The Mormon Church on Trial: Transcripts of the Reed Smoot Hearings

In January (2008), Signature Books will release The Mormon Church on Trial: Transcripts of the Reed Smoot Hearings , edited by Michael Harold Paulos . "The Smoot hearings are important not only to the study of Mormonism," writes Kathleen Flake, Professor of American Religious History at Vanderbilt University, "but also to the nation's interpretation of the First Amendment." Dr. Flake continues:

Making significant portions of the hearings' 3,500-page transcript available for the first time and including rich but unobtrusive annotation, this volume should be welcomed by scholars and the general reader alike, both of whom will find the hearings as interesting and amusing as they are important.

This sentiment is echoed by U.S. Senator Orrin G. Hatch , who discloses that "Reed Smoot has long been a hero of mine." The Senator adds that he "appreciate[s] this thorough, detailed collection of [Smoot's] early experiences in the U.S. Senate. With Latter-day Saints more prominent in government today than ever before, it is noteworthy how this book chronicles the way Senator Smoot challenged and overcame the anti-Mormon prejudices of his day to represent Utah in Congress."