Hearts Made Glad: The Charges of Intemperance Against Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet — LaMar Petersen — Softbound

Softcover; 1975; 258 pages. Good to fair used condition.

Hearts Made Glad is one of LaMar Petersen’s more debated contributions to Latter-day Saint historical writing. In this volume, Petersen sets aside devotional storytelling and instead reexamines early Mormon society through letters, records, and contemporary accounts. His purpose is not to retell familiar pioneer legends, but to reconsider the people behind them—leaders and members alike—as real individuals shaped by the customs, assumptions, and limitations of their time.

Throughout the work, Petersen pays particular attention to everyday practices and cultural habits that later generations sometimes overlook or reinterpret. By noting such details—including social norms and behaviors common in nineteenth-century America—he attempts to place early Church leadership within its broader historical setting rather than in a purely idealized framework. This approach results in a tone that is measured, analytical, and at times unsettling to readers accustomed to strictly faith-affirming narratives.

Whether one views Hearts Made Glad as refreshingly candid or unnecessarily critical, it reflects a deliberate effort to approach Mormon history with academic detachment. The book remains a representative example of mid-twentieth-century efforts to reassess the early Latter-day Saint story through documentary scrutiny rather than devotional tradition.

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