Brigham Young University Press (BYU Press) is the
university press
A university press is an academic publishing house specializing in monographs and scholarly journals. Most are nonprofit organizations and an integral component of a large research university. They publish work that has been reviewed by schola ...
of
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
(BYU).
History
Brigham Young University Press was formed in 1967 through the consolidation of BYU's various publishing activities into one central organization.
In its prime, BYU Press was a robust press publishing in a wide array of subjects, such as interior design, preschools, dancing, and wood-burning, as well as intellectual, scholarly and fine arts titles.
In 1974, the press published ''Roughing it Easy: A Unique Ideabook for Camping and Cooking'', by Dian Thomas, which later made the
New York Times Best Seller list.
The press also published works for Latter-day Saint readers and scholars, including BYU speeches and symposia proceedings and the periodical ''
BYU Studies
''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted ...
''. Amongst its major publications in Church history are
James B. Allen's ''Studies in Mormon History'' series, several of the "Charles Redd Monographs in Western History", the
LDS Church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
's 1965 reprint of ''
A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'', Fox and
Quinn's biographies of
J. Reuben Clark, and
Davis Bitton
Ronald Davis Bitton (February 22, 1930 – April 13, 2007) was a charter member and president of the Mormon History Association, professor of history at the University of Utah, and official Assistant Church Historian in the Church of Jesus Chri ...
's ''Guide to Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies''. The press itself received a 1978 Special Citation from the
Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
for encouraging and publishing fine Church histories that year.
Many of its LDS books have been published in conjunction with
Deseret Book
Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...
. It also maintained the imprint "Young House" during the 1970s.
BYU Press had a reputation of selecting for publication only church approved material. Press officials scrutinized and rejected manuscripts they found too technical or too controversial. These rejections include Dennis Lythgoe's ''Let 'Em Holler: A Political Biography of J. Bracken Lee'', Béla Petsco's ''Nothing Very Important and Other Stories'' (1979
AML Best Fiction Award winner), and ''Science and Religion: Toward a More Useful Dialogue'' by several BYU faculty.
In 1973, BYU Press recalled Thomas Cheney's ''The Golden Legacy: A Folk History of J. Golden Kimball'', a new release, over concerns with some of Kimball's vulgar language.[ The book was edited and republished by Peregrine Press in 1974.
]
Decline and return
Financial troubles struck the press in the late 1970s, leading to a decision for it to only print internal university publications,[ making it essentially defunct for many authors and scholars. In 1984, the press was replaced by BYU Print Services][ and has since merged with BYU Mail Services to become BYU Print and Mail.][http://printandmail.byu.edu]
In 1997, BYU Press returned as a logo under the Academic Vice President's office, intended for use with expanded distribution of some titles to other university libraries. Officials made clear that BYU Press would not be an organization or an office. The return was inspired by the production of new religious texts and the university's desire to clear out manuscripts to focus on publishing the papers of LDS Church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
founders Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...
and Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery (October 3, 1806 – March 3, 1850) was an American Mormon leader who, with Joseph Smith, was an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836. He was the first baptized ...
, which were then being developed by BYU's Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History
The Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History (later renamed to Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History) was an academic research organization at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1980 to 2005 that sought to promo ...
.[ In 2005, the ]Joseph Smith Papers Project
''The Joseph Smith Papers'' (or Joseph Smith Papers Project) is a project researching, collecting, and publishing all manuscripts and documents created by, or under the direction of, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the Latter Day Saint ...
transferred from BYU to LDS Church headquarters, and began publication in 2008 with a new imprint, the Church Historian's Press
The Church Historian's Press is an imprint dedicated to publishing scholarly works about the origin, history, and growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is owned by the LDS Church and operated under the direct ...
, rather than BYU Press. The Church Historian's Press may also publish the George Q. Cannon
George Quayle Cannon (January 11, 1827 – April 12, 1901) was an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and served in the First Presidency under four successive pr ...
journals, another project formerly slated for BYU Press.
Recent work
Some notable recent publications by BYU Press:
* Elwin C. Robison's 1997 book, ''The First Mormon Temple'', Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
Special Citation winner.[
* ]Glen M. Leonard Glen Milton Leonard (born 1938) is an American historian specializing in Mormon history.
Background
Leonard is a native of Farmington, Utah. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Utah. For a time he was managing editor of ''U ...
's 2002 book, ''Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise'', Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
Special Merit Citation Book Award winner.[
* James B. Allen’s 2002 book, ''No Toil nor Labor Fear: The story of William Clayton''.
* ]Carol Cornwall Madsen
Carol Cornwall Madsen (born 1930) is an emeritus professor of history at Brigham Young University (BYU) where she was a research historian with the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History. She also served as associate director of BYU's ...
's 2006 book, ''An Advocate for Women: The Public Life of Emmeline B. Wells, 1870-1920'', Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
Best Book Award winner.[
* Reid Nielson's 2006 book, ''Taking the Gospel to the Japanese, 1901–2001'', ]Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
Geraldine-McBride Woodward Award winner, for the best international Mormon history publication.[
* Brandon Plewe's ''Mapping Mormonism: An Atlas of Latter-day Saint History'' (1st ed. 2012, 2nd ed. 2014), winner of the Mormon History Association Best Book Award for 2012.
BYU Press has also produced electronic resources from the LDS Church's historical records including ''Selected Collections from the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' and ''BYU Family History Digital Archive''.
For publication information, contact the BYU Press or Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center (RSC).
]
Trivia
Before achieving wide notability, and after his own theater company failed, Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...
worked as a proofreader, then copy editor at BYU Press. In this role he met Calvin Grondahl, whose Mormon-themed cartoons were rejected by BYU Press, yet he would later illustrate one of Card's early works, the 1981 '' Saintspeak''. Card's role at BYU Press led to his later editing job at the LDS Church's ''Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
'' magazine.
Notes
{{Authority control
Book publishing companies based in Utah
Brigham Young University
University presses of the United States
Publishing companies established in 1997
Publishing companies established in 1967
1967 establishments in Utah