John E. Hallwas - Böcker

"A significant collection . . . that provides a depth and breadthof understanding reflective of the latest and best in Mormon history."-- Paul M. Edwards, author of Our Legacy of Faith: A Brief History of the RLDSWho were the Nauvoo Mormons? Were they Jacksonian Americans or did theyembody some other weltanschaung? Why did this tiny Illinois townbecome such a protracted battleground for the Mormons and non-Mormonsin the region? And what is the larger meaning of the Nauvoo experiencefor the various inheritors of the legacy of Joseph Smith, Jr.?Kingdom on the Mississippi Revisited includes fourteen thoughtfulexplanations that represent the most insightful and imaginative work onMormon Nauvoo published in the last thirty years. The range of topicsincludes the Nauvoo Legion, the Mormon press, the political kingdom ofGod, the opposition of non-Mormons, the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, andthe meaning of Nauvoo for Mormons. The introduction provides a critiqueof Nauvoo scholarship, and a closing bibliographical essay analyzes thehistorical literature on the Mormon experience at Nauvoo.

This extraordinary account of a struggling midwestern coal town profiles small-time bootlegger Kelly Wagle, whose mysterious career--and suspected involvement with two unsolved murder cases--had a profound and lasting impact on his community. In unraveling the process by which Colchester, Illinois, lost its grip on the American promise, John Hallwas reveals this remote corner of the Midwest as a true reflection of the quintessential American experience.