Proclamation to the People: Nineteenth-Century Mormonism and the Pacific Basin Frontier

Authors

Kimberly W. Reid
Reid L. Neilson
Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp

Keywords

Mormon studies, book notice

Abstract

Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp (Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and author of Religion and Society in Frontier California) and Reid L. Neilson (Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Brigham Young University and author and editor of several books, including Taking the Gospel to the Japanese) combine their expertise in this latest volume, Proclamation to the People: Nineteenth-Century Mormonism and the Pacific Basin Frontier. The Pacific Basin extends "from the west coast of the United States and South America, across the Pacific Islands from Hawaii to Tahiti, down to New Zealand and Australia, and up to Japan." Maffly-Kipp and Neilson acknowledge that such a broad stretch of geography cannot be covered in detail in a 350-page book: "A single volume of essays can highlight only a few specific geographical areas and historical moments." However, readers interested in early Mormon history outside of the Intermountain West will find that this book provides unique glimpses into what was happening elsewhere in the world. "The Pacific Basin has been a crucial part of Mormon history for nearly the entire lifespan of the LDS Church," the editors note. The gospel was preached in Australia and Tahiti before the Saints arrived in Utah, and shortly thereafter the work spread to Hawaii.

Proclamation to the People is divided into five sections: the Pacific Basin Frontier, with an introduction surveying the religious history of the entire area; the Americas, which includes essays on San Bernardino, Parley Pratt's mission to Chile, and Pratt's relationship with the San Francisco press; Polynesia, which covers both members and missionaries in Polynesia and the Polynesians who settled Iosepa, Utah; the region known as Australasia, which examines the gathering of Australian Saints and missionary work in New Zealand; and Asia, which describes Mormons' encounters with and perceptions of Asians, both in the Pacific and in Utah.

Recommended Citation

Reid, Kimberly W.; Neilson, Reid L.; and Maffly-Kipp, Laurie F. (2010) "Proclamation to the People: Nineteenth-Century Mormonism and the Pacific Basin Frontier," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 49: Iss. 1, Article 12.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol49/iss1/12