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Historical Sources Series
The Analyzing Mormonism Historical Sources Series is dedicated to preserving and republishing some of the most important --and hardest to find --primary sources in Mormon history.
Each volume has been carefully restored from the original edition while retaining the author's original voice. To make these historical works more accessible to modern readers, we correct obvious printing errors, and include editorial footnotes that provide historical context, identify people and places, and note significant development in modern scholarship.
Whether you're a scholar, student, content creator, or simply curious about Mormon history, these editions allow you to experience the original sources with as much ease as possible. The goal is for each of these titles to eventually be available in print, ebook, and audiobook.
Our main goal? To make the historical sources themselves available to everyone.
Narrative of Some of the Proceedings of the Mormons
Catherine Lewis
Originally published in 1848, A Narrative of Some of the Proceedings of the Mormons is a rare and striking firsthand account from Catherine Lewis, a former believer who journeyed deep into the inner workings of early Mormonism-only to emerge disillusioned and determined to warn others.
With vivid detail, Lewis recounts her personal experiences inside the temple, her resistance to becoming a plural wife, and her growing fear as she uncovers what she believes to be deception, manipulation, and dangerous doctrines operating beneath the surface of the faith.
Part memoir, part exposé, this controversial narrative offers a window into the tensions, beliefs, and conflicts surrounding early Mormon history-capturing the voice of a woman who risked everything to speak out.
Mormon Portraits
Wilhelm Wyl
First published in 1886, Mormon Portraits: Joseph Smith is one of the most controversial and revealing early examinations of Joseph Smith and the origins of Mormonism. Drawing from interviews, affidavits, firsthand testimonies, newspaper accounts, and contemporary documents, Dr. Wilhelm Wyl presents a detailed and often scathing portrait of Joseph Smith, his family, his associates, and the early leadership of the Mormon movement.
This volume explores topics including the Book of Mormon translation claims, the Kinderhook Plates, the Book of Abraham, Nauvoo politics, polygamy, financial scandals, the attempted assassination of Governor Boggs, and the events leading to Joseph Smith's death at Carthage Jail. Wyl also includes extensive appendices containing historical affidavits, witness statements, and other rare source materials from the nineteenth century.
Adventures and Experience of
Joseph H. Jackson
Joseph H. Jackson
Adventures and Experience of Joseph H. Jackson is a controversial firsthand narrative originally published in 1846 by Joseph H. Jackson, a former associate of Joseph Smith. In this account, Jackson claims to expose the secret practices, political intrigue, violence, counterfeiting operations, and plural marriage system he alleged existed in Nauvoo during the final years of Smith's leadership.
Written shortly after the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the book provides a dramatic insider perspective on early Mormonism and reflects the intense tensions between Latter-day Saints and their critics in the 1840s. This book is a valuable resource for readers interested in early Mormon history, polygamy, dissent in Nauvoo, and nineteenth-century religious controversy, this edition offers an important historical document for study and discussion.
Wife No. 19
Ann Eliza Young
Wife No. 19 is the autobiography of Ann Eliza Young, one of the last wives taken by Brigham Young. She tells of the horrors of polygamy and the Reformation period of Utah. Her father was instrumental in the building of the wagons and handcarts that allowed the saints to cross the plains, and she gives detailed accounts of how that was handled. And of course, she gives an inside view of what Brigham Young was really like, in her perspective.
Ann Eliza Young is a gifted writer; her words will keep you reading well into the night with her witticisms and fantastic stories. She gives voice to women of polygamy in a way that will make you laugh as well as rage against the wrongdoers.
Wife No. 19 is a must-read for any person with interest in the history of Utah and the Mormons.
Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism
Pomeroy Tucker
One of the earliest firsthand histories of Mormonism, Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism by Pomeroy Tucker provides a contemporary account of Joseph Smith, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the beginnings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Originally published in 1867, Tucker was uniquely positioned to tell this story. As editor of the Wayne Sentinel in Palmyra, New York, he knew Joseph Smith and many of the movement's earliest figures personally, participated in the printing of the first Book of Mormon, and drew upon firsthand observations, local interviews, and historical records.
Mormonism
Explained & Exposed
Dawson Burns
Published in 1853, Mormonism, Explained and Exposed captures one of the earliest sustained examinations of the Latter-day Saint movement from outside the faith. Dawson Burns traces Joseph Smith's rise from treasure seeker to religious leader, explores the origins of the Book of Mormon, analyzes early Mormon doctrines and church organization, and documents the controversy surrounding the public announcement of plural marriage.
More than a theological critique, this volume serves as a historical time capsule—revealing how journalists, ministers, government officials, and contemporaries understood Mormonism while many of its founding figures were still within living memory.