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UNDER CONSTRUCTION Brief Overiew of Early British Mormon Publications The main periodical and arguable the most significant of all Mormon publications was the Millennial Star, which was established following the second apostolic mission in 1840. The Star was of great importance in the lives of British Mormons as it brought local, national and international news, ecclesiastical appointments and doctrinal instruction from both the British leaders and those in America. The American historian Hugh H. Bancroft has noted, “But for this publication …it would be impossible to fill the gap which occurs in the records of the Mormon people.” Some of these ‘gaps’ are filled through the publication of vital statistics and minutes from regional conferences. Following a conference, the clerks would often send minutes to the editor and invariably were published in the following edition. This offers the historian a good account of the fluctuating membership as well as the local leader’s concerns with his own group of congregations. Although primarily concerned with the British Isles, the editors’ occasionally reprinted articles from its sister paper, the Times and Seasons, an American based publication. Arguably, British Mormons were better informed as to the status of the Church than their transatlantic associates, on account of the continual stream of information being sent to them, and the more stable Church environment as compared to the United States. It was also indicative of a time when the intellectual centre of Mormonism was based in Britain, and further to this, the shortage of paper in Utah led to many tracts, books, and materials being printed in England and then shipped back to America.
On account of high import duty on books, the ownership of their press encouraged the Church to print publications locally, including hymnbooks, scriptures, and foreign language literature, with the purpose of disseminating the ‘gospel’ throughout Europe. Within one year 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, 3,000 Hymn Books, 2,500 volumes of the Millennial Star, and 50,000 tracts had been printed. One other prominent British publication was the Journal of Discourses, which gives an account from an international perspective of aspects of Mormon life and culture. Although many of the articles were doctrinal in nature, including the stenographed reports of speeches given in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, it also records the concerns of the church leaders during most of the second half of the nineteenth century. Consequently, the twenty-six volumes of the Journal of Discourses are an important archive, which adds value to the doctrinal teachings.
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