First Ever “Andrew’s Favorite Mormon Book Publisher Awards”!

As the smells and sounds of our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations fade into the past, our thoughts and hearts turn to the next season that we celebrate. WABBIT SEASON! NO, DUCK SEASON! NO, AWARDS SEASON! Grammy’s! Emmys! Oscars! And more importantly, the Mormon History Association, John Whitmer Historical Association, and Association for Mormon Letters Book and Literature awards!

Thanks to the lockdown of 2020, many of us had the chance to stream just about every program on TV and read a library of books. Now it’s time to hand out little gold-plated trophies and argue about which programs and books were the winners and who got snubbed!

I’ve decided to join the fray by handing out the first-ever, “Andrew’s Favorite Mormon Book Publisher Awards”! I have no authority, no budget, no show, and all my trophies are plastic plated and come from Deseret Industries.  BUT, if they want it, I could print out a “certificate” or two for the winners! 🙂

The envelope, please![1]

HONORABLE MENTION: Benchmark Books.

Benchmark Books is mainly a book store, not a book publisher.  But, on occasion, the awesome staff at Benchmark dabble in publishing. This year they published a biggie! A six-volume edition (plus an index) of The Wilford Woodruff Journals, edited by Dan Vogel. This all-new edition of the vital to Mormon history Woodruff journals is beautiful, fantabulous, and has a splendid index. This edition of Woodruff’s diaries will be an important and collectible set for years to come.

RUNNER UP Number Two: Oxford Books.

Oxford Press is one of the more famous scholarly presses.  Publishing Mormon books is not their primary purpose, BUT, in 2020, they published enough important Mormon books that I am letting them sneak in. They had two books in particular that stuck out to me. These are books that I believe will be impactful for years to come. Both are likely to be considered for awards from either the MHA, JWHA, or MLA this year.

• Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and The Problem of Racial Innocence by Joanna Brooks. An important and troubling book to read. Brooks surveyed all of the literature on Mormonism and Race and wrote the book on Mormonism that NEEDED to come out in 2020. (Read a review here and here)
• Terrible Revolution: Latter-day Saints and the American Apocalypse, by Christopher James Blythe. Terrible Revolution could be described as everything you ever wanted to know about Mormon beliefs regarding the end of the world and how those beliefs have evolved since 1830. This book is an AMAZING and a key volume whose subject matter had much pertinence to the events and fears that occurred in 2020. It was in the top five books that I read last year.  I could hardly set it down till I finished it.  Fascinating stuff. I hope that Blythe wins all sorts of awards. (Reviewed here)

RUNNER UP Number One: Kofford Books.

It PAINS me to name Kofford Books, one of my favorite publishers, a “Runner up.”  I do so because, due to COVID-19 complications, they were only able to release three books in 2020. HOWEVER, those three books were AMAZING!

• For more on their most recent book, Exploring Mormon Thought: Volume 4, God’s Plan to Heal Evil, by Blake T. Ostler, Check out this review by Connor Hilton.
• Kofford’s middle book in 2020 was Miracles Among the Rubble: Bringing Convoys of Humanitarian Aid, Hugs, and Hope to a War-torn Region, by Carol R. Gray. Gray was an average Mormon mom of seven when a news report led to her working miracles in the war-torn Balkans. Read Heather Harris Bergevin’s review here.
• My favorite publication from Kofford books in 2020 was the documentary history, The Writings of Oliver Olney: April 1842 to February 1843 — Nauvoo, Illinois. Olney’s writings were a lost treasure until Kofford published them. Few people have heard of Olney now, but he was once a part of Mormonism’s royalty. An early follower of Joseph Smith, Olney had connections to the Whitmer’s and was in the thick of things through the 1830s and 40s. He left behind a VERY important record of this formative period in Mormon history. You can read my full review here.

NUMER ONE Completely Independent, Non-Profit, Less Than Five Years Old, I’m Pretty Sure That Everyone Involved is a Volunteer Press: BCC Press.

The BCC Press (By Common Consent) was founded in 2017 as “a non-profit publisher dedicated to producing affordable, high-quality books that help define and shape the Latter-day Saint experience.” In the three years since then, they have become VERY successful at doing that. Some of the things that make the BCC Press AWESOME are:

• They publish a little bit of everything: History, poetry, fiction, theology, and more.
• They have the most diverse corps of authors of any LDS publisher.
• BCC was very busy in 2020 publishing a whopping ten books!

Among their published works this year are[2]:

• The Book of Mormon for the Least of These, by Fatimah Salleh with Margaret Olsen Hemming. The Least of These is my FAVORITE Book of Mormon commentary that I have ever read. In LEASE OF THESE, Salleh and Hemming examine the Book of Mormon from a social justice perspective. I LOVE this AMAZING book.  I can’t wait for the next two in the series.  If I had my way, Least would be an official part of the LDS Sunday school Book of Mormon Course of study. See a full review here.
• An Imperfect Roundness, by Melody Newey Johnson. One of the most beautiful and sublime books of poetry I have read. See my full review here.
• The Women’s Book of Mormon Volume 1, by Mette Harrison. A fictional women’s perspective on the Book of Mormon teachings and events. Read a review here.
• Buried Treasures: Reading the Book of Mormon Again for the First Time,by Michael Austin. Professor Austin takes you on a fascinating journey as he rediscovers the Book of Mormon.  Take the Journey with him!

NUMBER ONE Independent Scholarly Press Who Every Year Releases Really Cool Books: Signature Books.

Signature Books released six books in 2020. I am familiar with five of the six, ALL of which are excellent:

• Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books, edited by Joseph W. Geisner, was one of the COOLEST books that I read in 2020. Geisner collected essays by fifteen of the most preeminent authors of Mormon history. If you enjoy the “Extra’s” on DVDs, if you love “behind the scenes” stories, if you want to know how some of the most famous books in Mormonism were researched and written, read this book! (Full Review Here)
• Mercy without End: Toward a More Inclusive Church by Lavina Fielding Anderson. Lavina is the most Christ-like person I have ever met. She is truly “the best of us.”[3] She suffered greatly and publicly over a long period of time but never let her spirit be broken. If 2020 was a kick in your ass, if you are feeling down or depressed and you need your spirit lifted, READ THIS BOOK. (Full Review Here)
• Spencer Kimball’s Record Collection: Essays on Mormon Music by Michael Hicks. Hicks wrote one of the funnest Mormon books of 2020. This book gives you a mix of personal history, folk history, and fascinating stories. PLUS, you learn all about the records owned by Spence W. Kimball, including learning about an 80’s heavy metal hair-band album that sneaked into his collection! (Full Review Here and here)
• The LDS Gospel Topics Series: A Scholarly Engagement, edited by Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst. In 2013 the LDS Church released the first of thirteen “Gospel Topic Essays.” These “Gospel Topics Essays” were produced as a scholarly attempt by the LDS Church to respond to twenty-first-century challenges to Church member’s testimonies. Harris and Bringhurst’s book compiles thirteen essays by fifteen scholars that breakdown and examine these important essays. (Read a review here)
• The Complete Ezra Taft Benson FBI File. To understand why you should buy this book, read my recent review here. The FBI kept a detailed file on Benson after Eisenhower determined to appoint him to his Cabinet. It’s a cool book full of many interesting documents. Check it out!

ANDREW’S OVERALL, NUMBER ONE FAVORITE PRESS OF 2020: The University of Utah Press.

I DON’T give this “Award” lightly. AS you can probably tell, I have a hard time naming a favorite.[4] BUT the University of Utah Press WAS my FAVORITE press in 2020. They earned it.  They had a SPECTACULAR year. Here are the books that they produced in 2020.  ALL of the books on this list are astoundingly good.  These books will be read and studied for YEARS to come.

• Frank J. Cannon: Saint, Senator, Scoundrel, By Val Holley. Frank Cannon is not a well-known name in 2021, but in his time, he was among the most important men in Utah and in Mormonism. He was a son of George Q Cannon, a nephew of Martha Hughes Cannon, and the brother of apostle Abram H Cannon. A shortlist of Frank’s accomplishments include that he: ghostwrote much of The Life of Joseph Smith for his father, helped to found the Republican party in Utah, and was the first senator elected from Utah after it became a state. Then, he left both Mormonism and Utah.  Check out his fascinating story in the new biography!
• Clogs and Shawls: Mormons, Moorlands, and the Search for Zion, by Ann Chamberlin. Chamberlin is the author of many best-selling novels and a number of plays. Beginning in 1983 she recorded interviews with her grandmother and her seven great-aunts. These women, who were born between 1897 and 1910, grew up impoverished in a factory town in England. They all embraced Mormonism and emigrated to the United States.  Chamberlin weaves the stories of these women together into a beautiful and poignant narrative. Part novel, part social and cultural history, Clogs and Shawls is a captivating tale filled with insights into the lives, culture, and experience of women growing up in poverty and patriarchy in the twentieth century.
• Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity, edited by Michael Hubbard MacKay, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Brian M. Hauglid. Producing Ancient Scripture was one of the most highly anticipated books of 2020 and for good reason. MacKay, Ashurst-McGee, and Hauglid brought together seventeen exceptional essays by twenty scholars. These essays provide an in-depth examination of how Joseph Smith created scripture. It is a very fascinating book that provides an important paradigm for how Joseph Smith produced and created his many writings. (Full review here)
• Joseph Smith: History, Methods, and Memory, by Ronald O. Barney. Joseph Smith has been biographied to death. Everyone remotely connected to Mormonism has an opinion on Smith and they all think that they are right.  Ron Barney, a thirty-plus year veteran of the LDS Church History department and an editor with the Joseph Smith Paper Project, leaps into this polemic fray with Joseph Smith: History, Methods, and Memory. Barney’s book is an EXCELLENT companion to Producing Ancient Scripture.  He begins History by examining how we understand the study of history and memory. Barney then incorporates documents and insights from his time on the Joseph Smith Papers Project to give readers a fresh and riveting new look at Joseph Smith’s character, personality, and teachings. (Full review here)
• Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right, by Matthew L Harris. Much like Joanna Brooks wrote THE book that was needed on Mormonism and Race for 2020, Harris’s Watchman on the Tower, was prescient in its timing for addressing Mormonism and right-wing politics in 2020. Harris examines Benson’s political career and activity decade by decade from the time he served as Eisenhower’s Secretary of Agriculture to his death. Watchman makes it very clear that Benson’s proclivities towards extreme right-wing politics and conspiracy theories continue to have a major impact on Mormon political thought today.  IF you want to understand why there were so many Mormons who took part in the January sixth insurrection/attack on the US Congress, read Watchman on the Tower and you will know.  Watchman is engaging, skillfully written, and an important book on one of the most impactful Mormons of the twentieth century. (Full Review Here)
• This Is the Plate: Utah Food Traditions, by Carol Edison, Eric A. Eliason, Lynne S McNeill. This is the Plate was my overall FAVORITE book from 2020. Comprised of seventy-four essays by numerous authors, Plate brings together the perfect combination of diversity (many of the essays are by women, minorities, & indigenous authors), folk history, love for the subject matter, and hominess. In this book, you will experience personal stories, fascinating tidbits of history, recipes, and awesome cultural facts.My affection for this book can be summed up in part by a quote from author Elizabeth Archuleta. Archuleta writes about her Mexican heritage, culture, and food traditions.  In her essay, “Mexican Food: A Recipe for Love,” Archuleta narrates in some detail how her grandmother would make homemade tortillas and the central role that these tortillas played in her family. Archuleta bemoans that the days of eating homemade tortillas hot off the grill are gone and that her family now eats tortillas bought in a store.   She writes, “Manufactured tortillas don’t taste like home or love! They taste like convenience that comes off of a conveyor belt.”  That captures for me how I felt about This is the Plate, I could feel the various author’s love for their subjects as I read their essays.  After the trying year that was 2020, we all use a little boost. This is the Plate is the book version of  “Comfort Food” and I believe that reading it will give you that boost.  (Full review here)

There you have it! The Winners of the “First Annual Andrew’s Favorite Mormon Book Publisher’s Award’s”! SEE you in 2022!

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[1] In this post, I am discussing publishers who have a major focus on Mormon related book publishing.  There are several academic or university publishers who produced one or two ground-breaking Mormon books this year.  Many of these volumes are likely to win awards from the MHA, JWHA, or MLA at this year’s awards ceremonies. Among these potential winners are:

• Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier by Benjamin Park – Liveright Publishing
• Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism by Taylor G Petrey and Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon by William Davis – University of North Carolina Press
• Contingent Citizens: Shifting Perceptions of Latter-day Saints in American Political Culture, by Spencer McBride – Cornell University Press
• Prophetic Authority: Democratic Hierarchy and the Mormon Priesthood, by Michael Hubbard MacKay, University of Illinois Press
• The Routledge Handbook of Mormonism and Gender, Edited by Taylor Petrey, Routledge Press

 ALL of these are excellent books, worthy of awards and honor.  Most, if not all of these, are likely to change the way we think of and study their subjects.  They will impact Mormon Studies for YEARS. BUT they will have to be considered by other, far more qualified, award givers.

[2] BCC had several books come out in November and December that I am sure are great but that I have not had time to explore:

• A Craving for Beauty: The Collected Writings of Maurine Whipple Paperback – edited by Veda Hale, Andrew Hall, & Lynne Larson
• Josephine Spencer: Her Collected Works, Volume 1, 1887–1899 – edited by Ardis E. Parshall & Michael Austin
• Reapproaching Zion: New Essays on Mormon Social Thought by Samuel D. Brunson & Nathan B. Oman

[3] Credit for this statement must be given to Kristine Haglund

[4] My list of “Top Ten Favorite Beatles Songs” has about fifty songs on it!