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SIGNATURE AUTHORS TO APPEAR
AT SIGNINGS THIS WEEK
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Several Signature authors will be signing books this week at three events in Provo and Salt Lake City. On Wednesday, October 26, The Utah State Historical Society will hold its annual conference at the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Todd Compton, author of In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith and In Sacred Loneliness: The Documents, Ron Huggins, author of Lighthouse: Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Despised and Beloved Critics of Mormonism, Constance Leiber, author of Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon: Suffragist, Senator, Plural Wife, and John Sillito, author of B. H. Roberts: A Life in the Public Arena, will be there to sign books between sessions. The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
That evening Benchmark Books will host Todd Compton, who will talk about his new volume, In Sacred Loneliness: The Documents. This will start at 6:00 p.m. but you can come and mingle as early as 5:30.
Then on Thursday night Signature Books will host Compton at its offices for a 6:00 p.m. signing. This event has been moved to the first floor of Signature's offices for greater convenience for attendees. Older Signature titles will be available at significant discount. A great oppportunity to build your library! Light refreshments will be served.
Look at the bottom of this newsletter for more information for about these various events.
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New Signature Podcast Features Todd Compton
Episode 9 of the Signature Books Podcast features historian Todd Compton, talking with Signature director Barbara Jones Brown about his new book, In Sacred Loneliness: The Documents. These documents include the personal writings of the women who married Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. Historian John G. Turner says of this book, "Compton gives readers the opportunitiy to examine the evidence for themselves. Through these documents, we become better acquainted with a remarkable group of women, understanding them not as names on a list, but as real, living human beings. We learn their complex motivations for becoming Smith's wives, how those marriages altered their circumstances, and how they lived after the prophet's death."
You can listen to this episode as well as all episodes of Signature’s podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, or Spotify by clicking here.
Actor Ashley Judd Promotes Discovering Us on New Podcast
Ashley Judd, an advisor to the Leakey Foundation since 2019, has been helping to promote Signature's title, Discovering Us: Fifty Great Discoveries in Human Origins, by Evan Hadingham, Senior Science Editor for the PBS series NOVA. Judd recently recorded a twelve-episode podcast of readings from the book, which you can access by clicking here. Everyone at Signature and the Leakey Foundation is thrilled that Ms. Judd has taken an interest in this book and the important discoveries highlighted within its pages.
Discovering Us celebrates fifty years of the Leakey Foundation, which is dedicated to the study of human origins. Formed in 1968, the foundation helped fund the work of then-budding scientists Jane Goodall, Don Johanson, Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikas, and countess others in the years since. Signature Books is proud to have partnered with the Leakey Foundation to produce this important volume.
Discovering Us Recognized by AIGA
Speaking of Discovering Us, we are happy to announce that this book was selected as one of the top 100 graphic design projects of 2022 in Utah by the Salt Lake chapter of AIGA. The book was recently on display as part of AIGA's 100 Show in Salt Lake City. Beautifully designed by Signature production manager Jason Francis, Discovering Us has full-color photos throughout its 276 pages. Check it out for yourselves here. You will love both the content and design that made it an award-winning and collectible book.
Beloved Restoration Historian Dies
The world of Restoration studies lost a prominent voice on October 13 with the death of eighty-nine-year-old Paul M. Edwards. A member of Community of Christ and a retired professor of history and philosophy at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, Edwards published widely in a variety of genres. He authored Preface to Faith: A Philosophical Inquiry into RLDS Beliefs, and A Legacy of Faith: A Brief History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A descentant of Joseph Smith and grandson of RLDS church president Frederick M. Smith, he felt prompted to author a book about the latter, The Chief, as well as a biography of his father, F. Henry Edwards: Articulator for the Church.
Signature was honored to publish two novels by Edwards, murder mysteries featuring the protagonist Toom Taggart, a fictional character who heads the education department at the RLDS Church. The Angel Acronym was published in 2003, followed by Murder By Sacrament eleven years later. For a tribute to Edwards by the Association for Mormon Letters, and a glimpse into his two Signature titles, click here.
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Todd M. Compton
hardback: $39.95
ebook: $9.99
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Constance L. Lieber
paperback: $9.95
ebook: $4.99
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Gregor McHardy
paperback: $14.95
ebook: $9.99
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Michael Hicks
paperback: $19.95
ebook: $9.99
Coming soon!
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Edited by Benjamin E. Park
paperback: $18.95
ebook: $9.99
Coming soon!
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Q. What's this book about?
A: It's a book that helps us understand our Christian heritage a little better. Much of what we think makes up our religious history is actually myth and legend. This book takes a look at early sources in Christian history and unveils a deeper and more refined picture of the Apostolic church, wiping away the false assertions and showing that the truth is even more grand.
Q: Why should anyone read this book?
A: As our world and even our own religious communities descend into factions and even tribalism, it is worthwhile to read about how much we actually have in common with people of other denominations. For many years the Latter-day Saints have used the vantage point of the Restored Gospel to look down upon those who possess anything less. By reading this book, more healthy perspectives may be gained that lead one to more understanding and less division.
Q: Does one need to be an historian to understand this book?
A: If you're not interested in anything historical, then no, perhaps not. But if you're curious at all "obtaining a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of kingdoms," then you'll do fine reading this book. The author has read and been frustrated by many historical books that assume the reader already has background knowledge. Very little background knowledge is assumed here. You'll feel at home even if you aren't a history buff.
Q: Can readers trust this book?
A: Trustworthiness is a hard thing to establish. Much of the information in this book is thoroughly cited and documented, giving you a certain level of academic trust. There are also opinions that belong entirely to the author. These opinions, however, are stated as such. This allows you to give as much credence to those opinions as you believe they deserve.
Q: Will reading this book be harmful to faith?
A: The author's perspective in this book is not to question or doubt; not to find ways to make one question one's undergirding faith. However, is it healthy when faith is based on principles or facts that are untrue? Any assertions in this book that may discount or disrupt existing knowledge are replaced with new modes of understanding that will undergird one's faith even more strongly.
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EVENTS
Utah State Historical Society Conference
Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
101 W 100 N
Provo, UT 84601
9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Todd Compton Book Signing, In Sacred Loneliness: The Documents
Benchmark Books
3269 S. Main St., Ste. 250
Salt Lake city, UT 84105
6:00 p.m.
Todd Compton Book Signing, In Sacred Loneliness: The Documents
Signature Books
508 W 400 N
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
6:00 p.m.; doors open at 5:30 p.m.
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