"Mormon History offers an interpretive survey of Mormon historical writings, from the partisan and often ephemeral history of the nineteenth century through the shift in the first half of the twentieth toward a more balanced and professional approach and an emphasis on how the Mormons helped settle the American West. Since World War II the "new Mormon history" has focused on broadening the base for understanding Mormonism's history rather than on resolving questions about religious "truth.""--BOOK JACKET.