Photography

What did David O. McKay say about the theory of evolution, or George Albert Smith about Saints thinking for themselves? Why did Relief Society president Eliza R. Snow and others write a heartfelt letter of appreciation to the governor of the Utah territory? With fifteen new letters, this revised edition of A Treasury of Latter-day Saint Letters answers these and other intriguing questions through the words of early Church figures, from apostles to Joseph Smith's relatives. Historian Larry Morris, formerly with the Ensign and the Joseph Smith Papers, explains the historical context of each epistle and presents the text of the letter itself. Preserving the exact words and spelling of the writer, this inspiring and thought-provoking volume offers a glimpse into the personal lives and candid feelings of a host of prominent Church members--a rare view not often seen from the pulpit or in history books.

From 1927 until his death in 1979, E.F. Joseph documented the daily lives of African Americans in the Bay Area. His images were printed in the Pittsburgh Courier and the Chicago Defender but not widely published in his home community. A graduate of the American School of Photography in Illinois, Joseph photographed the likes of such celebrities and activists as Josephine Baker, Mahalia Jackson, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Thurgood Marshall. However, what is perhaps more compelling within these pages are the countless images of everyday citizens—teaching, entertaining, worshipping, working, and serving their community and their nation.