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Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the holding company for business firms owned by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church). Deseret Book is a for-profit corporation registered in
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
. Deseret Book publishes under four imprints with media ranging from works explaining Latter-day Saint theology and doctrine, fiction, electronic resources, and sound recordings such, as
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...
albums.


History

The Deseret Book Company was created in 1919 from a merger of the Deseret News Bookstore and the Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore. Both of these Utah bookstores trace their roots to George Q. Cannon, an LDS Church general authority. " Deseret" is a word from the Book of Mormon that is said to mean "honeybee."


George Q. Cannon & Sons

George Q. Cannon published the first issue of '' Juvenile Instructor'' magazine in 1866. Cannon organized the Deseret Sunday School Union, an LDS Church organization responsible for educating young church members, and the magazine was the first church periodical oriented toward youth. Cannon opened the George Q. Cannon & Sons bookstore in 1867 to sell the magazine and other publications of an uplifting nature. Cannon believed that secular novels did not reflect Latter-day Saint values. In the 1880s, Cannon expanded with a branch in Ogden, Utah. It is not known how many books Cannon & Sons actually published itself. In that era, authors commonly self-published their books, which were then distributed by others. However, Cannon & Sons distributed several important books through their stores and mail order (see table). The company had extensive ties to the LDS Church-owned newspaper, the ''
Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
''. Five of Cannon's sons held important positions in the paper, and Cannon himself was editor between 1867 and 1872, and again while temporarily owning the paper from 1892 to 1898. Nearly every George Q. Cannon & Sons book was printed on the ''Deseret News'' press. Cannon sold the bookstore to the LDS Church in 1900, near the end of his life. The church combined the two businesses, and the remaining Salt Lake City bookstore became Deseret News Bookstore.


Deseret News Bookstore

By 1906, Deseret News press had a
Linotype machine The Linotype machine ( ) is a "line casting" machine used in printing which is manufactured and sold by the former Mergenthaler Linotype Company and related It was a hot metal typesetting system that cast lines of metal type for one-time use. Li ...
and dedicated book press. Many significant volumes were published and distributed through the Deseret News Bookstore. Of these, the most successful was James E. Talmage's '' Jesus the Christ''. Published in 1915, the book quickly went through numerous printings as the LDS Church's First Presidency authorized its use in its
Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
program. Meanwhile, the Deseret Sunday School Union, still publishing the money-losing ''Juvenile Instructor'', struggled to maintain its distribution center, the Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore. Aimed at church supply, the bookstore sold
textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...
s, minutes ledgers, and sacrament trays, as well as popular books. Beginning in 1891, the non-profit Union asked for yearly five-cent contributions from Sunday school pupils on "Nickel Sunday." Facing over $12,000 in debt in 1914, donations requested increased to ten cents, and 1919 a committee formed to study the organizations solvency. Led by Talmage, the committee recommended consolidation of the Sunday School Bookstore with the Deseret News Bookstore.


Deseret Book

By 1920, both antecedent bookstores were closed and a single new Deseret Book Company building was constructed in downtown Salt Lake City at site of the former ZCMI Center Mall. Ownership of Deseret Book was split between the ''Deseret News'' (70%) and the Deseret Sunday School Union (30%). However, the Union would manage the bookstore until 1932 when Deseret Book was incorporated for-profit as the "Utah Company". The ''Deseret News'' bought out the Sunday School Union in 1948 to become sole owner of the bookstore, but both the ''Deseret News'' and Deseret Book are now
subsidiaries A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidiary company. Unl ...
of DMC, which manages for-profit assets of the LDS Church. Deseret News Press printed nearly all Deseret Book publications until the 1960s when the company began seeking other competitive bids. Through the 1930s, the bookstore focused mostly on Sunday school needs such as lesson manuals. Though the bookstore introduced relatively few new authors, several important works were published in this period. Notably, B. H. Roberts' magnum opus, the six-volume '' Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'', 1930. Deseret Book did not accept manuscripts for publication until the 1940s when the company made a push for new authors. Deseret Book expanded into motion picture equipment and photographic supplies in the 1940s. Winning an exclusive contract to distribute for Bell & Howell in Utah and parts of
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
and
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
, Deseret Book supplied
16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical Film gauge, gauge of Photographic film, film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm film, 8 mm and 35mm movie film, 35 mm. It ...
projectors to the LDS Church. Becoming a film distribution and rental outfit, the Deseret Book "Censorship Committee on Films" was established in 1946 because regular employees were unable to review all the films it handled. By 1950, 18 members sat on the committee. Preceding modern Latter-day Saint cinema by over 50 years, Deseret Book founded Deseret Film Productions in 1947. The first film, produced by Frank Wise, was ''Where the Saints have Trod'', an 80-minute film celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Mormon pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley. Wise subsequently produced ''Temple Square'', a 30-minute filmed tour of Salt Lake City's most popular tourist location. Deseret Film recorded over 120 general conference talks over a six-year period. Intended for rental to wards, the conference talks are the first motion pictures of the church's conferences. In the 1950s,
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
(BYU) established a motion picture department which attracted Frank Wise. Deseret Film Productions was gradually disbanded. Soon, KSL-TV began covering general conferences. Deseret Book's downtown location remained the only store until 1959 when site for an Ogden, Utah branch was donated. Stores in
Orange, California Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District ...
and Salt Lake County opened in malls in 1962. In the 1970s, the original location was torn down to make way for the ZCMI Center Mall where the store reopened on April 2, 1976, during a general conference to attract large crowds. Several more mall locations opened in the 1970s; in Northridge, California,
Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...
, and many more locations in Utah. In 1997, Deseret Book opened its first Washington state location in the city of Bellevue. By 2004, Deseret Book operated over 33 stores in 9 western US states. Expanding its reach in eastern Idaho, the chain also purchased Beehive Book Stores, located in Rexburg, Idaho Falls, and Blackfoot, Idaho. Deseret Book already operated in Idaho Falls at the Grand Teton Mall and in Rexburg. The new store in Rexburg has expanded merchandise selection from the prior two stores. In the late 1970s, Deseret Book coordinated publication of new editions of the
King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...
of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
and the ''Book of Mormon''/'' Doctrine and Covenants''/'' Pearl of Great Price'' "Triple combination". The 1979 publication of the Bible was the first geared toward Latter-day Saints. A comparably styled "triple combination" was introduced in 1981. With notes from the Joseph Smith Translation, Talmage's scripture commentary, and an index and "topical guide", the new editions are now standard in the LDS Church. Typesetting for the volumes was done by
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
. Deseret Book began publishing Latter-day Saint fiction for the first time in 1979. In 1986, it purchased Mormon Handicraft–a handmade crafts store–from the Relief Society. As inventory and distribution was centralized in 1984, Deseret Book expanded its lines to include items such as CTR rings and more popular music. In 2002, Sheri L. Dew became the first female CEO and president of Deseret Book. Deseret Book established new corporate offices and downtown Salt Lake City retail space during the redevelopment of the Crossroads Plaza Mall into City Creek Center. In 2007, the corporate headquarters, with around 160 employees, moved into the top seven floors of the Utah Woolen Mills Clothiers building across the street from Temple Square. In April 2010 Deseret Book opened its "Flagship" store in the City Creek Center. This new store sits almost exactly on the same location as the first Deseret Book Location.


Acquisitions


Bookcraft

In early 1999, Bookcraft was acquired by Deseret Book. This allowed them to expand in the larger "values-oriented" publishing market. The merger also brought more writings by general authorities under the church's ownership, allowing for electronic and print collaborations with other DMC entities (the Deseret News, and Bonneville International) and church entities (such as BYU and the
Church Educational System The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...
).


Excel Entertainment Group

On November 15, 2004, Deseret Book announced that it had acquired Excel Entertainment Group, a 10-year-old company based in Salt Lake City which was known for its Latter-day Saint cinema productions as well as its record labels, including Highway Records, Joyspring Records, and Embryo Records (later renamed to Lumen Records). Jeff Simpson, the founder and president of Excel, became the new executive vice president of the merged company. Both companies are privately held, so terms of the deal were not publicly released. Although some Excel employees were relocated to Shadow Mountain music at Deseret Book headquarters, most remained at the separate Excel headquarters in Salt Lake City.


List of feature releases

* '' God's Army'' (2000) * '' Brigham City'' (2001) * '' The Other Side of Heaven'' (2001) * ''Charly'' (2002) * '' Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy'' (2003) * '' Saints and Soldiers'' (2003) * '' The Work and The Glory'' (2004) * ''American Mormon'' (2005) * '' The Work and The Glory II: American Zion'' (2005) * '' Down and Derby'' (2005) * ''The Work and The Glory III: A House Divided'' (2006) * '' Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy'' (2006) * '' Stalking Santa'' (2006) * ''American Mormon in Europe'' (2006) * ''Return with Honor: A Missionary Homecoming'' (2007) * ''Anxiously Engaged: A Piccadilly Romance'' (2008) * ''Only a Stonecutter'' (2008) * '' Forever Strong'' (2008) * '' The Errand of Angels'' (2008) * ''Scout Camp'' (2009) * ''Unitards'' (2010) * ''Midway to Heaven'' (2011) * ''Boys of Bonneville'' (2011) * '' 17 Miracles'' (2011) * ''The Making of Jimmer: The Story of Jimmer Fredette's Journey from the Playground to the Pros'' (2012) * '' Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed'' (2012) * '' Ephraim's Rescue'' (2013) * ''Us and Them'' (2013) * '' Saints and Soldiers: The Void'' (2014) * '' Meet the Mormons'' (2014) * ''The Christmas Dragon'' (2014) * '' Once I Was a Beehive'' (2015) * ''Freetown'' (2015) * '' The Cokeville Miracle'' (2015) * ''Just Let Go'' (2015) * '' The Last Descent'' (2016) * ''Love, Kennedy'' (2017) * ''Trek: The Movie'' (2018) * ''Jane and Emma'' (2018) * '' The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith'' (2019) * ''The Santa Box'' (2020) * ''Once I Was Engaged'' (2021)


Subsidiaries

*Lumen Records (formerly Embryo Records) *Joyspring Records *Highway Records (formerly Lightwave Records) *Little Stream Records *Excel Motion Picture Distribution *Excel Retail Distribution


Seagull Book and Covenant Communications

In July 2006, Deseret Book threatened to discontinue sales with another Latter-day Saint bookstore chain, Seagull Book & Tape, citing marketing differences. Seagull claimed that their discounted prices on Deseret Book's products was the reason for the threat. Seagull Book & Tape competed with Deseret Book's retail operation, but depended on the company's published work, which reportedly accounted for most of its sales. Deseret Book later opted to renegotiate its distribution contract with Seagull. On December 28, 2006, it was announced that Deseret Book was buying both Seagull Book & Tape and the publisher Covenant Communications, from Lewis Kofford. Company officials said they intended to continue running all three businesses as separate entities. In April 2025, Deseret Book announced it would close all Seagull Book stores by the end of 2025 and make Covenant a Deseret Book brand.


Deseret Book imprints

After Deseret Book acquired Bookcraft in 1999, it divided its publishing into four differently marketed imprints: Deseret Book for history and doctrine; Bookcraft for self-help, family, children, women's interests, and Latter-day Saint fiction; Eagle Gate for art, niche markets, library editions, and teaching aides; and Shadow Mountain for "values-based" publications for a national audience. A decade later, the only imprints that remained in use were Deseret Book and Shadow Mountain. In 2012, the Ensign Peak imprint was created for Latter-day Saint religious writings for a national audience. After acquiring Covenant Communications in 2006, Deseret Book Company did not make it an additional imprint, but continued its independent operations as a publisher alongside Deseret Book Publishing.


Shadow Mountain Records

The Shadow Mountain Records label, owned by Deseret Books, releases music aimed at Latter-day Saint audiences and reflecting Latter-day Saint themes. Releases by Shadow Mountain Records have ranked in top spots on the ''Billboard'' charts, including violinist Jenny Oaks Baker, and pianist Josh Wright.


Artists

The following artists have released albums on Shadow Mountain Records: * Julie de Azevedo * Jenny Oaks Baker * Dallyn Vail Bayles * Kurt Bestor * Alex Boyé * Paul Cardall *
Kenneth Cope Kenneth Charles Cope (14 April 1931 – 11 September 2024) was an English actor and scriptwriter. He was best known for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in '' Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'', Jed Stone in ''Coronation Street,'' Ray Hilton in '' ...
* Eclipse 6 *
Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...
* Jericho Road * Michael McLean * Mercy River * David Osmond *Jenny Phillips * Hilary Weeks * Josh Wright


Other business

Deseret Book operates further business units in addition to its publishing and retail activities. Under the name Zion's Mercantile it produces home decor and religious art and holds events such as women's conferences in the United States and Canada. '' LDS Living'' is an LDS lifestyle magazine in print and online. Deseret Book Direct sells publications through catalogs, e-mail, and the DeseretBook.com website. From 2000 to 2009 it also operated an auctions website for Latter-day Saint books. Crafts and other handmade items are sold under the name of Mormon Handicraft (a brand purchased from the LDS Church's Relief Society in 1986) and food is sold through The Lion House Pantry brand. It also provides the texts of many of its books online with paid subscriptions at GospeLink.com. In 2009, selected Deseret Book locations partnered with the LDS Church's Distribution Center and began selling official church items, such as temple garments, which had originally been available only in church distribution centers. That working relationship has expanded and now half of Deseret Book's 39 stores have been "integrated" and are half Deseret Book and half Distribution Centers.


References


Further reading

*
''Salt Lake Tribune'' article on Excel


External links


DeseretBook.com

GospeLink - Deseret Book's online publication library

Deseret Book's profile from its parent company, Deseret Management Corporation
*
Excel Entertainment Official website




��'' Deseret Morning News'' {{Authority control 1866 establishments in Utah Territory Book publishing companies based in Utah Chain bookstores of the United States Christian publishing companies Companies based in Salt Lake City Deseret Management Corporation Mormon literature Publishing companies established in 1866