Research Guides: U.S. History: Mormon Studies

Primary Source Databases for Mormon Studies

Mountain West Digital Library [MWDL] This link opens in a new window
Non-peer reviewed. Full-text content. Open access.
Indexes digital resources from universities, colleges, public libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Montana, and Hawaii. Includes photos, maps, art, oral histories, books, and more.
Archives Unbound: Overland Journeys: Travels in the West 1800-1880 [Gale] This link opens in a new window
Non-peer reviewed. Full-text content.
This digital collection provides a unique window on western U.S. history. Comprised of historical documents and images from microfilm collections.

Scholarly Article Databases for Mormon Studies

ATLA Religion Database [EBSCO] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Some full-text content.
Explores subjects like biblical studies, theology, world religions, church history, and religion in social issues. Comprised of journals and articles within these fields.
JSTOR [ITHAKA] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Some full-text content.
This multidisciplinary database includes subjects like literature, history, art, sociology, psychology, mathematics, communication, and science. Contains ebooks, articles, and journals.

Journals for Mormon Studies

Journal of Mormon History
Fosters scholarly research and publication in the field of LDS history, including twentieth-century history, regional and local history, women's history, and ethnic/minority history.
Utah Historical Quarterly
Utah Historical Quarterly (UHQ) is published on behalf of the Utah State Historical Society since 1928.
Sunstone Magazine
Sunstone is interested in feature- and column-length articles and essays relevant to Mormonism from a variety of perspectives.

Books for Mormon Studies

Historical Dictionary of the Latter-Day Saints (Print Book) by Thomas G. Alexander and Davis Bitton
Publication Date: 2019
The fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of the Latter-day Saints contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries on the important people, ideas, doctrine, and events during the hundred-ninety year history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History (Ebook) by Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst (Editors)
Publication Date: 2015
The year 1978 marked a watershed year in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it lifted a 126-year ban on ordaining black males for the priesthood. This departure from past practice focused new attention on Brigham Young's decision to abandon Joseph Smith's more inclusive original teachings. The Mormon Church and Blacks presents thirty official or authoritative Church statements on the status of African Americans in the Mormon Church.
Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia (Print Book) by W. Paul Reeve and Ardis E. Parshall (Editors)
Publication Date: 2010
Covering its historic development, important individuals, and central ideas and issues, this encyclopedia offers broad historical coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...An overview section of six essays tracing the history of Mormonism from Joseph Smith's vision to years of global expansion that began in the mid-20th century.
Next Mormons (Print Book) by Jana Riess
Publication Date: 2019
American Millennials—the generation born in the 1980s and 1990s—have been leaving organized religion in unprecedented numbers. For a long time, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was an exception: nearly three-quarters of people who grew up Mormon stayed that way into adulthood. In The Next Mormons, Jana Riess demonstrates that things are starting to change. The Next Mormons offers a portrait of a generation navigating between traditional religion and a rapidly changing culture.
Oxford Handbook of Mormonism (Print Book) by Terryl L. Givens and Philip L. Barlow (Editor)
Publication Date: 2015
In this volume, Terryl Givens and Philip Barlow, two leading scholars of Mormonism, have brought together 45 of the top experts in the field to construct a collection of essays that offers a comprehensive overview of scholarship on Mormons.
Sister Saints: Mormon Women since the End of Polygamy (Print Book) by Colleen McDannell
Publication Date: 2018
The specter of polygamy haunts Mormonism. More than a century after the practice was banned, it casts a long shadow that obscures people's perceptions of the lives of today's Latter-day Saint women. Many still see them as second-class citizens, oppressed by the church and their husbands, andforced to stay home and take care of their many children.Sister Saints offers a history of modern Mormon women that takes aim at these stereotypes, showing that their stories are much more complex than previously thought.
Studies in Mormon History, 1830-1997 (Print Book) by James B. Allen, Ronald W. Walker, and David J. Whittaker
Publication Date: 2000
Fifteen years in the making, Studies in Mormon History is the most complete and comprehensive bibliography ever attempted on historical literature about the Mormons. Created by three of the leading figures in Mormon studies, this volume provides author and topical listings of books, articles, theses, and dissertations dealing with the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints beginning with its inception in 1830.

Web Resources for Mormon Studies

Brigham Young University Digital Collections
Scanned images of books, documents, photographs, and other materials, primarily from Special Collections, as well as research published by BYU faculty and students.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Official website for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Huntington Digital Library Mormon History Collection
A guide to Mormon history collections at The Huntington.
J. Willard Marriott Digital Library (University of Utah)
Search more than 350 digital collections, containing more than 1 million digital photographs, maps, books, videos, audio recordings, and other items.
Joseph Smith Papers Online
The Joseph Smith Papers Project is an effort to gather together all extant Joseph Smith documents and to publish complete and accurate transcripts of those documents with both textual and contextual annotation.

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