By: Jane Birch
It is not surprising that the literature on the Word of Wisdom is deep and varied since keeping the Word of Wisdom is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As such, it is rare to find literature about the Church that does not address the Word of Wisdom to some degree.
The following are some basic types of writings on the Word of Wisdom. Over time, I hope to describe some of these categories in more detail and highlight some of the writings that are particularly significant or interesting. I’ll also be linking to text and/or tables of content.
Doctrine and Covenants 89 Editions
There have been a few published and unpublished versions of D&C 89 since 1833.
Published articles and speeches in LDS newspapers and magazines
Beginning in the 1830’s, this format was the most common in the 19th century and early 20th century.
Books on the Word of Wisdom
The first book by a Latter-day Saint that focussed specifically on a Word of Wisdom topic is Tobacco and Human Efficiency by Frederick J. Pack (1918). Since then, almost 30 books have been published on the topic, almost one book every three years.
Books on various topics that contain a significant discussion of the Word of Wisdom
Books about the Church
Doctrine and Covenants Commentaries (beginning about 1919)
Other Books
Postings on the Internet (beginning about the late 1990’s)
Electronic versions of printed materials
Internet-only articles and personal essays
Forums
Websites
Other
Unpublished comments in journals and other personal papers (beginning in the 1830’s)
Non-LDS Literature
R-LDS Literature
Last updated July 3, 2015
Add your comment or question!