, and they approach history from a variety of different academic and social perspectives. Mormonism has become of interest to non-LDS historians as well, which raises the important question of whether outsiders can truly understand Mormons, or, conversely, whether insiders can achieve enough detachment to see themselves objectively—or whether this is desirable. Stated another way, does history have an inherent meaning beyond the scholar's particular viewpoint and should a writer strive to understand the other person's perspective, or is the writer's subjective vantage what is important and all that is ultimately possible?

The new traditionalists contend that objectivity is, in fact, impossible and that history should therefore be written with certain pre-understandings, including that God exists and that Joseph Smith was his prophet. New Mormon historians believe that it is the limits of objectivity itself which precludes such dogmatic faith assertions, that the historian's role is to report examples of faith, not to impose it.

In this compilation, the editor has assembled sixteen essays which represent all sides of this ongoing discussion. Contributors include Leonard J. Arrington, Edward H. Ashment, David Earle Bohn, Richard L. Bushman, Paul M. Edwards, Robert B. Flanders, Lawrence Foster, Edwin S. Gaustad, Neal W. Kramer, Martin E. Marty, C. Robert Mesle, Louis Midgley, D. Michael Quinn, Kent E. Robson, Richard Sherlock, Melvin T. Smith, and Malcolm R. Thorp.

"History, myth, and legend are not always distinguishable," Smith cautions, "but there are some things we can know. The authors of these essays attempt to define the boundaries between objectivity and the biases of belief and unbelief which may color what is written about the past."

George D. Smith, B.A., Stanford, M.B.A., New York University, is the president and publisher of Signature Books and president of Smith Research Associates. He sits on the national advisory boards of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and Sunstone magazine. He is the editor of An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton and Religion, Feminism, and Freedom of Conscience: A Mormon/Humanist Dialogue and a contributor to The Word of God: Essays on Mormon Scripture. His writing has appeared in Free Inquiry, The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, Journal of Mormon History, and elsewhere. He and his family live in San Francisco.