Review
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Title: The William E. McLellin Papers: 1854-1880
Editors: Stan Larson and Samuel J. Passey
Publisher: Signature Books
Genre: Non-fiction
Year Published: 2007
Number of Pages: 607
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-56085-144-8
Price: $39.95

Reviewed by Nick Literski

From the earliest days of the 1830 "Church of Christ," Mormons have always held a special animosity toward "apostates," those dastardly characters who dared to turn away from "inspired truth." Apostacy has traditionally been portrayed in the LDS church as the consequences of pride and serious, unrepented sin. A certain "folklore of apostacy" has developed, providing stories of warning to those church members who might waver in their commitment to the LDS church.

The story of William E. McLellin (1806-1883) is one such "hiss and byword" in Latter-day Saint history. In LDS cultural memory, McLellin's contributions are rarely acknowledged. Rather, he is remembered only as an example of damning pride, and the story of his failure to write a revelation equal to Joseph Smith's is told as both an evidence of Joseph's inspiration, and a stern warning to modern members who might question priesthood leadership.

In his treatises, essays and letters, McLellin's real story emerges as that of a deeply sincere religious seeker who believed that the pure church of Jesus Christ had been restored to the earth, but experienced profound disappointment and frustration as that church organization evolved in structure and doctrine. For McLellin, the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints," as it was named in 1838, was no longer recognizeable as the pristine "Church of Christ" which he had joined.

McLellin's writings provide a snapshot of one early apostle's understanding of Mormon beginnings. We learn the key elements which attracted McLellin, perhaps the most highly educated of early Mormon converts, to the new faith. While it may be tempting for some to suspect an "apostate's" recollections, McLellin's views need not be an infalliable record of early Mormonism, in order to shed light on the movement. In particular, I was surprised at several of the doctrines mentioned by McLellin, which are generally thought to have originated in Nauvoo-era Mormonism. McLellin's perspective provides a view of pre-1838 Mormonism that is more doctrinally complex than I had expected.

McLellin also provides his own perspective on several events of Mormon history, such as the printing of Joseph Smith's revelations and the Kirtland Temple "endowment from on high." While McLellin's descriptions differ considerably from traditional LDS accounts, they are difficult to dismiss. Honest readers will consider McLellin's eyewitness accounts as an important source in reconstructing these events as they were originally perceived.

On this note of historiography, the editors have prefaced McLellin's writings with no less than six introductory essays, including such notable writers as Richard P. Howard, Thomas G. Alexander, D. Michael Quinn, John-Charles Duffy and William D. Russell. A full exposition of the source material's discovery is provided from Dawn House, a direct participant. Some of the essays predated this book's production by several years, while others were prepared for the current publication. Each author provides a distinct view of McLellin and his writings, and where one writer may irritate (as Alexander's did me), another will illuminate. In particular, John Charles-Duffy's outstanding essay, "Reinventing McLellin" provides a history of changing perspectives on McLellin, which is worth the book's purchase price alone.

The editors of this volume have produced an exemplary work, unencumbered by excessive annotation. They have also included a masterful appendix of biographical sketches, which I found quite useful. The only one editorial practice which I found unfortunate was that of transcribing McLellin's textual insertions as if they were in the original text, with a footnote identifying the insertion. I would have preferred the more standard practice of setting off the insertions with brackets. Still, this is a minor matter of preference, and hardly a "criticism" at all. Larson and Passey have produced this work as complete professionals, neither taking up McLellin's cause nor defending against him. They, along with their publisher, Signature Books, have simply allowed McLellin to speak for himself, and that "old apostate," as some called him, has done so admirably.