Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896 [Paperback]

David Bigler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

A broad examination of early Mormon efforts to establish in Utah an independent, theocratic Kingdom of God. Those bold efforts resulted in struggles with national republican ideology, Mormon opponents within and outside of Utah, and the federal government.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A superb and comprehensive history of outstanding scholarship that will be a welcome and appreciated addition to the growing body of historical studies respecting the development of the American west in the 19th century. -- Reviewer's Bookwatch, October 1998

From the Publisher

This paperback version was published in tandem with The Arthur H. Clark Company's hardback version, which is the second volume in their Kingdom of the West, series.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Utah State University Press; 1 edition (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874212456
• ISBN-13: 978-0874212457
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced and clear account of Theocratic Kingdom, April 12, 2004

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896 (Paperback)

I agreed with the previous reviewers in saying that this is one of the best books regarding the theocratic state that the Mormons tried to create during their early territorial years. The book does a wonderful job contrasting the theocratic values of the Mormon's ideal world to the republican ideology of the United States at that time.

The key figure of this book proves to be the theocratic dictator of Utah Territory, Brigham Young, prophet and president of the LDS. Its pretty clear by the book that Young saved his church from destruction and with his single-minded clarity of mission, managed to saved Utah for the Mormons. But in doing so, he committed himself to unforgivable sins, worst being the cover-up of the Mountain Meadow Massacre. But it was also interesting how he created a shadow government to off set the loss of formal position. But to paraphase one of the quotes from the book, "I may be the governor of the territory but Young is the govenor of the people" (close?). His defense of polygamy aided the enemies of his church and his willingness to over looked the misdeeds of his underlings marked him as a great but deeply flawed man. The book covered this struggled between Young and all his foes who stood against his theocratic dictatorship.

The book appears to be very well researched, clearly written and easy to read. Its an interesting read of Utah's politics, wars and religious conflicts as the Mormons slowly but surely, began to assimulated into the American society.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Basin Kingdom Gets A Great Analysis, December 3, 1999

By 

Gnarly1 (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896 (Paperback)

Bigler accomplishes what he set out to do. He has created an integrated picture of the "State of Deseret," a frontier government ruled by God through Brigham Young. Other books have treated various aspects of 19th Century Utah from the time of the arrival of the Mormons in 1847 until statehood in 1896. Bigler goes a step further and brings together these many historical threads into a well-crafted product. It gives the reader an excellent feel for life in Utah during its tumultuous first 50 years.

8 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book of the Year, March 18, 2000

By 

Will Bagley (Salt Lake) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896 (Paperback)

Westerners International gave David L. Bigler's Forgotten Kingdom its Best Book award for 1998.

Will Bagley, Series Editor