This book provides a detailed description of the process by which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. Drawing from firsthand accounts of Joseph himself and the scribes who served with him, From Darkness unto Light explores the difficulties encountered in bringing forth this book of inspired scripture. Recent insights and discoveries from the Joseph Smith Papers project have provided a fuller, richer understanding of the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. This book helps readers understand that the coming forth of the Book of Mormon was a miracle. Faith and belief are necessary ingredients for one to come to know that Joseph Smith performed the work of a seer in bringing the sacred words of the Book of Mormon from darkness unto light.

From Darkness Unto Light: Joseph Smith's Translation and Publication of the Book of Mormon

MIchael Hubbard Mackay

Gerrit J. Dirkmaat

Religious Studies Center, BYU, Deseret Book Company

Many Church members may not realize that the birthplace of Mormonism is not just a cut-and-dried bit of historical trivia. In fact, the place where the Church was established was rarely mentioned by the early Saints, and initial Church publications referring to the organizational meeting mistakenly claimed it happened in Manchester, New York. The authors of the book Inventing Mormonism challenged traditional Latter-day Saint history by pointing out inconsistencies concerning the Church s birthplace. Sacred Space sorts through the complicated history of where the Church was established. Building on Dr. MacKay s work for The Joseph Smith Papers, this volume examines what the existing historical documents really tell us. This book reestablishes the significance of Fayette as the true birthplace of Mormonism and illuminates what the sacredness of a place means for modern-day members.

Sacred Space: Exploring the Birthplace of Mormonism

Religious Studies Center/ Deseret Book

The first volume of the Documents series, the backbone series of the Joseph Smith Papers Project. This series allows readers to trace Joseph Smith's activities month by month in chronological order through his life.
When complete, the Documents series will publish more than a thousand documents created, authorized, or owned by Joseph Smith, including each of his revelations in its earliest form, reports of his discourses, and correspondence. Also found in the series are articles and editorials he wrote for newspapers, minutes of meetings in which he participated, and records of his ecclesiastical administration. 
This first volume of the Documents series consists of documents written from July 1828 to June 1831. Among the contents of this volume are more than five dozen revelations that were presented in the first-person voice of Jesus Christ, including texts later published in the Doctrine and Covenants, the expansive visions of Moses (now found in the Pearl of Great Price), and revelations never canonized. In addition, several documents in this volume trace the process of translating and printing the Book of Mormon, as well as early efforts to evangelize using the book and its message.
These texts provide the earliest textual insights into Joseph Smith and the founding of what was then called the Church of Christ. They offer glimpses into the religious leader's thoughts, concerns, and initiatives in a crucial early period of the religious movement he started. This book allows the reader not only to study Joseph Smith but also to gain a greater understanding of his followers and the millenarian movement they participated in during the Second Great Awakening.

The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 1: July 1828-June 1831

Robert J. Woodford

William G. Hartley

Grant Underwood

History

Church Historian's Press

Let's Talk about the Translation of the Book of Mormon

Deseret Book Company

When the Church released photos of the brown seer stone that was owned and used by Joseph Smith, the news ignited a firestorm of curiosity and controversy. People wanted more information and wondered why they hadn't been aware of the stone's existence. This book discusses the origins of Joseph Smith's seer stones and explores how Joseph used them throughout his life in a way that goes beyond translating the Book of Mormon. It also traces the provenance of his stones once they left his possessions. The authors examine how the Book of Mormon itself provides a storyline about the history of seer stones and how this helped Joseph Smith learn about his own prophetic gifts.

Joseph Smith's Seer Stones

Nicholas J. Frederick

Deseret Book and RSC BYU

Historians and academics use a handful of histories written by those closest to Joseph Smith during his ministry to document and tell the story of the Latter-day Saints. One of the most important histories that has not previously been available is a complex history of the early Church written in several installments by Newel Knight. He was one of a few early converts to write about the founding events in Church history. Knight died in January 1847, north of Winter Quarters, at the young age of forty-six. During the last five years of his life, he wrote a personal history composed of two elements: autobiography and journal. Though extremely important to the history of the Church, Knight’s history has always been a difficult source to use because it was never published in one place until now. This publication of his history will bring together his manuscripts and offer a way to cite them more precisely

The Rise of the Latter-day Saints: The Journals and Histories of Newell K. Knight

RSC/BYU/Deseret Book

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Books by MIchael Hubbard Mackay