Prophet Joseph: Essays on the Life and Mission of Joseph Smith

This volume brings together essays from seventeen eminent LDS scholars on the life and mission of Joseph Smith. The contributors include Milton V. Backman, Leonard J. Arrington, Dean C. Jesse, and Daniel H. Ludlow. Richard Lloyd Anderson's chapter 'Joseph Smith's Final Self-Appraisal' analyzes the content and the implications of the Prophet's last public speech on doctrine, delivered eleven days before his assasination. Leonard J. Arrington writes about Joseph Smith as a builder of ideal communities, and Richard Bushman treats Joseph's family background.