This large collection of sixteen separate essays represents a much-anticipated moment in the developing field of Mormon studies. While the cultural “Mormon moment” seems to have slowly subsided over the last several years, there is a steady stream of publications in university presses that aims to further situate Mormonism within many analytical contexts. Mormonism's “moment” is alive and well as a site for scholarly inquiry, and the essays in Producing Ancient Scripture provide studies aimed to inform audiences both within and outside of Mormon studies proper.

Very few publications on Mormonism have focused on the actual texts produced by Joseph Smith Jr. in early Mormon history. This may have something to do with their canonization as scripture either during or after Smith's lifetime, leading scholars to feel they are off-limits or uninteresting. These essays show that neither need be the case. The aim of the volume is “to move toward a more holistic understanding of what translation meant for Smith and those who accepted his message” (23), and although some of the essays are rhetorically situated toward a Mormon audience, many of them speak to broader fields of understanding.

Several essays skillfully situate Smith's “translation” practices within many early American contexts. MacKay positions Smith's earliest “translation” practices in the context of “materialist” and “experience-centered” approaches (104), showing Smith relied on broader networks than is usually thought. Several other essays add immense understanding to the ways that Smith interacted with, either directly or indirectly, early nineteenth-century American culture in ways that will have a lasting impression on future work. David Golding's essay, in particular, makes sense of one of the most difficult projects: Smith's creation of a “Pure Language” system based on his interactions with Egyptian papyri.

Similar to other essay collections, some of the chapters are stronger than others. While Grant Hardy does a good job situating The Book of Mormon (1830) in the context of broader world scriptures, many parts of his chapter feel written to a Mormon audience rather than a broader academic one. He notes that “prophecies given early in the record are fulfilled in later chapters” but that “this may not be” as “persuasive to skeptics” as it is for believers (220). Earlier, he states that the chronology of The Book of Mormon “is handled virtually without contradiction or errors of consistency” (219), although upon a closer reading near the beginning of the book there are 175 years given as the time between the birth of a father (Jacob) and death of a son (Enos). Similarly, he states that The Book of Mormon can be “subject to tests of internal coherence and consistency—tests that the Book of Mormon passes remarkably well,” even while noting that there are admittedly some geographical mistakes in the book (220n42). Although few, there are also some errors that made their way through the publication process that should have been easily revised. Gerrit Dirkmaat mistakenly calls Bernard Levinson “[Benjamin] Sommer,” although the footnote on the same page has it correct.

The essays in Producing Ancient Scripture are an invitation to engage with the production of texts in early America to far more scholars than simply those specializing in early Mormon history. The paperback edition can easily be used as a textbook in undergraduate courses on early American religion and represents some of the best current work in this field.