Richard Bushman

Taking Mormonism Seriously

In his article on the quest for authority in early Mormonism, Mario De Pillis contends that “the question of the historical origins of Mormonism must ever remain central” in any exchange between Mormons and non-Mormons.…

Introduction: The Future of Mormonism

Preface  The articles in this section reveal the strength and vibrancy of current Mormon historiography. In December, 1965, in connection with the meetings of the American Historical Association at San Francisco, approximately 100 Mormon historians,…

The First Vision Story Revived

The Reverend Mr. Walters’ article on the first vision raised quite a stir among Mormon scholars when an early version circulated about a year and a half ago. The essay was clearly another piece of…

Faithful History

Written history rarely survives the three score and ten years allotted to the men who write it. Countless histories of the French Revolution have moved on to the library shelves since 1789, and no end…

The Historians and Mormon Nauvoo

Were a nineteenth-century Mormon to assess the current scholarly literature on the Mormons in Illinois, or on Mormon history in general for that matter, he would probably be perplexed. While compelled to admit that the…

The Hill Version of the Prophet’s Life | Donna Hill, Joseph Smith, the First Mormon

Prospective Latter-day Saint readers of Donna Hill’s biography of Joseph Smith will want to know two things: Is there anything new, and is it sympathetic to the Prophet? The answer to both questions is definitely…

Brigham as Moses | Eugene England, Brother Brigham

The major theme of Eugene England’s biography is the flowering of Brigham Young’s personality. His strict Methodist upbringing suppressed Brigham’s natural forces and made him a watchful, cautious, somewhat skeptical young man. The Gospel, Joseph…

The Crisis in Europe and Hugh B. Brown’s First Mission Presidency

Mary Firmage, daughter of President Hugh B. Brown, has recently deposited a large collection of her father’s personal letters in the Church Archives. President Brown wrote part of this correspondence while he was mission president…

Would Joseph Smith Attend the New York Stake Arts Festival?

Recently, Latter-day Saint artists and writers in New York City have been searching for ways to recognize one another. I don’t mean recognize in the sense of honoring, but recognize as in encountering one another’s…

A Retrospective on the Scholarship of Richard Bushman

Mormon History Association Conference: Comment on “Conversion in 19th Century Mormonism: Identities and Associations in the Atlantic World”