signature books in association with smith research associates (9 results)

Thick 8vo. xv+685pp., illustrations, notes, appendices, index. Converts to Joseph Smith's 1828 Mormon restoration movement were attracted to the non-hierarchical nature of the venture. It wa sprecisely because there were no priests, ordinances, or dogma taht people were drawn in such numbers. Smith intended everyone to be a prophet, and anyone who felt called was invited to minister freely, wothout formal office. At the time of Smith's martyrdom in 1844, the Church had developed five leading quorums of authority, and it was Brigham Young's Quorum of the Twelve that moved decisively to eliminate contenders for the presidency and continue Smith's political and doctrinal innovations and social stratification. Young's 20th-century legacy is a well-defined structure without the charismatic spotanaeity or egalitarian chaos of early Mormonism. Historian D. Michael Quinn examines the contradictions and confusion of the first tumultuous decades of Latter-day Saint history. he demonstrates how events and doctrines were silently, retroactively inserted into the published form of the scriptures and official records to smooth out a stormy and often haphazard development. The bureaucratization of Mormonism was inevitable, but the manner in which this occurred was unpredictable and fascinating. Cloth in dust jacket. Light shelfwear. Very good.

Paperback. Trade edition. 580p. A softcover book in very good condition. Former owner's private library stamps inside covers and on half title page. Otherwise like-new. The journals of an early Latter-day Saint (Mormon) leader.

Hardcover. Condition: NEW. First edition. 928pp. Octavo [23.5 cm] Black cloth with title stamped in gilt on spine and front board. The Mormon church today is led by an elite group of older men, nearly three-quarters of whom are related to current or past general church authorities. This dynastic hierarchy meets in private; neither its minutes nor the church's finances are available for public review. Members are reassured by public relations spokesmen that all is well and that harmony prevails among these brethren. But by interviewing former church aides, examining hundreds of diaries, and drawing from his own past experience as an insider within the Latter-day Saint historical department, D. Michael Quinn presents a fuller view. His extensive research documents how the governing apostles, seventies, and presiding bishops are likely to be at loggerheads, as much as united. These strong-willed, independent men-like directors of a large corporation or supreme court justices-lobby among their colleagues, forge alliances, outmaneuver opponents, and broker compromises. There is more: clandestine political activities, investigative and punitive actions by church security forces, personal "loans" from church coffers (later written off as bad debts), and other privileged power-vested activities. Quinn considers the changing role and attitude of the leadership toward visionary experiences, the momentous events which have shaped quorum protocol and doctrine, and day-to-day bureaucratic intrigue from the time of Brigham Young to the dawn of the twenty-first century. The hierarchy seems at root well-intentioned and even at times aggressive in fulfilling its stated responsibility, which is to expedite the Second Coming. Where they have become convinced that God has spoken, they have set aside personal differences, offered unqualified support, and spoken with a unified voice. This potential for change, when coupled with the tempering effect of competing viewpoints, is something Quinn finds encouraging about Mormonism. But one should not assume that these men are infallible or work in anything approaching uninterrupted unanimity.

Hardcover. Limited edition, review copy. 687pp. Octavo [23.5 cm] Gray cloth with light green printed cloth panels. Orange endsheets and pastedowns. With a frontispiece portrait of Anthony W. Ivins. Includes an index. Volume in the acclaimed Signature Books diary series. This edition is limited to five hundred copies, of which this is an unnumbered review copy. Near fine condition. Anthony W. Ivins (1852-1934) migrated to St. George, Utah, at age nine where he later became an influential civic and ecclesiastical leader. He married Elizabeth A. Snow, daughter of apostle Erastus F. Snow. Ivins was a first cousin of Heber J. Grant, and served as his counselor while Grant was LDS president. Ivins filled several Mormon missions to Mexico and presided as the Juarez, Mexico stake president where he performed post-manifesto marriages. He was appointed by the U.S. government as an Indian agent, and was warmly acquainted with Porfirio Diaz, president of Mexico. Involved in politics in St. George, Ivins held aspirations of running as a Democrat for governor of Utah. In 1907, he was ordained an apostle and later advanced to the First Presidency. Tone, as he called himself, was an accomplished horseman who worked with, and invested in, livestock. He was a game-hunting cowboy who became a statesman for both his country and his expanding religious community. Though in his correspondence Ivins expressed paramount concern for members of his family, he rarely mentions them in his journals. Rather, his diaries chronicle his business and religious observations including meetings with the Quorum of the Twelve and others. He records meetings of the apostles where decisions were made to remove Church leaders from office who had entered into polygamy after 1904, and details the Church's dealings with the Mexican government to safeguard the Mormon colonists. There are also discussions where doctrinal principles were clarified. For example, in 1912, Ivins reported that President Joseph F. Smith addressed Brigham Young's Adam God teachings and affirmed that it was "not a doctrine of the Church." Ivins clearly loved the ruggedness of outdoor life, as evidenced in his passion for hunting, but was also intrigued with the curiosities at the Utah State Fair, the entertaining showmanship of Buffalo Bill, and the refinement of the theater. Tragedy became commonplace as he recorded vigilante-like justice against Indians and Mexicans who were killed for stealing food, and witnessing the execution of John D. Lee, a once favored son of Mormonism. Appendices of Cowboy Apostle include Ivins Record Book of Marriage and an essay by Ivins son, H. Grant Ivins titled "Polygamy in Mexico as Practiced by the Mormon Church, 1895-1905.".

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Limited edition. 687pp. Octavo [23.5 cm] Gray cloth with light green printed cloth panels. Orange endsheets and pastedowns. With a frontispiece portrait of Anthony W. Ivins. Includes an index. Volume in the acclaimed Signature Books diary series. This edition is limited to five hundred copies, of which this is copy number 193. Anthony W. Ivins (1852-1934) migrated to St. George, Utah, at age nine where he later became an influential civic and ecclesiastical leader. He married Elizabeth A. Snow, daughter of apostle Erastus F. Snow. Ivins was a first cousin of Heber J. Grant, and served as his counselor while Grant was LDS president. Ivins filled several Mormon missions to Mexico and presided as the Juarez, Mexico stake president where he performed post-manifesto marriages. He was appointed by the U.S. government as an Indian agent, and was warmly acquainted with Porfirio Diaz, president of Mexico. Involved in politics in St. George, Ivins held aspirations of running as a Democrat for governor of Utah. In 1907, he was ordained an apostle and later advanced to the First Presidency. Tone, as he called himself, was an accomplished horseman who worked with, and invested in, livestock. He was a game-hunting cowboy who became a statesman for both his country and his expanding religious community. Though in his correspondence Ivins expressed paramount concern for members of his family, he rarely mentions them in his journals. Rather, his diaries chronicle his business and religious observations including meetings with the Quorum of the Twelve and others. He records meetings of the apostles where decisions were made to remove Church leaders from office who had entered into polygamy after 1904, and details the Church's dealings with the Mexican government to safeguard the Mormon colonists. There are also discussions where doctrinal principles were clarified. For example, in 1912, Ivins reported that President Joseph F. Smith addressed Brigham Young's Adam God teachings and affirmed that it was "not a doctrine of the Church." Ivins clearly loved the ruggedness of outdoor life, as evidenced in his passion for hunting, but was also intrigued with the curiosities at the Utah State Fair, the entertaining showmanship of Buffalo Bill, and the refinement of the theater. Tragedy became commonplace as he recorded vigilante-like justice against Indians and Mexicans who were killed for stealing food, and witnessing the execution of John D. Lee, a once favored son of Mormonism. Appendices of Cowpboy Apostle include Ivins Record Book of Marriage and an essay by Ivins son, H. Grant Ivins titled "Polygamy in Mexico as Practiced by the Mormon Church, 1895-1905.".

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Dust Jacket Condition: very good. First edition. SIGNED. 685; 928pp. Octavo [23.5 cm] Gray cloth covered boards with gilt stamped titles on the spine and front cover. Illustrated. Index. Bibliography. In dust jackets with sunning to the spine (title still bold), and occasional shallow edge tears. Nice copies of these scholarly works by the noted (and sometimes controversial) historian. Companion volumes. The first volume is inscribed by the author on the title page: "To___, Thanks for the contributions of your ancestors to this study! D. Michael Quinn." The second volume is signed (signature only) by D. Michael Quinn on the title page.

Hardcover. Limited edition. 700pp. Octavo [23.5 cm] Gray cloth with red printed cloth panels. Green endpapers. With a frontispiece portrait of John Henry Smith. Includes an index. With a a couple of thin, light vertical marks on the backstrip. The longer mark measures 6" Volume in the acclaimed Signature Books diary series. This edition is limited to five hundred copies, of which this is copy number 372. Smith was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, and a General Authority in Joseph F. Smith's Presidency, after the death of John R. Winder. Smith was also the Chair of the Utah Constitutional Convention. From the publisher- "Jean Bickmore White has a long-standing interest in Utah political history. She holds an M.A. degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Utah, both in political science. While writing her dissertation on Utah politics in the 1890s, she first read John Henry Smith's extensive journals and letters and recognized their importance in understanding the politics of that period in Utah history. A professor of political science at Weber State University since 1969, she has published articles and book reviews in the Utah Historical Quarterly, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Weber Studies, the Journal of the Mormon History, and the Charles Redd Center Monograph Series.".

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Limited edition. 700pp. Octavo [23.5 cm] Gray cloth with red printed cloth panels. Green endpapers. With a frontispiece portrait of John Henry Smith. Off white satin ribbon page marker laid in. Includes an index. Spine is rolled. Inscription from the editor on the front free end paper reads, "To a student and devoted follower of Utah history, Ezra T. Clark. --John Bickmore White March 1991" Volume in the acclaimed Signature Books diary series. This edition is limited to five hundred copies, of which this is copy number 154. Smith was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, and a General Authority in Joseph F. Smith's Presidency, after the death of John R. Winder. Smith was also the Chair of the Utah Constitutional Convention. From the publisher- "Jean Bickmore White has a long-standing interest in Utah political history. She holds an M.A. degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Utah, both in political science. While writing her dissertation on Utah politics in the 1890s, she first read John Henry Smith's extensive journals and letters and recognized their importance in understanding the politics of that period in Utah history. A professor of political science at Weber State University since 1969, she has published articles and book reviews in the Utah Historical Quarterly, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Weber Studies, the Journal of the Mormon History, and the Charles Redd Center Monograph Series.".

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Limited First Edition. 224pp. Octavo [23.5 cm] Light and medium-dark gray cloth over boards. Silk ribbon page-marker. The covers are a bit cocked. No dust jacket, as issued. Part of Signature Books' Significant Mormon Diaries Series. One of the more difficult volumes to find in the series. This edition is strictly limited to five hundred copies, of which this is copy number 282. From the Introduction: "Although unlearned and barely literate, Heber Chase Kimball (1801-68) enjoyed a highly developed sense of history and of the importance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To that end he dutifully kept a number of diaries. In some instances they are the best, and occasionally the only, contemporary account of the events they chronicle. While his penmanship, spelling, and grammar were distinctly minimal and idiosyncratic, Kimball possessed an exceptional memory. And he was, in his own right, an important figure in early Mormon history- one of the original twelve apostles, an intimate confidant of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and the first LDS missionary to England. He was, as one New York writer termed him in 1863, five years before his death, the quintessential 'Mormon.'".