MARCUS KING, MORMON by Nephi Anderson
This is the same guy who wrote the better known ADDED UPON, which I also have an old copy of but it is from 1939 and Marcus King was printed in 1900 by George Q. Cannon & Sons. I'm not sure if there even was a Deseret Book yet and maybe the former became D.B. I can't remember at 1:A.M. Anyway it's old and that was the point of the post. Its about a reverend who surprise surprise, converts to the gospel and is disparaged by his former friends and neighbors but says at the end it was all worth it. That's a quick summary of thumbing it just now because I have not yet read it. Originally published in serial in the Juvenile Instructor they (George Q. Cannon & Sons) published it in book form for the LDS audience. Sorry if I didn't go into better depth for all you die-hard Anderson fans out there.
JOHN H. KOYLE'S RELIEF MINE and RELIEF MINE 2 both by Ogden Kraut
These are a little more into the weird category since I don't think they are that rare for anyone who would really look. Pretty sure I got mine at Sam Weller's. Ogden Kraut is a fundamentalist and an independent, or at least he was, he's deceased now. I actually have a lot of his books for the same reason I have a lot of LDS Archival Publishers books, for the sake of history. He does have some out there theories in a lot of his self-published stuff but nothing too terribly weird or unexpected. I liked these 2 books in particular for the Mormon folklore aspect.
For those that don't know John Koyle was at one time a Bishop in Salem. In 1894, he supposedly received a heavenly messenger,that told him of an ancient Nephite gold mine, still full of treasure that would some day save the Church. I have no problem with any of this in theory. I want to believe, to quote Fox Mulder, but I am not convinced and it has nothing to do with threatenings of Koyles excommunication or the geologic analysis of the mountain behind Salem by non-other than Apostle James E. Talmage, declaring there would be no gold from the mine. Despite all of this I don't buy it. Though I do know a couple of shareholders. But I don't buy it because even though numerous prophecies by Bishop Koyle seem to have come true, I cannot find anything to tell me that the man TESTED the spirit that gave him the information. Without testing a spirit, even if it appears clothed in light, I wouldn't trust it all. But this is really starting to go on a tangent, so I'm gonna close this one with the idea is cool, I'll use it in my books eventually but do I believe it? No, I don't.
THE PEOPLES CYCLOPEDIA OF UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGE
Out of four, I have volumes 3 and 4. They are rather interesting encyclopedias from 1890. A lot of the scientific fact within is laughable. I think they may have been handy-dandy old west school marm material. A lot of nice wood-cut illustrations inside.
THE GOLDEN BOUGH by Sir James G. Frazer
My copy is only from 1950, so its not too old. I may be the most religious person to appreciate this work. I must say I don't agree with his conclusions anymore than I do with Joseph Campbells, Hero with a Thousand Faces. But I like it for the sake of ancient cultures and beliefs. Ultimately Frazer's goal was to illustrate the shared belief structure of people culminating in religion. In a nutshell, religion and spirituality are hooey. I'm much to spiritual and have had too many personal experiences to believe his agnostic premise. But as a source book on paganism it is wonderful. I have used somethings for HEROES OF THE FALLEN and BLOOD OF OUR FATHERS. Now that I think about it those titles almost seem FRAZERIAN. But they're not, they're JOSEPH-SMITHIAN.
4 comments:
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Haven't read Marcus yet, but I have a feeling I will eventually work my way through Anderson's entire oeuvre. And I've heard from one quarter that Marcus is his best.
I willgive it a better look-see. Shouldn't be too hard, it is pretty short. I'll keep you posted.
Wow, what a collection. I've heard of a couple of them, but never read them. Guess I'll have to put them on my list of "summer reading" I'm compiling. Great Post.
That is a very cool list.
I have a copy of Prince of Peace with Heber J. Grant's signature in the front (in fountain pen). Awesome signature.
By the way, I hate to do this to you, but you better check out my blog today.
Daron
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