Historical Dictionary of the Latter-day Saints

The title of the new edition of this dictionary (first published as Historical Dictionary of Mormonism, CH, Jul'94, 31-5756, under the single authorship of the late Bitton) illustrates the recent shift in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the term "Mormon" to "Latter-day Saints," which the present volume uses throughout. The bulk of the dictionary's 400-plus entries are Bitton's work, with Alexander's revisions in the third and now fourth editions. Alexander is a scholar, as was Bitton, and both served as president of the Mormon History Association. As one might expect, the dictionary has been updated to reflect the people and events that have shaped Latter-day Saint history since the publication of the third edition (2008). Some new entries are topical (RootsTech, Area Seventies), but most are people (these often reflect gender and ethnic diversity, e.g., Sagwitch Timbimboo and Jean B. Bingham). Existing entries have been updated, e.g., Homosexuality (LGBTQ) and Familysearch.org. The introduction adds a paragraph defending the Latter-day Saints church as Christian rather than a cult. Overall, this fourth edition updates information about the church, and it should serve to alter public perception of an often-misunderstood religious movement. . . the dictionary is a good introduction to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; professionals; general readers.