Parley P. Pratt joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830 and was murdered in 1857 by the estranged husband of his twelfth plural wife. An original member of the Church s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Pratt played a key leadership role for the Mormons. His writings, including poetry, apologetics, and an autobiography, helped define Mormon theology and identity, and his hymns remain popular today.

Arguably Mormonism s most influential early leader after Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Pratt is also one of its least understood. This collection of essays uses Pratt s...