Greg Kofford Books

02/18/2025

Out today!

Shall I Have Pleasure? An Answer for Sarah

"'Men are, that they might have joy.' But many Latter-day Saints are ambivalent towards—or even skeptical of— the role of pleasure in the joy God wants for us. In Shall I Have Pleasure? Zachary Hutchins responds to this confusion with a beautiful and profound affirmation of the divine goodness and gift of pleasure. He invites readers to see pleasure not as a temptation to avoid but an essential and cherished part of our embodied life." — Zachary Davis, Executive Director of Faith Matters and Editor of Wayfare Magazine

"This little volume overflows with the sweetness of the gospel's good news and a celebration of our bodies' capacity to perceive the goodness of Eden as we strive towards Zion." — Kristine Haglund, former editor of Dialogue: a journal of Mormon thought

Order your copy:
https://gregkofford.com/products/shall-i-have-pleasure

02/18/2025

Now Available: New Book Explores God's Gift of Pleasure -

Explore the complex relationship between faith, desire, and the pursuit of joy through a spiritual and philosophical lens with Greg Kofford Books’ latest release, Shall I Have Pleasure? An Answer for Sarah, by Zachary McLeod Hutchins.

02/17/2025

Engage with Black History Month with titles from Greg Kofford Books:

- Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People Within Mormonism, 2nd ed.
https://gregkofford.com/products/saints-slaves-and-blacks

- For the Cause of Righteousness: A Global History of Blacks and Mormonism, 1830-2013
https://gregkofford.com/products/for-the-cause-of-righteousness

- On Fire in Baltimore: Black Mormon Women and Conversion in a Raging City
https://gregkofford.com/products/on-fire-in-baltimore-black-mormon-women

02/14/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

The Latter-day Saint Image in the British Mind

“In this delightful and fast-paced book, authors Malcolm Adcock and Fred E. Woods take readers on a chronological tour of how the British public has perceived Latter-day Saints from 1831 to the present. Full of interesting anecdotes and quotes from a wide range of subjects, the book takes readers from the early days of lurid misperceptions to the modern age of pluralistic acceptance.” — Richard E. Turley Jr., former Assistant Church Historian

https://gregkofford.com/products/latter-day-saint-image-in-the-british-mind

02/13/2025

Interview with the editors of "The Revised and Expanded Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith"

https://gregkofford.com/blogs/news/q-a-with-alonzo-gaskill-and-richard-moore

02/13/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

The Trek East: Mormonism Meets Japan, 1901–1968

“Both this book and its author are unique in contemporary scholarship. The book is the first scholarly (as contrasted with hagiographic) study of the challenges faced by the Mormons in their effort to establish a new form of Christianity in a country already undergoing drastic political, economic, and religious transformations. As a distinguished Japanese social scientist, and an adherent himself of the Mormon religion, the author is well positioned to interpret both the Japanese and the religious aspects of this encounter to the reader.” — Armand L. Mauss, author of The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation and All Abraham’s Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage

https://gregkofford.com/products/trek-east-mormonism-meets-japan

02/12/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

The Annals of the Southern Mission: A Record of the History of the Settlement of Southern Utah

“Bleak’s annals are a lasting tribute to the early settlers of Southern Utah and will yet influence many thousand more in our day. The wonderful work in this volume makes that possible.” — Elder Steven E. Snow, LDS Church Historian and Recorder

https://gregkofford.com/products/annals-of-the-southern-mission

02/11/2025

Richie T of The Cultural Hall Podcast sits down with Alonzo L. Gaskill and Richard G. Moore to discuss their new book, "The Revised & Expanded Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith."

https://theculturalhall.com/2025/02/10/891-the-revised-and-expanded-teachings-of-the-prophet-joseph-smith/

02/11/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

A House for the Most High: The Story of the Original Nauvoo Temple, by Matthew McBride

“McBride has basically taken every imaginable contemporary textual source related to the Nauvoo Temple and has linked them together chronologically with an easily flowing narrative. A House for the Most High is a treasure trove of primary source material and is an enjoyable read at the same time.” — Stanley J. Thayne, BYU Studies

https://gregkofford.com/products/a-house-for-the-most-high

02/11/2025

One of our books, "Come Up Hither to Zion," is featured in the series.

Join us this February and March as we gather online with the historians behind three fascinating church history books. Hear about the life and legacy of early Community of Christ members, Katharine Smith Salisbury and William Marks, and learn the historic details behind Community of Christ's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. It's a winter series you don't want to miss! Follow the link below to learn more about the series and to save your online seat:
https://www.historicsitesfoundation.org/winter-2025-book-series.html

02/10/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

Converting the Saints: A Study of Religious Rivalry in America

https://gregkofford.com/products/converting-the-saints

“Converting the Saints tells of a time when the tables were turned on the Mormons. In the early twentieth century, after polygamy had been formally halted, and Utah was assimilating back into America, evangelical Protestants stepped up their efforts in Utah to win Mormon souls back to Christianity. Accustomed to proselytizing other Christians, the Saints now had Christians proselytizing them. Paul makes this encounter an illuminating case study in the clash of sincerely held religious convictions. How are we to treat those whom we believe are profoundly wrong and yet refuse to change? Although a Mormon-Protestant story set in Utah a century ago; it is also a contemporary story played out every day throughout the world and in every corner of the land. Paul offers a powerful diagnosis of the problem and, better yet, a compelling course of action for transforming harsh conflict to peaceful contestation.” — Richard L. Bushman, author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

02/07/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration

“Sweeping in scope and meticulous in detail, Method Infinite excavates the shared past of Masonry and the Latter-day Saint Restoration—and skillfully uncovers a lost context of Joseph Smith's prophetic work.” — Don Bradley, author of "The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon's Missing Stories"

https://gregkofford.com/products/method-infinite

02/06/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People Within Mormonism, 2nd ed.

“A meticulous study, based on primary as well as secondary sources, of the cultural and political context from which certain racial doctrines found their way into the Mormon heritage.” — Armand L. Mauss, Review of Religious Research

By Newell G. Bringhurst “While invaluable for Mormon studies, this book is valuable also to all students of institutions and cultural change.” — Pacific Historical Review An excellent treatment of an important part of American religious life. Bringhurst succeeds in showing the Mormons as a mic...

02/05/2025

New Book Explores God's Gift of Pleasure -

Explore the complex relationship between faith, desire, and the pursuit of joy through a spiritual and philosophical lens with Greg Kofford Books’ latest release, Shall I Have Pleasure? An Answer for Sarah, by Zachary McLeod Hutchins.

02/05/2025

Explore Church History with Books from Kofford:

Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding

“'Toward a Better Understanding' is warmly recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about Joseph’s plural marriages but particularly to those just venturing into its sometimes choppy waters. Were I not vulnerable to the sin of envy, I’d wish I had written it.” — Gregory L. Smith, Interpreter

by Brian C. Hales and Laura H. Hales “A useful and interesting volume.... I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all.” — Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture “It is a book that will be read and discussed for years to come.” — Robert L. Millet Available in ebook for your Kindle, No...

02/04/2025

Greg Kofford Books—Your source for award-winning books about Latter-day Saint history and thought:

- As Iron Sharpens Iron (Smith)
- Dime Novel Mormons (Parshall and Austin)
- For the Cause of Righteousness (Stevenson)
- From Above and Below (Livingston)
- The Gift and Power (Gardner)
- Hearken, O Ye People (Staker)
- Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life (Petersen)
- Life and Times of John Pierce Hawley (Johnson)
- Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism (Hales)
- Mormon and Maori (Newton)
- Mormonism in Transition (Alexander)
- Re-reading Job (Austin)
- “Swell Suffering”: A Biography of Maurine Whipple (Hale)
- Tiki and Temple (Newton)
- Traditions of the Fathers (Gardner)
- The Trek East: Mormonism Meets Japan, 1901-1968 (Takagi)
- William B. Smith: In the Shadow of a Prophet (Walker)
- Writing Ourselves (Harrell)

Greg Kofford Books has been the recipient of numerous awards, highlighting the quality and scholarship of our publications. We are proud of our authors and the contributions they have made to the diverse field of Mormon studies. Life and Times of John Pierce HawleyA Mormon Ulysses of the American We...