Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River
by Raymond Bial
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
Juvenile literature. Pp. 47. Illus.
Cloth, $17.00

Nauvoo: A History Featuring the Paintings of Lane K. Newberry
by Dean Gabbert and Marilyn S.Candido
Decatur, IL: William Street Press for the Nauvoo Historical Society, 2006.
Pp. 157. Illus.,
Paper, $9.95

Nauvoo
by Glenn Cuerden.
Charleston, SC and Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2006
Images of America series, Pp. 127. Illus.
Paper, $19.99

Readers of Illinois history will be captivated with these three new titles, all published in 2006, dealing with Nauvoo. Raymond Bial's is a beautiful book aimed at a juvenile audience, but certainly an account of the Mormons of Nauvoo that all ages can appreciate. His book is well written, interesting, and informative. He carries the story up to the present with the reconstruction of the Temple and the further development of Nauvoo as a center for visitors, especially those interested in Mormon history.

The photographs are outstanding and are so sharp and clear that I noticed that the photo on page 34 does not show what the caption claims ("the graves of Hyrum, Joseph, and Emma") but does show the graves of other members of the Smith family. There are 41 photos in color and 5 in black and white or sepia as well as a map relating to Mormon Sites in Nauvoo. The text ends on page 44 and the last two pages cover "Further Reading and Sources," a helpful listing of the key materials that guided the author in his research.

The volume on Nauvoo by Gabbert and Candido highlights the paintings of Lane K. Newberry. His illustrations are an important part of this volume and an additional reason to add this volume to your library. There are 42 illustrations in color and 26 black and white drawings in this guidebook. Lincoln enthusiasts will be taken with the 10 full-page illustrations on Lincoln and his life following page 63. There are 33 sections along with a time line, a map, acknowledgments, references and a list of charter members of the Nauvoo Historical Society (1953). All of the vignettes are interesting and informative. This book covers the early history of the town and the settlement of both the Mormons and the Icarians as well as key businesses, churches, museums and other attractions. If you are planning to visit Nauvoo, this is the book to take.

There are some errors that should be corrected for future editions. William Henry Harrison was governor of the Indiana Territory (1801-1812) not the Louisiana Territory (p. 19). Etienne Cabet published his novel Voyage en Icarie in 1839, not 1840, and he was not one of the Icarians who attempted, without success, to settle in Texas in 1848. (p. 49) Illinois was not a part of the Louisiana Purchase (p. 83) since it lies east of the Mississippi River.

Glenn Cuerden's Nauvoo, a volume in Arcadia Press's "Images of America" series, is a welcome addition to the history of Nauvoo. As is typical in this series, illustrations dominate the book. There are short historical introductions to each chapter and detailed captions accompanying each photo. The history in this book is more comprehensive than in the other two volumes. The book has 208 illustrations along with 17 maps. In almost every case the photographs and maps are well chosen. The only exceptions are the photograph on the bottom of page 72, which is not clear, and the repetition of the same map on pages 14 and 16. Otherwise, I thought the selection of photos was excellent. Personally, I was especially interested in the photos on page 70 showing the cutting of ice from the river. The captions are informative and well written with only a few errors. France "agreed to withdraw its settlements from the New World" in the Treaty of 1763 (p. 13), but in actuality France continued to hold two islands off the coast of Newfoundland and had possessions in the West Indies. Two errors found in the guidebook are also present. Cabet's novel was published in 1839 not 1845 (p. 55) and William Henry Harrison was never governor of the Louisiana Territory (p. 16). A minor typographical error (the only one I caught) has an "s" separated from the rest of the word "seven" (p. 117).

All three books are excellent additions to the history of Nauvoo and the Mormons in Illinois and would be solid choices for school libraries and personal collections of Illinois history.

Rand Burnette is a Professor Emeritus of History at MacMurray College and a frequent visitor to Nauvoo over the past 45 years.

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