Within These Prison Walls: Lorenzo Snow's Record Book 1886-1897

by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Andrew H. Hedges

Lorenzo Snow's prison writings have largely been lost to time, but a good portion of them have survived as copies in a notebook kept by Rudger Clawson, fellow prisoner and future Apostle. Small enough to fit in a pocket yet containing over two hundred lined pages, the leather-bound notebook was a perfect place for Snow to preserve some of his outgoing writings in the less-than-ideal record-keeping conditions of the territorial penitentiary. The notebook's significance lies in three areas. First, as many of the entries are copies of letters and poems he wrote to friends and family members, the notebook sheds some much-needed light onto the thoughts, personality, and personal life of Lorenzo Snow — one of the least-studies and most poorly understood and appreciated of our modern prophets. The deftness with which he puts his thoughts into verse, his vocabulary, and his humor and compassion all reveal facets of Snow's intellect and character unfamiliar to many Church members today. Second, the notebook is significant for its doctrinal content, particularly Lorenzo Snow's teachings concerning the pre-earth life. Other topics he addresses include children, the promise of future glory for remaining faithful in the latter days, and the potential for man to become like God. Finally, Snow's notebook is an important primary source for students of the anti-polygamy crusade. Written within prison walls, his writings are invaluable for understanding how the Saints viewed their persecutions, justified their resistance to the laws, and found the nerve and the will to carry on despite increasingly difficult circumstances. Table of Contents
Lorenzo Snow's Record Book Entries
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Transcript of Lorenzo Snow's Record Book
Individuals Mentioned in the Record Book
Index

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2010

About the author

Dr. Richard Holzapfel is a Professor of Church History in the Religious Education Department at BYU. He attended BYU, Hebrew Union College, and the University of California, Irvine (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.) emphasizing in Middle Eastern Studies, Jewish History, Ancient History. Dr. Holzapfel began teaching at Brigham Young University in 1993, and has taught in the Church History, Ancient Scripture, and History departments. He is currently the Managing Director of Religious Studies Center Publications and the Editor-in-Chief of the center’s periodical The Religious Educator. In addition, he serves as an Editorial Board Member for BYU Studies. Dr. Holzapfel has received various awards and honors for his teaching, including Continuing Education Faculty Teaching Award in 2006. In 2008 he was named the BYU Honors Professor of the Year. Along with his teaching and university appointments, Dr. Holzapfel remains one of the most rigorous and widely published writers on campus.