Unfortunately, I was only able to look at the books published in 1912, not items in periodicals, because the periodicals aren’t available online, except for a few cases[fn2]. The periodicals also require significantly more work to pull out the literary items. I hope to get through many of the periodicals sometime this year — and if I do this again next year, I’ll try to include periodicals from the start.

1912 was a year when Mormons must have felt under attack. The apostate scion of the late George Q. Cannon, Frank Cannon, had published his exposé of the Church in book form in 1911 (it had appeared in periodicals the previous year), and a wave of anti-Mormon materials hit the country and the world. The first big anti-Mormon film, the Danish film Mormonens Offer (A Victim of the Mormons) had just been released in the end of 1911 and was being distributed worldwide. And, the explusion of missionaries from a German town had made headlines around the world, leading activists in England to form the “British anti-Mormon League” and  ask the home secretary, Winston Churchill, if the same thing couldn’t be done in Britain[fn3].

So, it isn’t surprising that there were so many anti-Mormon works published during the year. The biggest surprise was the number of literary works published for the RLDS (now Community of Christ) market. As I was at one point (perhaps a couple of decades ago), I was completely unaware that the RLDS community had even produced novels so early. But, in contrast, the Utah mormon community had 9 periodicals (not all carried literature), while the RLDS community had just a single periodical.

I should mention that, as I undersand it, the 1912 edition of Added Upon is Anderson’s final major revision to the text, and is probably the edition that most later editions came from (of course many of the recent POD editions are taking the text from the first edition — a bad idea, IMO). Riders of the Purple Sage is clearly the best known work on this list, and has some importance in literature because it largely defined the pattern for subsequent westerns. And, finally, the appearance of the work of humorist Charles Farrar Browne (who used the pseudonym Artemus Ward) in 1912 is interesting — a testament to his lasting influence. Mormons should perhaps be grateful that he passed away as early as he did (in 1867, at age 32).

Even without the periodical works, I think this is an interesting list. The books portion I think is quite complete — but I’m not as certain about the film portion. I do want to eventually put together the periodical portion, since I think it could give further insight.

.

Books

Utah

• Anderson, Nephi (1912). Added upon: A story. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 1912 (1898).
• Anderson, Nephi (1912). Piney Ridge cottage: The love story of a “Mormon” country girl. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News, 1912.

RLDS

• Brown, Paula (Pauline Browning Dykes). (1912). The Mormon girl. Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Pub. House, 1912.
• Frances (Marietta Walker). (1912). Object-lessons on temperance, or, The Indian maiden and her white deer. Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Pub. House, 1912 (1907).
• Frances(Marietta Walker). (1912). With the Church in an early day. Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Pub. House, 1912 4th edn. (1891).
• Wight, Sarah Estella. (1912). His first venture and the sequel. Lamoni, Iowa: Board of Publication of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1912.

Anti-Mormon

• Browne, Charles Farrar, Howells, W. D., & Johnson, Clifton (1912). Artemus Ward’s Best Stories. Edited by Clifton Johnson. With an introduction by W. D. Howells. Illustrated by Frank A. Nankivell. [With portraits.]. Harper & Bros.: New York & London, 1912.
• Chapman, C. H. (1912). The Mormon elder, or The triumph of virtue: A farce. Portland: The Futurists, 1912.
• Grey, Zane. (1912). Riders of the Purple Sage. A novel. Harper & Bros.: New York & London, 1912.
• Kester, Vaughn (1912). The fortunes of the Landrays. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1912, ©1905.
• Lewis, Charles Bertrand. (1912). Bessie Baine: Or, The Mormon’s victim. Chicago: M.A. Donohue & co, 1912 (1876).
• Möllhausen, Heinrich Balduin. (1912). Illustrierte Romane: 3,5. Leipzig: List, 1912 (1883).
• Pidgin, C. F., & Cosmopolitan Press. (1912). The house of shame: A novel. New York: Cosmopolitan Press, 1912.

Films

• Parade in Liberty Park, July 24, 1912 (dir. Chet & Shirl Clawson) 1912
• The Romance of Mormonism (dir. W. H. Harbeck) 1912
• Salt Lake City, Utah, and its Surroundings, Nov. 1912
• [Salt Lake City Pictorial Film], Nov. 1912

Anti-Mormon

• The Danites, 1912
• An Episode of Early Mormon Days, 1912
• Marriage or Death, 1912
• The Mormon (dir. Allan Dwan), 1912
• The Mountain Meadows Massacre (1912) January, 1912

.

Notes

[fn1] Andrew has begun republishing his older reviews, which originally appeared on the AML-List, on Dawning of a Brighter Day.

[fn2] Of the 9 English-language LDS periodicals in print during 1912 5 are available online: the Young Women’s Journal, Juvenile Instructor, Improvement Era (available only on Deseret Book’s pay-for service), Deseret News and Women’s Exponent. Not available are the Millennial Star, Children’s Friend, Liahona the Elder’s Journal, and the Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine. In addition, there were three non-English periodicals in print in Danish, German and Swedish.

[fn3] I may have this connection a little off, but I can’t really investigate in detail yet. I do have a newspaper article that has an English source asking if the same thing that was done in Germany could be done in England. I don’t know if Churchill was actually asked that, however.

The arrival of the transcontinental railroad to Utah in 1869 marked the end of a period of relative isolation for the LDS Church. It also came just at the end of a period of almost no Mormon publishing in Utah and the United States.

This inactive period was nearly total. Before 1870 the LDS Church itself published only the Deseret News in Salt Lake City (starting in 1850) and a few flyers and administrative items[1]. The most innovative material produced during this time was George Q. Cannon’s Juvenile Instructor and the Deseret Alphabet, the attempt to reform English spelling and make it easier for the flood of LDS immigrants. And the Deseret Alphabet materials were mostly printed in New York City[2].

The railroad did not bring better communication — that had already come by way of the Pony Express (in 1860) and the Telegraph (18 months later, in 1861). Instead, the railroad brought easier and cheaper transportation of freight and people, both of which were generally welcomed by the church and its members. However, these gains also came with challenges.

For publishing, the railroad increased the size of the available audience in Utah, and made it easier to get an audience outside of Utah. It also made it easier to get additional printing equipment, and increased the number of local competitors. The railroad also made it easier for newspapers, magazines and books to find their way to Utah.

It was this latter effect that seemed to trouble the Church most, as the incoming books included the cheap novels that had found an audience throughout the United States and elsewhere in the world. Even before the railroad reached Utah and throughout Brigham Young’s administration Church leaders regularly advised members against reading fiction. Apostle George Q. Cannon argued in 1866 that “Works of fiction, novels, tales and light reading of that description ought not to be read by young people. They are not food for your mind…”[3] But many Church members ignored the advice, and how to provide worthwhile materials for those members was behind any publishing efforts at the time.

Auxiliary Magazines

In January 1866, Apostle Cannon started the Juvenile Instructor, in response to the burgeoning Sunday School movement that followed Richard Ballantyne’s 1849 organization of a Sunday School in Salt Lake’s Fourteenth Ward. The new magazine consisted of catechisms on the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants; musical compositions; illustrations; stories; editorial teachings; and other aids to gospel instruction. It was the first magazine for children published in the United States west of the Mississippi River[4]. The following year Cannon was called to preside over the newly-formed Deseret Sunday School Union, the Church-wide organization formed to standardize and support the movement, and held that position until his death in 1901[5].

Despite Cannon’s position as an Apostle, and as a member of the First Presidency starting in 1873, the Juvenile Instructor remained independent of both the Church and the Deseret Sunday School Union until Cannon sold the publication to the Union a year before his death[6]. The magazine remained financially independent primarily from subscriptions, but also because it sold additional  materials to support teachers. In many ways the Juvenile Instructor marked the beginning of independent Mormon publishing–publishers and publications owned by members of the Church but generally supporting LDS Church efforts.

Because the Juvenile Instructor became the voice of he Sunday School, over time its success led those in the other auxiliary organizations of the LDS Church to create magazines to support those efforts. In 1872 a group of women loosely associated with the Relief Society (organized again in 1866) started the Women’s Exponent, which became known as the voice of LDS women. While those that ran the Exponent were also leaders fo the Relief Society, the magazine was financially independent, and grew to have considerable influence in Utah politics[7].

After the Church formed the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association (YLMIA) in 1869 and the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA) in 1875, Junius F. Wells, the inaugural head of the YMMIA, saw a need for a magazine to support the needs of both youth organizations, and founded The Contributor in 1879 and in 1889 Susa Young Gates founded the Young Women’s Journal to support the YLMIA separately from the YMMIA. Like the previous magazines both of these were privately owned and financially independent[8].

‘Faith Promoting’ Books

Despite the similarities among these auxiliary magazines, the Juvenile Instructor did one thing that the others did not: it published books. Perhaps in response to the flood of incoming publications brought by the railroad, Cannon saw the need for books aimed at the edification and entertainment of Church members, rather than the missionary and doctrinal exposition that drove most previous Mormon works. After completing two stints as editor of the Deseret News, about 1879 Cannon started assembling a multi-volume Faith Promoting Series meant to support the Sunday School program. The series included excerpts from missionary journals, including his own missionary journal, that of Wilford Woodruff and that of Heber C. Kimball, biographical materials, historical items, and Cannon’s Life of Nephi[9].

Once available, the books were sold from the Juvenile Instructor’s office, along with many other materials useful for teaching Sunday School. Some of these items were also published by the Juvenile Instructor — a Deseret Sunday School First Reader, Catechism cards, pamphlets on gospel subjects, etc. And other books followed also, including Cannon’s own Life of Joseph Smith, Charles W. Penrose’s Mormon Doctrine, plain and simple and Orson F. Whitney’s Life of Heber C. Kimball[10]. By the 1890s, the Juvenile Instructor’s office was a thriving bookstore, albeit one that focused on materials for Sunday School teachers[11].

Meanwhile, after serving as editor of the Deseret News starting in 1867 and throughout much of the 1870s, George Q. Cannon must have known about the demand for commercial printing services. While commercial printers existed in large cities, in most small cities the local newspaper was the principle, and often the only, printer in town. So those desiring to print a flyer, notice, card, pamphlet, book or even a periodical would often approach the local newspaper to get their work printed. The relationship between a printer, like the Deseret News, and its customer isn’t always clear from the printed item. In some cases, the printer is just a printer, and the actual publisher is the printer’s customer, often a self-publishing author. In other cases, the printer is actually the publisher[12].

Exactly what the difference was between the Deseret News and George Q. Cannon’s operation isn’t clear. Cannon apparently used the Deseret News’ printing press for his publications, at least initially. And items printed there might be listed as published by the Deseret News or by George Q. Cannon, and even the same book might indicate it was published by the Deseret News one year, and by Cannon another. Adding to the confusion, the distinction between the Juvenile Instructor and George Q. Cannon and Sons was also murky, with the latter sometimes refered to as an office of the former. In the 1880s, this was probably complicated by anti-polygamy laws, which sought to confiscate materials owned by the LDS Church. This influenced Church members to keep Church materials in their personal names instead of in the name of the Church.

By 1869 Cannon was already filling some of the need for commercial printing by printing official journals and notices of the territorial government. In 1870 he published a reprint of John Jacques’ Catechism for children (originally published in England), followed by a hymnal, Sacred Hymns and Spiritual Songs, in 1871[13]. However, except for these early publications, Cannon’s name doesn’t appear as the publisher on books until the 1890s (discussed next week). Instead, Cannon concentrated on publishing under the Juvenile Instructor name, and starting in the 1870s the Deseret News appears to have published or printed most of the materials needed by the Church (including new editions of the scriptures and missionary works like Pratt’s A Voice of Warning), and much of the self-published and other independently published Mormon materials[14].

Only in the late 1870s did new works finally appear, such as George Reynold’s The Book of Abraham (1879) and John Taylor’s Mediation and the Atonement (1882). The Deseret News Press also published the Biography and family record of Lorenzo Snow by Eliza R Snow, Franklin D. Richards’ Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel, and John Nicholson’s Martyrdom of Joseph Standing. By the end of the 1880s, despite the restrictions from anti-polygamy efforts, LDS publishing efforts had reached a level that exceeded that in the Nauvoo period[15].

[2] Schindler, Hal. The Deseret Alphabet. Utah Orthography, Although Ingenious, Does Not Succeed. Mormons Felt Need For Own Language. Salt Lake Tribune, May 29, 1994, p. D1. Available at http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/in_another_time/052994.html

[3] Cannon, George Q. Juvenile Instructor, 15 August 1866.

[4] Poelman, B. Lloyd. Sunday School in Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan, 1992, pp. 1424-1427. and Allred, Ruel A. Juvenile Instructor in Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan, 1992, p. 777. Text is available online at http://www.lib.byu.edu/Macmillan/.

[5] Poelman, B. Lloyd. Sunday School in Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan, 1992, pp. 1424-1427. Text is available online at http://www.lib.byu.edu/Macmillan/.

[6] Allred, Ruel A. Juvenile Instructor in Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan, 1992, p. 777. Text is available online at http://www.lib.byu.edu/Macmillan/.

[7] Thomas, Shirley W. Woman’s Exponent in Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan, 1992, p. 1571. Text is available online at http://www.lib.byu.edu/Macmillan/.

[8] Kelly, Petrea Gillespie. Contributor in Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan, 1992, p. 320. and Kelly, Petrea Gillespie. Young Woman’s Journal in Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan, 1992, pp. 1615-1616. Text is available online at http://www.lib.byu.edu/Macmillan/.

[9] My own analysis of data drawn from Flake, Mormon Bibliography, 1830-1930. This database can be found online at (http://lib.byu.edu/dlib/mormon_bib/).

[10] My own analysis of data drawn from Flake, Mormon Bibliography, 1830-1930. This database can be found online at (http://lib.byu.edu/dlib/mormon_bib/).

[11] Knowles, Eleanor. “Deseret Book Company, 125 Years of Inspiration, Information, and Ideas.” Deseret Book, 1991

[12] In practical terms, a publisher is someone who takes editorial responsibility and financial risk for a published work. A printer, in contrast, creates multiple copies of an original, usually through mechanical means, and almost always for a fee. But these roles aren’t always clear in the published work, with the name of the printer sometimes appearing on the back of the title page where the name of the publisher is usually found. This is especially common in the case of self-published works because the author doesn’t think to put his own name as the publisher, and wants inquiries for purchases to go to the printer, who, in the 1800s, often also operated a bookstore to sell the works they printed.

[13] My own analysis of data drawn from Flake, Mormon Bibliography, 1830-1930. This database can be found online at (http://lib.byu.edu/dlib/mormon_bib/).

[14] My own analysis of data drawn from Flake, Mormon Bibliography, 1830-1930. This database can be found online at (http://lib.byu.edu/dlib/mormon_bib/).

[15] My own analysis of data drawn from Flake, Mormon Bibliography, 1830-1930. This database can be found online at (http://lib.byu.edu/dlib/mormon_bib/).

In this conference, for example, Elder Cook cited the poetry of John Holmes (1904-1962), a poet and academic who taught at Tufts University, and whose poetry is largely out-of-print, but is available online in Tufts Library’s digital archive. [FWIW, I don't see any obvious connection between Elder Cook and Holmes or Tufts University.]

Regardless of how speakers are exposed to poetry, I’m very glad poetry finds it way into General Conference. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that for many members this is their only exposure to poetry during the year, outside of song lyrics.

Anyway, here are the books mentioned or citied in the most recent General Conference:

• Barrie, J. M., Peter Pan.
  • H. David Burton, Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts, Sunday Morning Session
• Bogacz, Rick, Skyway Horror in The Standard, June 9, 1993.
  • Ann M. Dibb, Hold On, Sunday Morning Session
• Cannon, George, quoted in The Twelve Apostles in Andrew Jenson, ed. The Historical Record.
  • Jeffrey R. Holland, Safety for the Soul, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Clark, James R., (comp.)Messages of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1833-1964. 6 volumes., 1965-1975.
  • Russell M. Nelson, Ask, Seek, Knock, Sunday Morning Session
• News Capsules in Deseret News, June 9, 1993.
  • Ann M. Dibb, Hold On, Sunday Morning Session
• Eyring, Henry B., in Shaun D. Stahle, Inspiring Students to Stand Strong amid Torrent of Temptation in Church News, August 18, 2001.
  • D. Todd Christofferson, Moral Discipline, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Farrar, Frederic W., The early days of Christianity, 1883.
  • Tad R. Callister, Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration, Saturday Afternoon Session
• Faust, James E., Be Healers in Clark Memorandum, spring 2003.
  • D. Todd Christofferson, Moral Discipline, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Faust, James E., Stories from My Life, 2001.
  • D. Todd Christofferson, Moral Discipline, Sunday Afternoon Session
• First Presidency, To the Presidency, Officers, and Members of the Relief Society in Centenary of Relief Society 1842-1942, 1942.
  • Julie B. Beck, Relief Society: A Sacred Work, General Relief Society Meeting
• Grant, Heber J. comp. G. Homer Durham, Gospel Standards: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Heber J. Grant, 1969.
  • Thomas S. Monson, School Thy Feelings, O My Brother, Priesthood Session
• Hales, Robert D., Understandings of the Heart in Brigham Young University 1987-1988 Devotional and Fireside Speeches, 1988.
  • Quentin L. Cook, Stewardship—a Sacred Trust, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Hanks, Richard K., Eph Hanks, Pioneer Scout, BYU Master’s Thesis, 1973.
  • Dale G. Renlund, Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Hinlicky, Sarah E., Subversive Virginity in First Things, October 1998.
  • D. Todd Christofferson, Moral Discipline, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Holmes, John, Talk in The Collected Poems of John Holmes.
  • Quentin L. Cook, Stewardship—a Sacred Trust, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Jesse, Dean C., Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman, eds., The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Vol. 1: 1832-1839, 2008.
  • Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Two Principles for Any Economy, Priesthood Session
• Johnson, Thomas M., The Lost Battalion
  • H. David Burton, Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts, Sunday Morning Session
• The Joy of What? in Wall Street Journal, December 12, 1991.
  • D. Todd Christofferson, Moral Discipline, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Katz, Gregory, U.K. Health Booklet’s Message: Teen Sex Can Be Fun in Deseret News, July 15, 2009.
  • Quentin L. Cook, Stewardship—a Sacred Trust, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Lyon, Jack M., Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, 1996.
  • Boyd K. Packer, Prayer and Promptings, Saturday Afternoon Session
• McConnell, Jack, And What Did You Do for Someone Today? in Newsweek June 18, 2001.
  • Thomas S. Monson, What Have I Done for Someone Today?, Sunday Morning Session
• McKay, David O., Mary Jane Woodger (comp.), The Teachings of David O. McKay, 2004.
  • Jorge F. Zeballos, Attempting the Impossible, Saturday Afternoon Session
• McLean, Michael, Forgotten Carols: A Christmas Story & Songbook (Book Only), 2004.
  • H. David Burton, Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts, Sunday Morning Session
• Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, 2003.
  • Russell M. Nelson, Ask, Seek, Knock, Sunday Morning Session
• Moulton, John Fletcher, quoted in Clayton M. Christensen, The Importance of Asking the Right Questions (Southern New Hampshire University commencement speech), May 16, 2009.
  • Quentin L. Cook, Stewardship—a Sacred Trust
• Newton, John and William Cowper, Olney Hymns: On Select Texts Of Scripture; On Occasional Subjects, 1797.
  • Russell M. Nelson, Ask, Seek, Knock, Sunday Morning Session
• Reagan, Ronald, quoted in George F. Will, One Man’s America in Cato Policy Report, Sept-Oct 2008.
  • L. Tom Perry, The Past Way of Facing the Future, Sunday Morning Session
• Sheen, Fulton John, Bishop Fulton John Sheen Makes a Wartime Plea in William Safire, sel., Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, 1997.
  • L. Tom Perry, The Past Way of Facing the Future, Sunday Morning Session
• Smith, George A., Discourse, in Deseret News, April 16, 1856, p. 44.
  • Thomas S. Monson, School Thy Feelings, O My Brother, Priesthood Session
• Smith, Joseph, in Sarah M. Kimball, Auto-biography, in Women’s Exponent, September 1, 1883.
  • Julie B. Beck, Relief Society: A Sacred Work, General Relief Society Meeting
  • Silvia H. Allred, Every Woman Needs Relief Society, General Relief Society Meeting
• Smith, Joseph, History of the Church, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols. 1902-1932.
  • Vicki F. Matsumori, Helping Others Recognize the Whisperings of the Spirit, Saturday Morning Session
  • Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Two Principles for Any Economy, Priesthood Session (2)
  • Jeffrey R. Holland, Safety for the Soul, Sunday Afternoon Session (3)
  • Brent H. Nielson, A Call to the Rising Generation, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Smith, Joseph Fielding, Take Heed to Yourselves: Gospel Discourses of Joseph Fielding Smith, 1971.
  • Quentin L. Cook, Stewardship—a Sacred Trust, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Smith, Lucy Mack, in Relief Society Minute Book, Mar. 1842-Mar. 1844., entries for Mar. 24, 1842 and Apr. 28, 1842.
  • Henry B. Eyring, The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society, General Relief Society Meeting (2)
• Snow, Eliza R., An Address in Women’s Exponent, September 15, 1873.
  • Barbara Thompson, Mind the Gap, General Relief Society Meeting
• Steinsaltz, Adin, The Essential Talmud, 2006.
  • Quentin L. Cook, Stewardship—a Sacred Trust
• Stendahl, Krister, To Speak About God in Harvard Divinity Bulletin, v36 #2, Spring 2008.
  • Robert D. Hales, Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, Saturday Afternoon Session
• Surgery: The Ultimate OperationTime, December 15, 1967.
  • Dale G. Renlund, Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Taylor, John, The Gospel Kingdom, sel. G. Homer Durham, 1941.
  • Richard G. Scott, To Acquire Spiritual Guidance, Saturday Morning Session
• Uchtdorf, Dieter F., As You Embark upon This New Era in Brigham Young University 2008-2009 Speeches, 2009.
  • Julie B. Beck, Relief Society: A Sacred Work, General Relief Society Meeting
• Whittier, John Greenleaf, Maud Muller in The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier, 1876.
  • Thomas S. Monson, School Thy Feelings, O My Brother, Priesthood Session
• Williams, Walter, Laws Are a Poor Substitute for Common Decency, Moral Values in Deseret News, April 29, 2009.
  • D. Todd Christofferson, Moral Discipline, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Wilder, Lawrence Douglas, quoted in Early Hardships Shaped Candidates in Deseret News, December 7, 1991.
  • Thomas S. Monson, School Thy Feelings, O My Brother, Priesthood Session
• Woodruff, Wilford, Leaves from my Journal, 1881.
  • Boyd K. Packer, Prayer and Promptings, Saturday Afternoon Session
• Young, Brigham, quoted in Wilford Woodruff Celebration of Pioneers’ Day in The Utah Pioneers, 1880.
  • L. Tom Perry, The Past Way of Facing the Future, Sunday Morning Session
• Yutang, Lin, The Importance Of Living, 1937.
  • Julie B. Beck, Relief Society: A Sacred Work, General Relief Society Meeting

You can see the previous compilations of books cited in General conference here:
April 2009
October 2008
April 2008

Book cover via Amazon

After the interest shown in the list of books I prepared last week — the books mentioned or referenced in April 2008 General Conference, I went ahead and prepared a list for the current (October 2008) Conference also.

I found this list even more interesting. There are more books on this list (some 35 — it makes me wonder if I didn’t miss some material from the April Conference), and the variety of the books and the material cited is fascinating. The list wanders from Thoreau to The Little Prince and includes the somewhat obscure as well as the famous.

Looking over a list like this, I have to wonder a lot about what writing process General Authorities use in preparing their discourses.

I’m not sure what exactly this collection says about Mormonism, our culture or General Conference. I do think its safe to say that many General Authorities are familiar with a wide variety of material. Of course, the list does rely heavily on LDS Church History and compilations of quotations. And given the personality that Pres. Monson shows us over the pulpit, The Music Man (I know its not really a book, but I included it anyway) is no surprise. But still some items are simply surprising. I’d never heard of J. M. Barrie’s A Window in Thrums. Perhaps I should read it!

Anyway, here are the books mentioned or citied in the most recent General Conference:

• Ballard, Melvin R., Melvin J. Ballard: Crusader for Righteousness, 1966.
  • M. Russell Ballard, The Truth of God Shall Go Forth, Sunday Morning Session
• Barrie, J. M., A Window In Thrums, 1917.
  • Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Happiness, Your Heritage, General Relief Society Meeting
• Bartlett, John, Familiar Quotations, 17th ed. 2002.
  • Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Infinite Power of Hope, Saturday Morning Session – citing Albert Camus
• Benson, Ezra Taft, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 1988.
  • Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Lift Where You Stand, Priesthood Session – citing Albert Camus
• Dahl, Borghild, I Wanted to See, 1944.
  • Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Sunday Morning Session
• Carruth, Gorton and Eugene Erlich, comp., Harper Book of American Quotations, 1988.
  • Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Sunday Morning Session – quoting Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Cannon, Janeth Russell, Women of Covenant: The Story of Relief Society, 2002.
  • Barbara Thompson, Now Let Us Rejoice, General Relief Society Meeting
• Cook, John, comp., The Book of Positive Quotations, 2nd ed. 2007.
  • Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Sunday Morning Session – quoting Sarah Ban Breathnach
• Dickens, Charles, A Tale of Two Cities,.
  • Quentin L. Cook, “Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Eliot, Charles W., ed., The Harvard Classics, 50 vols. 1909–10.
  • L. Tom Perry, Let Him Do It with Simplicity, Saturday Morning Session
• Gordon, Arthur, A Touch of Wonder, 1974.
  • Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Sunday Morning Session
• Grothe, Mardy, Viva la Repartee, 2005.
  • L. Tom Perry, Let Him Do It with Simplicity, Saturday Morning Session
• Kimball, Spencer W., The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball 1982.
  • Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Happiness, Your Heritage, General Relief Society Meeting
• Lee, Harold B., Stand ye in holy places, 1974.
  • Thomas S. Monson, To Learn, to Do, to Be, Priesthood Session
• Lee, Harold B., Ye are the light of the world, 1974.
  • David A. Bednar, Pray Always, Saturday Afternoon Session
• Marlowe, Christopher, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus,
  • Thomas S. Monson, Until We Meet Again, Saturday Afternoon Session
• Maxwell, Neal A., A Wonderful Flood of Light, 1990.
  • D. Todd Christofferson, Come to Zion, Saturday Afternoon Session
• McConkie, Bruce R., Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. 1966.
  • Russell M. Nelson, Celestial Marriage, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Monson, Thomas S., Inspiring Experiences That Build Faith, 1994.
  • L. Tom Perry, Let Him Do It with Simplicity, Saturday Morning Session
• Pope, Alexander, Essay on Man and Other Poems,.
  • Elaine S. Dalton, A Return to Virtue, Sunday Morning Session
• Rudd, Glen L., Treasured Experiences of Glen L. Rudd, self-published manuscript, 1995.
  • Keith B. McMullin, God Loves and Helps All of His Children, Sunday Morning Session
• Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de, The Little Prince, 1943.
  • Gérald Caussé, Even a Child Can Understand, Saturday Afternoon Session
• Sandrock, Michael, Running With the Legends: Training and Racing Insights from 21 Great Runners, 1966.
  • Elaine S. Dalton, A Return to Virtue, Sunday Morning Session – quoting Juma Ikangaa
• Sessions, Gene A., ed., Biographies And Reminiscences From The James Henry Moyle Collection, typescript, Church Archives.
  • Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Lift Where You Stand, Priesthood Session – citing Albert Camus
• Shakespeare, William, The Two Gentlemen of Verona,.
  • Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Sunday Morning Session
• Smith, Barbara B. and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher, eds., Heroines of the Restoration, 1997.
  • Quentin L. Cook, “Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time”, Sunday Afternoon Session – citing Heidi Swinton, “I Gently Closed the Door.”
• Smith, Bathsheba W., Autobiography, ed. Alice Merrill Horne.
  • Quentin L. Cook, “Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time”, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Smith, Eliza R. Snow, Biography And Family Record Of Lorenzo Snow, 1884.
  • Boyd K. Packer, The Test, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Smith, Joseph, History of the Church, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols. 1902-1932.
  • Gérald Caussé, Even a Child Can Understand, Saturday Afternoon Session
  • Keith B. McMullin, God Loves and Helps All of His Children, Sunday Morning Session
  • M. Russell Ballard, The Truth of God Shall Go Forth, Sunday Morning Session
  • Boyd K. Packer, The Test, Sunday Afternoon Session
  • Barbara Thompson, Now Let Us Rejoice, General Relief Society Meeting
• Smith, Joseph Fielding, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. 1954–56.
  • Dallin H. Oaks, Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament, Saturday Morning Session
  • Russell M. Nelson, Celestial Marriage, Sunday Afternoon Session
• Thoreau, Henry David, Walden, 1854.
  • L. Tom Perry, Let Him Do It with Simplicity, Saturday Morning Session
• Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 1986.
  • Robert D. Hales, Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship, Sunday Morning Session
• Whitney, Helen Mar, A Woman’s View: Helen Mar Whitney’s Reminiscences of Early Church History, ed. Jeni Broberg Holzapfel and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, 1997.
  • Quentin L. Cook, “Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time, Saturday Afternoon Session
• Wilson, Meredith and Franklin Lacey, The Music Man, 1957.
  • Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Sunday Morning Session
• Young, Brigham, Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widstoe, 1971.
  • Silvia H. Allred, Holy Temples, Sacred Covenants, General Relief Society Meeting

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Since last General Conference I’ve been meaning to look at the books mentioned in each Conference, just to see what items General Authorities think fit to mention. I’ve finally managed to complete my look at last conference, and I’m starting to look at this conference. The list is, I think, interesting.

Looking at what books are mentioned in Conference is much easier these days than it used to be. The talks as published on the web and in the Ensign include notes, and almost always the notes include a reference to the book, including date published. Years ago there were no notes, which makes looking at what books were referenced much more difficult.

Here’s the list of books (doesn’t include periodical articles, the Scriptures, Hymnals and Church manuals, pamphlets and handbooks) mentioned in April Conference (I think I got everything — let me know if something is missing):

• Dew, Sheri, Go Forward With Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1996.
• Emerson, Ralph Waldo. The Complete Essays and Other Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York: W. H. Wise & Co., 1929.
• Kimball, Edward L., The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1982. (cited in two separate talks).
• Kimball, Spencer W., The Miracle of Forgiveness. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1969.
• McCulloch, James E., Home: the Savior of Civilization,. Washington, D.C., Southern co-operative league, 1924.
• McDonald, Lee Martin, The Formation of Christian Biblical Canon: Revised and Expanded Edition. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1988.
• Metzger, Bruce Manning, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible: An Introduction to Palaeography. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
• Monson, Thomas S., Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1973.
• Pedersen, Marva Jeanne Kimball, Crozier Kimball, His Life and Work.  Carr Printing, 1995.
• Pratt, Parley P., The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1938.
• Rice, Helen Steiner, Expressions of Comfort. Ulrichsville, OH: Barbour Publishing, 2007.
• Robinson, Stephen Edward, Are Mormons Christians? Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1991.
• Schweitzer, Albert, The Quest of the Historical Jesus. [1948].
• Smith, Joseph, The History of the Church. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News, 1902-1932.
• Smith, Joseph Fielding. Doctrines of Salvation. Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1954-56.
• Whitney, Orson F., The Life of Heber C. Kimball. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City, UT: Stevens & Wallis, 1945.
• Wright, N. T., The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005.

I guess its not too surprising a list, but I do find several items very interesting. The books on the biblical canon are all from Elder Holland’s talk My Words… Never Cease, which refutes the idea that the canon is closed. I found the citation to the book by Helen Steiner Rice interesting, because its unusual to see poetry or fiction cited in Conference. [From what I can tell, she is poetry's answer to Thomas Kincade - not exactly the kind of poetry that I enjoy.]

For what its worth, today’s sessions brought another unusual reference, this time to fiction: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. With that reference, I’m very interested to see what else might be mentioned.

Most Mormon books, music and film are like little fish in a pond. Fortunately, consumers of these Mormon products face the same situation.

I think the idea behind the metaphor of fish in little or big ponds is something students face as they approach graduation and start trying to find some kind of success in the world. Students have to decide what kind of success they are aiming for: do they want to be big fish in a little pond? or little fish in a big pond? Are they content to be important in a small company or a cog in a large company?

Of course there are myriad ways of applying this metaphor to life. It points out an important issue in life and in human culture: how we define the scope of our efforts and even our success. It is usually possible to influence how large a fish we become. But changing the size of the pond is generally quite difficult. [There is a kind of corollary to this on the sign at BYU's entrance, where it reads "The World is our Campus." At least when I was there we joked that it should say "The Campus is our World;" a truism in that it is impossible to maintain such a grandiose scope.]

So how does this all work with Mormon products? Are Mormon products trying to find their audience in a small pond or a big pond? Should I move between ponds? And is it possible to be available in both small and big ponds?

This issue of scope came up in the comments to William’s post about Mormon versions of Netflix, YouTube and iTunes. Netflix, YouTube and iTunes reflect the big pond (of course), while these Mormon versions are the small pond. I think the conversation warrants its own post.

Mormon products today are found in both places, to some extent. Most new books published for a Mormon audience do show up in Amazon.com, for example, and are available to nearly all bookstores in the US. The expansion of Internet-based stores like Amazon has essentially forced the producers of Mormon, Christian and other niche markets to participate in the national market.

This broad availability has even led some of those who comment here on Motley Vision to suggest that the Mormon market be abandoned in favor of working with Amazon, other Internet-based stores, and even national retailers.

I disagree with this idea. Regardless of how disfunctional the Mormon market is (and I think many of my posts here demonstrate just how disfunctional I think it is), we still need a Mormon market — we still need our own pond.

Why?

The issue really revolves around where the customers are, more than where the products are. The just-released Zogby/Random House report shows that 43% of book readers in the US purchase most often online. In contrast, the poll implies that 23% of book readers never purchase online. While not exclusive, this does point to two different markets, two different groups of customers purchasing books. I’m not sure how that works for the Mormon market, but the anecdotal evidence I’ve seen here and elsewhere points to at least two different groups of consumers looking for Mormon materials also.

So one problem with leaving everything to the national market is that some consumers will be left behind — they will no longer be able to purchase Mormon products the way they are used to purchasing them. Unfortunately, we don’t know what proportion of those that purchase Mormon products only purchase in stores and what proportion only purchase online. It is possible that the proportion that purchases Mormon products only in stores is quite high, so relying solely on the national market would reduce distribution significantly.

Another problem is simply how visible Mormon products are in the national market. Like it or not, many Mormon products simply don’t appear as Mormon on Amazon and other online stores. This makes it difficult for consumers looking for Mormon content to find everything that is available.

It may be that some of this latter problem will be overcome by improvements in the software at these online stores, allowing consumers to find Mormon projects easily. But even with improvements in the software, someone will still need to make the connection, to label those products as Mormon that are Mormon. Unfortunately, even if customers are asked to do this, a lot of products could be missed.

While authors and producers need to participate in both the Mormon market and the national market, success is at times determined by the view that they have of what pond they are in. A large part of the disconnect between the current LDS market and many potential customers is the view of the market — where many, especially younger consumers, look for books that speak to Mormon culture and experience, the traditional LDS market seems to be providing “appropriate” products, those that represent “traditional values.” These aren’t necessarily the same thing.

I’ve probably missed other issues on this issue, and I look forward to what you have to add.