Telling the story of the Mormon experience can be a tricky enterprise. Apologists tend to brush aside the trickier aspects of Mormon history; critics tend to focus on them. In the end, getting to the truth can be even trickier. Seeing through the biases requires a nuanced understanding of "Mormon pasts," something most of us don't possess.

The early years of Mormonism saw the publication of antagonistic literature, books and broadsides aimed to tear down and expose the Mormon prophet and his religion. Some of these tracts engaged in wild speculation; others raised serious questions. In the last fifty years, defenders of both positions have become more sophisticated in their writing. A study of this fruitful period is most welcome, and constitutes the content of this fine book.

The phrase "The New Mormon History" is no doubt familiar to readers of this review. It is, of course, a rather modern phenomenon as scholars and historians have obtained both access to documents and the courage to publish their findings. For some, such publications have resulted in marginalization from the Church proper. Purveyors of this "new" history were seen as enemies of the Church. "Faithful history" was, in the minds of some, the only history.

But many have believed that there is more to the story. And while, in the past, seasoned readers have had access to the wide variety of historical resources, recent changes in policy have made such access impossible.

The current volume consists of sixteen chapters, each written by an individual, or a team of scholars, especially qualified to address the given topic. Each chapter is branded with the wisdom and experience of the writer, with the whole carefully edited to provide a pleasing, and enlightening, reading experience.

A look at the Table of Contents gives you an idea of the scope of this book:

1. "Mormon History and the Conundrum of Culture: American and Beyond," by Klaus Hansen

2. "The Search for Cultural Origins of Mormon Doctrines," by David L. Paulsen

3. "Mormon Origins: The Church in New York and Ohio," by Roger D. Launius

4. "The Mormon Experience in Missouri, 1830-39," by Stephen C. LeSueur

5. "The Nauvoo Experience," by Glen L. Leonard

6. "Mormonism on the Frontier: The Saints of the Great Basin," by Craig L. Foster

7. "Mormonism in Transition: 1890-1945," by M. Guy Bishop

8. "The LDS Church in the United States since 1945," by Jessie L. Embry

9. "Growth and Internationalization: The LDS Church since 1945," by Kahlile Mehr, Mark L. Grover, Reid L. Neilson, Donald Q. Cannon, and Grant Underwood

10. "Studies of Mormon Fissiparousness: Conflict, Dissent, and Schism in the Early Church," by Danny L. Jorgensen (This was the one place in the book where I needed a dictionary, if only to understand the chapter title!)

11. "Travelers on the New Mormon History Trail: Community of Christ Contributions to the New Mormon History Movement," by Mark A. Scherer

12. "The New Mormon Women's History," by Todd Compton

13. "Out of the Closet and into the Fire: The New Mormon Historians' Take on Polygamy," by Martha Sonntag Bradley

14. "Mormon Biography: Paradoxes, Progress, and Continuing Problems," by Newell G. Bringhurst

15. "Mormon Society and Culture," by Davis Bitton

16. "Fictional Pasts: Mormon Historical Novels," by Lavina Fielding Anderson

As you can see, great effort was made to include all ends of Mormon scholarly spectrum. Its very inclusiveness implies a desire to provide an objective, but scholarly, view.

But rather than a dry recitation of titles and authors, each chapter contains a narrative covering a particular period, or aspect, of Mormon history. Sprinkled throughout the text are numerous references to books, magazines and other printed materials that can guide the reader toward a deeper understanding of the material.

This book will be of use to both beginners and experts. For the beginners, the stories that surround the bibliographical references constitute an easy to read, and easy to understand, chronicle of an aspect of Mormon history. People and places come alive; the writing is crisp and clear. Experienced researchers will revel in the wealth of resources documented, a rich treasure trove of journal articles, books and pamphlets.

The diversity of the contributors to this volume, and the editors' reluctance to remove duplication among the articles, offer the reader a pleasing panorama of Mormonism's layered, and sometimes uncertain, past. Excavating Mormon Pasts is, in my opinion, a valuable tool in the ongoing quest for clarity, for truth, for certainty. It is one of several volumes I've seen in the past few years that qualify for a "must have" rating.

I'm glad to recommend this book, and look forward to its wide readership.

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Jeff Needle
August 13, 2004