Wallace Stegner: Dean of Western Writers by Alex Beam will be released on February 18 and is available for preorder now. In this captivating biography, Beam takes readers through the life and complex legacy of one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable storytellers and chroniclers of the American West.

March is Women’s History Month—the perfect time to highlight some of the many women authors and editors of various perspectives and backgrounds who are soon to publish with Signature. 

In the field of early Mormon history, Cheryl L. Bruno has compiled a collection of enlightening new essays titled Secret Covenants: New Insights on Early Mormon Polygamy. Kristine Haglund is working to finish Lavina Fielding Anderson’s biography of Joseph Smith’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith. Shortly before Anderson passed away in October 2023, she asked Haglund to complete her magnum opus on Smith and publish it with Signature.

Signature Books continues our long tradition of publishing the best in poetry with this month’s release of Maureen Clark’s This Insatiable August. Described as “a tender miracle of a book” by  fellow poet Dayna Patterson, This Insatiable August is “a meditation on love and the grief we carry because we’ve loved (and lost).” Read what Clark has to say about her work in the author Q&A below or by listening to her interview here on the Signature Books Podcast. 

We are thrilled that Chosen Path: A Memoir, by D. Michael Quinn, is now available! And we are equally excited to announce several book events for this new release. On Thursday, February 1, Quinn’s children—Mary Quinn, Lisa Harrison, and Moshe Quinn—will join Signature director and Chosen Path editor Barbara Jones Brown for a discussion and signing at Benchmark Books. On Friday, February 2, Brown and Moshe Quinn (who wrote the foreword for his father’s book and provided the photography for the book’s cover), will speak and sign books at Pioneer Book. And on Thursday, February 8, Signature will partner with The King’s English Bookshop for a panel discussion and signing with Chosen Path’s annotators, Connell O’Donovan, Sue Bergin, Calvin Burke, and Barbara Brown, at Signature’s offices.

It has come to our attention that Amazon has made the printed version of D. Michael Quinn’s Chosen Path: A Memoir, unavailable for purchase at this time, but hardback copies of the memoir will begin shipping approximately January 4. We apologize for any inconvenience and will notify you as soon as the printed version is available for sale again on Amazon.

Discover the new and expanded edition of the journals of one of the most influential figures in early Mormon history with the publication of The Wilford Woodruff Journals, meticulously edited by historian Dan Vogel.

In this important contribution to nineteenth-century Mormonism, Woodruff’s diaries provide an unparalleled firsthand perspective—from the 1830s through the 1890s—into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Vogel’s transcription is the best to date and breathes new life into these records, which include, for the first time, Woodruff’s day books.

The Mormon Studies community lost an icon in October with the death of Lavina Fielding Anderson. She was an important presence and voice for decades as an editor at the Ensign magazine, as an associate editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, editor of the Journal of Mormon History, as a professional editor who helped shape numerous articles and books by others, an insightful essayist, and author or editor of several books of her own. She also served on the Signature editorial board for forty years. Most importantly, she was a friend to everyone. Many of those she touched over the years gathered at Signature’s offices on Thursday, November 30, to share their thoughts about Lavina and what she meant to them. Lavina’s son Christian and his wife Marina also spoke, sharing thoughts they expressed at Lavina’s funeral held a few weeks earlier, including her eulogy.

A reminder that historian Thomas G. Alexander’s discussion and book signing for his new release, John A. Widtsoe: Scientist and Theologian, is tonight at Benchmark Books! Another edition in Signature’s Brief Biography series, this book takes a thorough look at one of Mormonism’s most prominent twentieth-century intellectuals. Coming from an academic background, Widtsoe served as an apostle for more than thirty years before his death in 1952. For him, science and religion could co-exist and there was nothing to fear from the discovery of truth.

In The Old Testament for Latter-day Saints, Alex Douglas explores the Old Testament from various perspectives: as a believer, a skeptic, a secular scholar, and a member of the Latter-day Saint community. He delves deep into biblical scholarship, incorporating insights from disciplines such as ancient Near Eastern archaeology and the rich mythic traditions of Israel’s neighboring cultures. By doing so, Douglas helps the reader appreciate the profound significance the Old Testament held for its earliest readers.

With the recent passing of Lavina Fielding Anderson, Signature Books and the entire Mormon studies community lost a dear friend and important voice. Her words of wisdom were numerous, and her influence as a scholar and as a mentor to many was immeasurable. Thankfully, that influence will live on.

In this episode Signature’s marketing manager Devery Anderson talks with historian Thomas G. Alexander, author of John A. Widtsoe: Scientist and Theologian 1872-1952, a new biography in Signature’s Brief Biography series. Widtsoe served as an LDS apostle for over thirty years and came to this position as an established author, scientist, and administrator, who believed science and religion could be harmonized and that all truth should be embraced and understood. Who was this man who was so influential in his day but who most Latter-day Saints today know little or nothing about?