$18.04 with 25 percent savings

List Price: $24.00

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Monday, October 6 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 7 hrs 4 mins

In Stock

$$18.04 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

FREE 30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$9.94

Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc... Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc... See less

$3.98 delivery Thursday, October 9. Details

Only 9 left in stock - order soon.

$$18.04 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Ships from and sold by World of Books (previously glenthebookseller).

Add to List

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (56) from $9.94 + $3.98 shipping

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the authors

No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith Paperback – August 1, 1995

by Fawn M. Brodie (Author)

942 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$18.04","priceAmount":18.04,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"18","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"04","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"L%2F1iKW2HE2nZpBxtZ8KVlY8mJFgYdwLU4iPj%2FarilGy1h6t2coWGPQ%2BDqSunZCOUYQrgNXPTl0114GJqkmqD8mHzkzs9s%2FDB%2BuUvryKljKnPzB1a8DhgherYEd%2FCj%2BTY%2BXbqx1AAJG4%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.94","priceAmount":9.94,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"94","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"L%2F1iKW2HE2nZpBxtZ8KVlY8mJFgYdwLUUuWB4MboaZZ4eayUNqhpl5hnTy3F51L7wAQbDaxLp0S2xDZgsTMeWkt8BnzVry2HmDCG3jlUZw13jmrROJBzw7UCpJKAlA2iTxbhybjKqP4ww4ba0U6rVkJg41XzMctKxhqknIQ2rlm1wCl%2Bpnc%2FF16xIOge%2BdUI","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The first paperback edition of the classic biography of the founder of the Mormon church, this book attempts to answer the questions that continue to surround Joseph Smith. Was he a genuine prophet, or a gifted fabulist who became enthralled by the products of his imagination and ended up being martyred for them? 24 pages of photos. Map.

Deals on related products

From the Publisher

Joseph Smith's legacy: prophet or fabulist? A compelling historical investigation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

perback edition of the classic biography of the founder of the Mormon church, this book attempts to answer the questions that continue to surround Joseph Smith. Was he a genuine prophet, or a gifted fabulist who became enthralled by the products of his imagination and ended up being martyred for them? 24 pages of photos. Map.

About the Author

Fawn M. Brodie (1915–1981), raised in Utah, was a biographer and history professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. She was the author of five biographies, four of which incorporate Freudian psychology, including No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith, Thaddeus Stevens: Scourge of the South, and her bestseller, Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 1995
Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd Revised & enlarged
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679730540
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679730545
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.17 x 1.14 x 7.97 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #41,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #51 in Mormonism
- #114 in Author Biographies
- #180 in Religious Leader Biographies
Customer Reviews:
942 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Peter Dimock
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
See more on the author's page
Fawn M. Brodie
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
See more on the author's page

Related products with free delivery on eligible orders

Sponsored | Try Prime for unlimited fast, free shipping

Page 1 of 1Start over

Customer reviews

942 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers find this biography of Joseph Smith engaging and well-researched, filled with detailed footnotes and references, making it a must-read for those interested in Mormon history. The book is written from a factual point of view, and one customer notes it serves as a textbook on how to conduct research. They appreciate the author's meticulous approach, describing it as a painstaking effort by a detail-oriented historian.

Select to learn more

Research quality Readability Information quality Historical accuracy Knowledge Writing style Accuracy Narrative quality

81 customers mention "Research quality"79 positive2 negative

Customers praise the book's research quality, noting it is carefully researched and very informative, with one customer describing it as a textbook on how to conduct research.

"...In my opinion, the book is Fair minded, well researched, well written,and well documented...." Read more

"Well written and very informative as to the early history of the LDS church...." Read more

"...Written by a mormon. Well researched. My first copy made the rounds and disappeard. Have read three times...." Read more

"...Fawn Brodie is an excellent biographer. I have read none better. Joseph Smith is an American character like none other...." Read more

80 customers mention "Readability"65 positive15 negative

Customers find the book compelling and entertaining to read, with one customer noting it's a quick read.

"...This book was a great read and included all the Important details of interest rather than being over whelmed by including each and every minute..." Read more

"...I thought I knew a lot about Joseph Smith until I read this book. Fascinating!!!" Read more

"...Somewhat biased but based on the outcomes, it is understandable. Easy to read...." Read more

"...Very balanced. A good read." Read more

44 customers mention "Information quality"43 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the book's comprehensive content, noting it is well-documented with articles and numerous footnotes and references.

"...the book is Fair minded, well researched, well written,and well documented...." Read more

"Very well written easy read. Well documented weather you agree or disagree with the authors conclusions...." Read more

"...of The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, the Mormons...Very detailed and excellently researched, but it is obvious--too obvious at times..." Read more

"...I still found the book spellbinding, extremely well researched, documented and written...." Read more

40 customers mention "Historical accuracy"39 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book, describing it as a detailed biography of Joseph Smith and a must-read for those interested in Mormon history.

"...though that many still think this book is one of the best biographies on Joseph Smith, the history...." Read more

"An excellent historical review of a highly influential and enigmatic man. A must-read for any student of Mormon history and origin." Read more

"...meticulous research, clear documentation and a comprehensive understanding of historical context in which Mr. Smith lived...it is truly a..." Read more

"...Brodie sees the Book of Mormon as "one of the earliest examples of frontier fiction, the first long Yankee narrative that owes nothing to..." Read more

33 customers mention "Knowledge"33 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enlightening and consider it a magnificent piece of scholarship, with one customer noting it is a must-read for those studying Mormonism.

"...was fact based and informative...." Read more

"A real classic. Important book and still one of the best explanations of Mormonism and Joseph Smith." Read more

"...But what is written gives a person a good basis of knowledge and makes it easy to do further study if you would be so inclined...." Read more

"...humble opinion, Fawn Brodie's "No Man Knows my History" is an absolute tour de force...." Read more

32 customers mention "Writing style"29 positive3 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the biography, finding it brilliantly and factually presented, with one customer noting the inclusion of many early Mormon writings.

"...Well written, no fluff, but not boring like some history books. I have and will recommend this book in the future." Read more

"...In my opinion, the book is Fair minded, well researched, well written,and well documented...." Read more

"...I feel that Fawn Brodie did an excellent job in writing this book." Read more

"...Brodie writes elegantly and with a capacity to enthral the reader, at the same time reserving judgment on much that is unclear in a history of the..." Read more

29 customers mention "Accuracy"25 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the book's accuracy, describing it as a factual and honest account of Joseph Smith's life, with one customer noting it is clearly based on reason.

"Objective and factual. All information was backed up with sources both inside and outside of the Mornon church...." Read more

"...But the important point is that Brodie's is the work of a historian which presents plausible possible ways of viewing Smith's life and work which is..." Read more

"...Ms. Brodie's work is instead clearly based upon reason, logic, meticulous research, clear documentation and a comprehensive understanding of..." Read more

"...(and why not after being closed to the world for so many years) was fact based and informative...." Read more

17 customers mention "Narrative quality"16 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative quality of the book, describing it as an excellent and detailed account of Joseph Smith's life.

"...off, let me say that no matter your view of Joseph Smith, his life story is amazing and most interesting...." Read more

"Fawn M Brodie is an excellent, very fair historian, whom clearly cared about the LDS church & people...." Read more

"...But Brodie was a solid historian and I think any courageous Mormon should read it and challenge their own beliefs..." Read more

"Author is a serious historian and gives several footnotes on most pages." Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Daniel S. Crawford
Great
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Wonderful biography

Read more

Helpful

Report
Strangerbird
A possible interpretation of Mormon origins.
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
For a very long time the only biographies of Joseph Smith or of Mormonism were either hagiographic, or else deeply cynical depictions of the founder as a charlatan. Fawn Brodie changed all that in 1945 with her `No Man knows my History', which was a first serious attempt by a professional historian to understand the Mormon prophet within his context, and in a manner which did not depend on accepting his supernatural experiences in the terms in which they have been described by Smith and his followers. Committed Mormons may dispute much of the author's evidence as Hugh Nibley, famously did in `No Ma'am, That's not History', and people can argue till the cows come home about who is right and who isn't. But the important point is that Brodie's is the work of a historian which presents plausible possible ways of viewing Smith's life and work which is not dictated by the exigencies of Mormon proselytisation. For that reason Fawn Brodie produced what must be regarded as a seminal work. Opening up, as she did, a new and professional dimension to the study of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, led first to her excommunication and then to her depiction by the hierarchy as the Anti-Christ. When I first read the book over thirty years ago I must have read the 1945 edition. For the 1970 revision presents some information which is new to me, delving deeply into the Nauvoo period and the clandestine manner in which polygamy was introduced. Brodie writes elegantly and with a capacity to enthral the reader, at the same time reserving judgment on much that is unclear in a history of the frontier, befogged by lack of primary sources. It is essential material for anyone interested in the history of Mormonism and of the American west.

Read more

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Allen Johnson
Raises a 100 questions for conscientious Mormons
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
If you want a good understanding of the history of the Mormon church, this is the book. Mormons don't like it and wont read it because they have been told not to read it. But Brodie was a solid historian and I think any courageous Mormon should read it and challenge their own beliefs (or if you will, there own inculcations).

I have a number of good friends who are Mormon, I don't criticize their compassion and commitment to family. I do question their theology. Here are the questions that occurred to me after reading Brodie's book.

Preamble: In order for something to be valid, the source and the content need to be credible. If the source is not credible, the content is held suspect. If the content is not credible, the source is held suspect. Would I trust someone who spoke of peace and preached bloodthirsty war? Would I trust someone who called drinking a sin but set up bar in his own house? Would I trust someone who said he was faithful to his wife, when all the while committing adultery? Would I trust someone who has so-called revelations from God that are clearly self-serving? Would I trust someone who claims that he is reading Egyptian when the text is really Greek? Would I trust someone who said he was given golden tablets from God—tablets that were conveniently returned to heaven? Would I trust someone who declared he was the only prophet on earth?

REVELATIONS (Can we follow a prophet who is so self serving?)
1. Changes Genesis to include a prophesy of the coming of Joseph Smith. Isaiah made to refer to the book of Mormon and the witnesses.
2. Doesn’t want to be a farmer. “In temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling.” Book of Commandments, Chapter 25, verse 14
3. Emma wants JS to be a farmer. New revelation: “Thou needest not fear, for thy husband shall support thee from the Church. Continue in the spirit of meekness and beware of pride. Let thy soul delight in thy husband…And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come.” Book of commandments Chapter 26, pp58-59 FB90
4. Cowdrey thought that others should share in revelations (including Hiram Page who was trying to get revelation with a black stone). JS has a new revelation: “”behold, I say unto thee, Oliver…no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this Church, excepting my servant JS, Junior, for he receiveth them even as Moses. Thou shalt take thy brother Hiram page, between him and thee alone, and tell him that those things which he had written from that stone, are not of me, and that Satan deceiveth him.” FB92
5. Revelation to give all property to JS: “Behold, thou shalt consecrate all thy properties, that which thou hast unto me, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church” Book of Commandments. Later revised.FB106
6. In Kirtland, Ohio, JS tries to heal a man with a withered hand, a lame man, a dead child. Fails. New revelation: “Thirty men to leave at once for Missouri” Why? The miracles could not be performed in Ohio, because it was not consecrated ground, that only in the Promised Land could the blind be made to see, the lame to walk, and the dead be quickened. Doctrines and Covenants, sec 52 FB112
7. Resentment in Zion (Independence Missouri) against Joseph’s absence: “Cease wearying me concerning this matter.” Doctrine and Covenants, Section 90. FB122
8. Arguments about how to parcel out the community property. So JS has a revelation giving him the temple lot. FB141
9. JS revelation directing Cowdery to go to Toronto where they would find a man anxious to buy the book of Mormon. Didn’t happen. FB81
10. JS revelation to deal with Martin Harris. “And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon…And misery thou shalt receive if thou wilt slight these counsels, yea, even the destruction of thyself and property…Pay the printer’s debt! Release thyself from bondage.” (Book of commandments, Chapter 16) Thoroughly scared, he sold his farm and the book was printed in 1830. FB82
11. In Missouri on a high bluff overlooking Grand River someone discovered the ruins of what seemed to be an altar. JS: “This Upon this very altar Adam himself offered up sacrifices to Jehovah. Here Adam shall come to visit his people.” The Far West is probably where Cain killed Abel. FB211
12. Polygamy. Revelation: Destroy Emma and give me 10 virgins. FB 341 Doctrine and Covenant 132
13. The president presides over the whole church. Doctrine and Covenants 107
14. JS revelation to build a hotel with a suite of rooms in the hotel for JS and his posterity “from generation to generation for ever and ever.” FB263
15. Revelation to bless Bennett FB268. Later Bennett is excommunicated when both Bennett and JS lusted after Nancy Rigdon See JS’s letter to Nancy: FB310 In The History of the Church. Unsigned letter—nice use of artifice.

PROBLEMATIC THEOLOGY (Can theology so convoluted and false be believed?)
1. Nephi and his brothers and father Lehi (as in Lehigh River) leave Jerusalem in 600 BC. Nephi’s brothers, Laman and Lemuel were evil-tempered brothers, God cursed them and all their descendants with a red skin. (So indians are cursed?) Nephi and his pious younger brothers begat white children (although they must have married evil redskins to multiply).
2. JS has Jared bringing horses, swine, sheep, cattle, and asses to America. The Nephites produce wheat and barley rather than the indigenous maize and potatoes. FB72
3. Revisionist. 2500 BC Jared sailed in barges that could sail anyside up. The Book of Ether. (FB p 71)
4. Witness of the plates. In the Lord’s name, “It is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them…And ye shall testify that you have seen them…And if you do these last commandments of mine, which I have given you, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.” (FB 76)
5. Lorenzo Snow: “As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.” (FB300)
6. Paul had said that in heaven there would be no marriage or giving in marriage, but Joseph taught that this would not apply to his Saints. That which he and his elders sealed on earth would be binding also in heaven. There a man would have not only his wives and children, but also the prerogative of procreating more, until, as he expressed it to Parley Pratt, “the result of our endless union would be offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven. This was the road to godhood. (FB299)
7. Three levels of heaven: Celestial (three levels), terrestrial, teletrial.
8. If a man went to heaven with ten wives, he would have more than tenfold the blessings of a mere monogamist, for all the children begotten through these wives would enhance his kingdom. The man with only one wife, on the other hand, would be denied even her and forced to spend eternity as a ministering angel rather than a god. (FB300)
9. Martin Harris, one of the witnesses, is having his own visions: Seen Jesus in the shape of a deer and talked with him. The devil resembled a jackass with short hair similar to a mouse. He prophesied that by 1838 Joseph’s church would be so large that there would be no need for a president of the US. [No surprise given that he is one of the credulous witnesses.]
10. JS goes to Canada for 5 weeks. When he returns, his three witnesses (Harris, Cowdrey, and David Whitmer—all later excommunicated) had turned their loyalty to a young girl seer of a black stone. Patterning herself after the Shakers, the new prophetess would dance into exhaustion, fall upon the floor, and burst forth with revelations. Harris is cutoff. FB205 QUESTION: Don’t you question the veracity of the witnesses who are so easily duped?

SPURIOUS ASSERTIONS (Can we give credence to so many discrepancies and inconsistencies?)
1. Of the 11 witnesses of the Book of Mormon only Joseph’s father and brothers were left in the church. The others either left or were excommunicated.
2. View of the Hebrews. Oliver Cowdery, transcriber, came from Vermont; mother and sister were members of Ethan Smith’s church. Ethan Smith, author of View of the Hebrews (1823) and lectured in JS’s town. B.H Roberts Mormon apologist, wrote his opinion in 1922, but not published until 1985 (Roberts died in 1933). 1985 Dallin Oaks “The fact that something is true is not always a justification for communicating it. Some things that are true are not edifying or appropriate to communicate.”
3. 1835, exhibition of mummies. JS pronounces the papyrus writings of Abraham and the Joseph of Egypt. They were ordinary funeral documents as found on thousands of Egyptian graves. FB171, 175
4. Cowdery excommunicated for accusing JS of adultery. FB182
5. 1836 JS goes to Salem on a Treasure hunt for gold as ordered by God. There is none to be found. FB 192 Doctrine and Covenants 111
6. JS has three versions of first visit from angels: 1. The lord 2. Two persons 3. God and Jesus. And his age changes from 14 to 16. The last version was the only one known by believers until 1965. FB409

JOSEPH SMITH’S CHARACTER (To quote Matthew, “By their fruits you will know them.” Joseph Smith’s behavior shows him to be petulant, imperious, arrogant, hypocritical, belligerent, bellicose, irascible, manipulative, fraudulent, adulterous, and mendacious. (Can we put our trust in someone with so many character flaws?)
1. Arrogant: Character: Requested and received from the Governor the commission of lieutenant-general. He often preferred the title of “General,” even to “president,” and used it in his correspondence. His uniform included gold braid, military boots and chapeau topped with ostrich feathers. On his hip a sword and two big horse pistols. Seated on a magnificent black stallion. FB272
2. Arrogant: Runs for president of US for publicity and respect.FB262
3. Arrogant: He was not only a US presidential candidate, but also mayor of Nauvoo, judge of the municipal court, merchant of the leading store, hotel keeper, official temple architect, real estate agent, contractor, recorder of deeds, steamboat owner, trustee in trust for all the finances of the church, lieutenant general of the Nauvoo Legion, spiritual adviser and Lord’s communicant to the true church, King of the new Kingdom of god (see FB356), and husband of almost 50 wives.” In Joseph Smith’s words: “I want the liberty of thinking and believing as I please. It feels so good not to be trammeled.” FB366
4. Hypocritical: Permitted the construction of a brewery and advertised in the Nauvoo Neighbor. FB289
5. Hypocritical: JS sets up a bar in his hotel until Emma protests FB 332
6. Petulant and irascible: Sylvester Smith and the bulldog “I’ll whip you in the name of the Lord. And if you continue in the same spirit and don’t repent, that dog will eat the flesh off your bones and shall not have the power to resist!” History of the Church, Vol II, pp 150-160. FB 150
7. Bellicose: War Speech “We will trample down our enemies and make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.” FB230 (Source Affidavits from seven followers. FB229)
8. Bellicose: War cry: “If mobs come upon you any more here, dung your gardens with them” FB352 History of the Church.Vol 5, pp 465-73
9. Bellicose: JS empties all six barrels of a pepperbox gun in the prison cell. FB393
10. Imposter: He doesn’t know Greek from Egyptian FB290
11. Fraudulent and Mendacious: JS forces leaders to perjure themselves, swearing that polygamy does not exist. These sworn statements were published in Times and Seasons, Vol III in October 1842. JS had already been married to Sarah Ann Whitney 3 months earlier—and 19 others. FB320-21, 335.
12. Fraudulent: To take care of debt, he creates an illegal bank and starts stamping out money, designating himself as cashier. History of the Church, Vol 11, p 471 FB194
13. Manipulative (and criminal): He had the city council pass an ordinance providing that if any officer came to Nauvoo with a writ for his arrest based on the old Missouri difficulties, he should be arrested, tried, and if found guilty sentence to life imprisonment in the city jail. He could only be pardoned by JS. FB355
7. Manipulative and mendacious. William Laws (mentioning no names but swearing that he had read the revelation of every man granted 10 virgins) of The Expositor reports story of polygamy. JS proclaims that the press must be destroyed and so it was. FB374-377 (Reminds me of Dallin Oats: “The fact that something is true is not always a justification for communicating it. Some things that are true are not edifying or appropriate to communicate.”
14. Mendacious: 1844: “What a thing it is for a man to be accused for committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can find only one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago, and I can prove them all perjurers.” History of the Church, Vol VI, pp 408-412. FB 374 He had 48 wives as early by 1844. FB335

Read more

181 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Allan C
his life story is amazing and most interesting
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Very interesting rendition of the life of Joseph Smith. Before I continue, my review may be more helpful if you are aware that I am active LDS (Mormon). However, I view myself as a very independent thinker. First off, let me say that no matter your view of Joseph Smith, his life story is amazing and most interesting. And I think Fawn Brodie has done an excellent job of presentment overall. I would have given it five stars, except there were some instances where I felt she made assertions without adequate explanation and some other interesting facets that I wish she would have explored in more depth. But what is written gives a person a good basis of knowledge and makes it easy to do further study if you would be so inclined.
First off, when Fawn Brodie wrote this book, she was skewered by LDS scholars. However, at the time the LDS church would not acknowledge that Joseph Smith had more than one wife either; recently the church has acknowledged he had multiple wives. This book is not just about polygamy, it is a part of the story. But I mention this first, because it shows clearly what she wrote and the LDS church denied at the time, has now been acknowledged by the LDS church. And I suspect other of her assertions will also prove out. She included original sources in some cases that the LDS church will refute and claims she does not use sources that may be contrary to 'her view'. However, I can tell you from experience, that the LDS church really puts the 'white wash' on the history they present and deny many sources contrary to what they want to present. I personally feel Fawn Brodie was pretty fair and she did highlight when she felt a source could be suspect. She pointed out 'revelations' by Joseph Smith that did not hit the mark and were changed, removed, or not added to the Doctrine & Covenants. She used much of the LDS 'Church History' also. And it was interesting when she could show proof of statements that were either not complete in the Church History or changed - as she found the original statement. His teachings on religious ideas are amazing, but then we see how he would smear those who could not accept or disagree with him (William Law and his wife are a fine example of this - they were full of integrity). The so called 'Lies' printed in the Nauvoo Expositor, we now know were not falsehoods.
I could write much more, but the point I am trying to make in the review is that, (1) this book is very interesting and any way you cut it, Joseph Smith was an amazing man; (2) I feel it is always better to present as complete a history as possible of an individual (it lends to a truer picture), and this book certainly gives it a good go; and (3) In this book, it shows in many ways the contradictions within Joseph Smith and what appear to many 'excesses' on his part. One question, could one actually be a "Prophet of God" with the excesses he displayed in his life?

Read more

29 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Amazon Customer
Best book
Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Absolutely the best book on the history of the church

Read more
Report
Phil
No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith : The Mormon Prophet
Reviewed in Australia on August 16, 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
What an amazing insight into the man, Joseph Smith. It certainly confirms my belief in the gullibility of humans.

Read more
Report
William Covington
I found myself asking the question 'Is the Mormon church the creation of bored country crackpots
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Superb book. I found myself asking the question 'Is the Mormon church the creation of bored country crackpots?' From what Fawn Brodie writes Joseph Smith and his associates were involved in ritual magic and eventually practiced polygamy and polyandry. Hardly the basis for an organisation that declares itself to be directed by God. Fawn Brodie, et al, have realized that there is more to Joseph Smith than the official Latter - Day Saints biography of the man. Brodie's book had the Latter - Day Saint 'die - hards' wailing and gnashing their teeth when it first made its appearance in 1945 and 'No Man Knows My History' still has the power to disturb the faithful Mormon reader and will cast doubt as to whether Joseph Smith was 'truly' a prophet of God. The 'doubting Mormon' might be convinced, after reading Brodie, that Joseph Smith was a complete fraud who perpetrated a hoax on a willing audience, on the other hand, Brodie's book might be dismissed as the rant of an embittered feminist bent on destroying the reputation of Joseph Smith, a serial womanizer. I find Brodie's book a fascinating account of Joseph Smith based on documentary evidence which is the very stuff of objective reality.

Read more

One person found this helpful
Report
Jean-Pierre
Anatomie d'une fraude
Reviewed in France on November 16, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Excellent livre, écrit par une historienne méticuleuse, ou l'on apprend comment un analphabète a réussi a devenir riche et puissant grace au mensonge et a la manipulation.

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Olaf Alders
A highly readable, yet academic work
Reviewed in Canada on November 15, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a well researched and heavily footnoted work. Also, it's a revised edition, so some allowances have been made for the results of research since the initial printing of the book. Brodie did a spectacular job of summing up Joseph Smith's history, making it readable and even entertaining. There were points where I couldn't put it down.

I also want to point out that this is history -- it's not "anti-Mormon" literature. In fact, if you ask me, there are times when she goes too easy on Smith. All in all, a really great resource for Mormons and non-Mormons alike. If you're a fan of American history, you may also find this book fascinating.

Read more
Report

See more reviews

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Image Unavailable

Follow the authors

No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith Paperback – August 1, 1995

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Deals on related products

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the authors

Peter Dimock

Fawn M. Brodie

Related products with free delivery on eligible orders

Related books

Customer reviews

Customers say

Select to learn more

Images in this review

Reviews with images

The man behind the religion

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great

5.0 out of 5 stars A possible interpretation of Mormon origins.

5.0 out of 5 stars Raises a 100 questions for conscientious Mormons

4.0 out of 5 stars his life story is amazing and most interesting

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book

5.0 out of 5 stars No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith : The Mormon Prophet

5.0 out of 5 stars I found myself asking the question 'Is the Mormon church the creation of bored country crackpots

5.0 out of 5 stars Anatomie d'une fraude

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly readable, yet academic work

Great

A possible interpretation of Mormon origins.

Raises a 100 questions for conscientious Mormons

his life story is amazing and most interesting

Best book

No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith : The Mormon Prophet

I found myself asking the question 'Is the Mormon church the creation of bored country crackpots

Anatomie d'une fraude

A highly readable, yet academic work