What do you think?
Rate this book
Mapping Mormonism: An Atlas of Latter-day Saint History
Over 500 Maps, Timelines, and Charts Visualizing the History of the Restoration. In this state-of-the-art atlas, readers can take in the epic sweep of the Mormon movement in a new, immersive way. Never has so much geographical data about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints been presented in one volume so attractively and informatively.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 29, 2012
For a people whose history and peregrinations mean so much, there has been relatively little of serious mapmaking in Mormon historiography. The only sustained effort thus far has been "The Historical Atlas of Mormonism" which--as the editors of the work under review note--is due for a thorough updating. Thus the publication of "Mapping Mormonism" is very welcome, especially at a time when Mormon history is receiving more attention in scholarly circles than ever before. Expert state-of-the-art cartography blended with the perspectives of dozens of seasoned historians make the current contribution a solid research tool aiding those new to Mormon studies as well as veterans of the field.
“The Historical Atlas of Mormonism” (published in 1994), was edited by Kent Brown, Donald Cannon and Richard Jackson. It featured 74 separate articles (each with at least one map)—the maps and charts were two-color and, for the time, were nicely done. Though some of the contributors are the same (all of the editors returned) and the general purpose remains, the current volume represents a substantially revised edition. The contributors are a blend of BYU/Church History Department personnel and independent historians and, refreshingly, include several noted non-Mormon scholars (Bill Russell, Steve Shields, Gary Topping, Barbara Bernauer).
The atlas is divided into four sections of roughly equal length (each is preceded by a brief summary and timeline showing the entries within the section): The Restoration, The Empire of Deseret (ending in 1910), The Expanding Church, and Regional History. Each entry is usually two or four (for major topics) pages—the historical summary is about half the content with the maps/charts and accompanying text occupying the remaining space. The full-color maps and charts are very aesthetically pleasing and adequately explained (legends, notes, timelines, etc.). While some entries are relatively simple maps, some are very intricate and demonstrate a robust amount of research. For example, Lowell Bennion’s contribution on “Plural Marriage” features a map with small pie graphs indicating the breakdown of households (either monogamist or polygamist) for several dozen cities and towns stretching along the Wasatch corridor.
I will comment on two entries to give an idea of what the reader can expect from the volume. First, “The First Year of the Church of Christ” with historical summary by Susan Easton Black. She places the organizational meeting of the church in Fayette [1] and refers to Samuel Smith as the first “called” missionary. [2] Black also covers other early missionary efforts, including that of the “Lamanite missionaries” as well as individual efforts by Jared Carter and Ebenezer Page. Finally, she notes the travels of the various New York branches to Ohio. Her summary is accompanied by a timeline of the church’s “First Year, 1830-31” and maps of the “Early Missions” and “Gathering to Ohio.”
Next, I will look at “David O. McKay” with historical summary by biographer Gregory A. Prince. This is a prime example of looking “outside the box”—though there is undoubtedly someone either at BYU or in the Church Historical Department who could have written the summary, Prince was certainly the best choice. Drawing on his magnificent treatment of McKay’s administration, Prince notes two important elements of these years: his worldwide travels and his consideration of the priesthood ban. I don’t think I’m exaggerating in saying that one would have to spend some time to find another publication with the imprint of BYU that addresses the ban so candidly—Prince notes that “McKay came to a realization that that it had little doctrinal support.” Like Black’s entry, Prince’s summary also features a timeline (“The Life of David O. McKay”) but, in this case, three maps: “European Mission,” “Around the World” (his early apostolic circumnavigation with Hugh J. Cannon) and “World Travels of President McKay.”
Supplemental information includes a foreword by Richard Bushman, dean of Mormon studies, an introduction by the editors, a glossary of words unfamiliar to a reader new to Mormonism, a bibliography and an extensive 16 page index. A few thoughts on the bibliography—I was pleased to see the scope of it (some entries have more than a dozen sources cited), a blend of primary and secondary sources and up-to-date inclusions. By extension, this is a good summary of the atlas as a whole: extensive, well-researched and cutting edge. The information is intricate in its preparation and display. As Richard Bushman notes in the foreword: “Even Latter-day Saints with a detailed knowledge of Church history will learn something on nearly every page.” I agree and congratulate the contributors (both cartographic and historical) on an eye- and brain-pleasing monument to the value of the historical atlas.
Footnotes:
[1] The minority view that it took place in Manchester was challenged by the publication of Revelation Book 1 (or “Book of Commandments and Revelations") in “The Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations and Translations, Manuscript Revelation Books.” The revelation dated April 6, 1830 (later D&C 21) states it was given in Fayette. Several subsequent revelations (all dated April 6 in “The Book of Commandments”), though located in Manchester, are simply dated to April 1830.
[2] “Called” being the $64,000 word since Solomon Chamberlain had begun proselyting efforts even earlier—since he received proof sheets of the Book of Mormon directly from Hyrum Smith to share with people, the semantics are probably moot. Interestingly, he is mentioned in the caption to the “Early Missions” map as one who preached “before the Book of Mormon was fully printed and bound.”
“The Historical Atlas of Mormonism” (published in 1994), was edited by Kent Brown, Donald Cannon and Richard Jackson. It featured 74 separate articles (each with at least one map)—the maps and charts were two-color and, for the time, were nicely done. Though some of the contributors are the same (all of the editors returned) and the general purpose remains, the current volume represents a substantially revised edition. The contributors are a blend of BYU/Church History Department personnel and independent historians and, refreshingly, include several noted non-Mormon scholars (Bill Russell, Steve Shields, Gary Topping, Barbara Bernauer).
The atlas is divided into four sections of roughly equal length (each is preceded by a brief summary and timeline showing the entries within the section): The Restoration, The Empire of Deseret (ending in 1910), The Expanding Church, and Regional History. Each entry is usually two or four (for major topics) pages—the historical summary is about half the content with the maps/charts and accompanying text occupying the remaining space. The full-color maps and charts are very aesthetically pleasing and adequately explained (legends, notes, timelines, etc.). While some entries are relatively simple maps, some are very intricate and demonstrate a robust amount of research. For example, Lowell Bennion’s contribution on “Plural Marriage” features a map with small pie graphs indicating the breakdown of households (either monogamist or polygamist) for several dozen cities and towns stretching along the Wasatch corridor.
I will comment on two entries to give an idea of what the reader can expect from the volume. First, “The First Year of the Church of Christ” with historical summary by Susan Easton Black. She places the organizational meeting of the church in Fayette [1] and refers to Samuel Smith as the first “called” missionary. [2] Black also covers other early missionary efforts, including that of the “Lamanite missionaries” as well as individual efforts by Jared Carter and Ebenezer Page. Finally, she notes the travels of the various New York branches to Ohio. Her summary is accompanied by a timeline of the church’s “First Year, 1830-31” and maps of the “Early Missions” and “Gathering to Ohio.”
Next, I will look at “David O. McKay” with historical summary by biographer Gregory A. Prince. This is a prime example of looking “outside the box”—though there is undoubtedly someone either at BYU or in the Church Historical Department who could have written the summary, Prince was certainly the best choice. Drawing on his magnificent treatment of McKay’s administration, Prince notes two important elements of these years: his worldwide travels and his consideration of the priesthood ban. I don’t think I’m exaggerating in saying that one would have to spend some time to find another publication with the imprint of BYU that addresses the ban so candidly—Prince notes that “McKay came to a realization that that it had little doctrinal support.” Like Black’s entry, Prince’s summary also features a timeline (“The Life of David O. McKay”) but, in this case, three maps: “European Mission,” “Around the World” (his early apostolic circumnavigation with Hugh J. Cannon) and “World Travels of President McKay.”
Supplemental information includes a foreword by Richard Bushman, dean of Mormon studies, an introduction by the editors, a glossary of words unfamiliar to a reader new to Mormonism, a bibliography and an extensive 16 page index. A few thoughts on the bibliography—I was pleased to see the scope of it (some entries have more than a dozen sources cited), a blend of primary and secondary sources and up-to-date inclusions. By extension, this is a good summary of the atlas as a whole: extensive, well-researched and cutting edge. The information is intricate in its preparation and display. As Richard Bushman notes in the foreword: “Even Latter-day Saints with a detailed knowledge of Church history will learn something on nearly every page.” I agree and congratulate the contributors (both cartographic and historical) on an eye- and brain-pleasing monument to the value of the historical atlas.
Footnotes:
[1] The minority view that it took place in Manchester was challenged by the publication of Revelation Book 1 (or “Book of Commandments and Revelations") in “The Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations and Translations, Manuscript Revelation Books.” The revelation dated April 6, 1830 (later D&C 21) states it was given in Fayette. Several subsequent revelations (all dated April 6 in “The Book of Commandments”), though located in Manchester, are simply dated to April 1830.
[2] “Called” being the $64,000 word since Solomon Chamberlain had begun proselyting efforts even earlier—since he received proof sheets of the Book of Mormon directly from Hyrum Smith to share with people, the semantics are probably moot. Interestingly, he is mentioned in the caption to the “Early Missions” map as one who preached “before the Book of Mormon was fully printed and bound.”
September 19, 2014
As a cartographical reference work, Mapping Mormonism is fantastic. With maps ranging from movement of early pioneers to LDS political persuasions to growth of the church in Polynesia, it adds a lot to an understanding of the history of the church. However, it was clearly not meant to be read cover to cover, as I did, as the sections don't always flow and there are certain bits of information that are repeated over and over and over again.
In some ways I felt discouraged by this book, as I learned that growth of the church overall has plateaued in many areas, and that less than half of the church's 14-plus million members are actually active and contributing. Yet I was excited to learn more about recent growth in Africa. Certainly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fills up much more of the map than we did in 1830, but we still have a long ways to go!
In some ways I felt discouraged by this book, as I learned that growth of the church overall has plateaued in many areas, and that less than half of the church's 14-plus million members are actually active and contributing. Yet I was excited to learn more about recent growth in Africa. Certainly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fills up much more of the map than we did in 1830, but we still have a long ways to go!
August 1, 2017
The maps are impressive. They give a greater understanding of the times and what was going on. For example, there is a sequence showing the spread of the religious fervor in the early 1800's.
It looks like a 300 page coffee table book. There is a lot of detail in here. The book does a very good job of giving an overview on many different aspects of the LDS culture and changes over time. I count 96 topics by 60 authors. Each topic is usually covered in 2 pages with some topics getting 4 pages. Given the diversity of the authors, the uniformity of the presentation is impressive. It was nice that the articles are cross-referenced. Fairly often an article will refer to another articles in the volume.
What a thrill to find the floor plan of a meetinghouse on page 163 that matches a building that I helped build! The illustration even shows the expansion that was added long after I left the area.
This is a review of the 2012 edition. A newer edition was published in 2014.
It looks like a 300 page coffee table book. There is a lot of detail in here. The book does a very good job of giving an overview on many different aspects of the LDS culture and changes over time. I count 96 topics by 60 authors. Each topic is usually covered in 2 pages with some topics getting 4 pages. Given the diversity of the authors, the uniformity of the presentation is impressive. It was nice that the articles are cross-referenced. Fairly often an article will refer to another articles in the volume.
What a thrill to find the floor plan of a meetinghouse on page 163 that matches a building that I helped build! The illustration even shows the expansion that was added long after I left the area.
This is a review of the 2012 edition. A newer edition was published in 2014.
April 16, 2013
From an academic perspective this is an excellent marriage of geography and history of the LDS Church. Drawn from among the most recognized LDS scholars, the sections of this reference work, when combined with contemporary cartography and data presentation, significantly expand awareness and understanding for the reader. It is an essential addition to any library.
November 1, 2017
A seemingly thorough history of the formation and spread of Mormonism since it's inception. Artful and descriptive maps are the primary interest of "Mapping Mormonism" filled out with tidbits of information adding to the value as a reference material. It is nicely laid out in an easy to read to format.
June 21, 2014
This book is awesome. It's a masterpiece of data visualization. Previously my knowledge of LDS Church history was rather disjointed, this book helped me put all the pieces together into a single narrative.
August 19, 2015
An excellent resource with loads of information, maps, and charts. My only complaint is that some of the maps and charts are so small and filled with so much detail, they are difficult to decipher, particularly when the variations of color on the charts are so similar.
October 29, 2015
Everything you want to know, or didn't even know you wanted to know, about the history of the LDS Church. The book's size is daunting, but don't let that scare you. There are about 90 short articles all accompanied with maps, charts and graphs. I loved it!
September 14, 2016
The perfect combination for history buffs, map geeks and church insights. And it is great for short-attention span types since most features are only two to four pages.
November 12, 2013
Didn't get all the way through before it was due, but very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews