Aspen Books

Aspen Books Aspen Books was created in 1990, with the aim of publishing fine books for Latter-Day Saints.

Over the years Aspen Books has published works by Church leaders, Pulitzer Prize winners, and New York Times #1 best-sellers.

When Lorenzo Snow walked up the temple stairs alone in 1898, he had no idea he would encounter the glorified Savior stan...
03/11/2025

When Lorenzo Snow walked up the temple stairs alone in 1898, he had no idea he would encounter the glorified Savior standing before him—a divine meeting that would not only transform his life but establish a new pattern of immediate prophetic succession during one of the Church's darkest financial hours.

During this sacred encounter, the Savior instructed him to immediately reorganize the First Presidency rather than waiting the customary period—guidance that Snow promptly followed. Though he rarely shared the full details publicly, this profound experience occurred when the Church faced severe financial difficulties and needed decisive leadership.

Snow's subsequent powerful testimony that "as surely as the sun shines... just so sure is it that Jesus lives" carried the weight of personal witness, reinforcing the belief that Christ actively directs His Church through living prophets and establishing a pattern of immediate leadership succession that continues today.

In the blood-soaked trenches of World War I, Lieutenant Hugh B. Brown emerged as an unexpected champion of religious lib...
03/07/2025

In the blood-soaked trenches of World War I, Lieutenant Hugh B. Brown emerged as an unexpected champion of religious liberty when his superiors attempted to silence Latter-day Saint worship services among the troops.

The young Canadian officer, commissioned in the 13th Canadian Mounted Rifles despite the fading relevance of cavalry in modern warfare, risked everything by formally challenging his commanders' discriminatory orders—a bold move that triggered court-martial proceedings against him. Just when his military career seemed destined for ruin, a reviewing general unexpectedly ruled in Brown's favor, establishing a precedent for religious freedom that would echo throughout his life. Death nearly claimed him in France when enemy fire took down his horse from beneath him, a brush with mortality that transformed the young officer's spiritual outlook.

These defining wartime experiences—standing alone against authority, witnessing the horrors of combat, and surviving by what he considered divine providence—forged the uncompromising moral courage that would later propel Brown from military service into becoming one of the most intellectually formidable voices in the highest councils of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

When a legal expert tried to narrow his moral obligations with a single question, Jesus responded with a story that woul...
03/07/2025

When a legal expert tried to narrow his moral obligations with a single question, Jesus responded with a story that would forever expand humanity's understanding of compassion across enemy lines.

After correctly identifying that eternal life requires loving God wholeheartedly and one's neighbor as oneself, he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"—hoping for a definition that would restrict his responsibilities. In response, Jesus told the story of a Jewish traveler brutally attacked on the dangerous Jerusalem-Jericho road and abandoned by passing religious leaders—a priest and a Levite—despite their sacred duties. Unexpectedly, a Samaritan—considered an enemy by Jews—stopped, treated the man's wounds, transported him to safety, and even paid for his ongoing care. When Jesus asked who acted as a neighbor, the lawyer reluctantly acknowledged "he who showed mercy," unable to even say "the Samaritan."

With the simple instruction, "Go and do likewise," Jesus demolished ethnic, religious, and social boundaries, redefining "neighbor" not as a limited category of people but as anyone in need, and "neighborliness" not as a feeling but as practical compassion that crosses social divides and involves personal sacrifice.

In the spring of 1836, the Latter-day Saints celebrated the completion of their first temple in Kirtland, Ohio - a magni...
03/06/2025

In the spring of 1836, the Latter-day Saints celebrated the completion of their first temple in Kirtland, Ohio - a magnificent building that represented years of sacrifice, with members even crushing their own fine china into the plaster to make the walls shimmer.

On March 27, nearly a thousand people gathered for the dedication service, where Joseph Smith offered a solemn prayer. What followed, according to those present, was extraordinary: people reported hearing sounds like rushing wind, seeing angels among the congregation, and witnessing a pillar of fire above the temple. The congregation's powerful rendering of "The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning" filled the temple's halls. A week later, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery reported an even more profound experience - a series of divine visitations in the temple, including Jesus Christ and biblical prophets Moses and Elijah.

These events, which strengthened the faith of the early Latter-day Saints despite the persecution they faced, marked a pivotal moment in their history, and the Kirtland Temple still stands today as a testament to those remarkable spring days in 1836.

In the spring of 1848, as thousands of LDS pioneers faced starvation in their new desert home, nature staged a dramatic ...
03/06/2025

In the spring of 1848, as thousands of LDS pioneers faced starvation in their new desert home, nature staged a dramatic intervention that would be remembered as nothing less than a miracle.

Just one year after Brigham Young led the first settlers to the Salt Lake Valley, their survival was threatened when massive swarms of crickets descended upon their crucial crops. Despite desperate efforts to combat the insects using sticks, trenches, and fire, the pioneers faced imminent starvation as their fields were rapidly consumed. Their deliverance came unexpectedly when flocks of California gulls appeared and began systematically devouring the crickets—even regurgitating to continue their feast until the pests were eliminated.

The grateful pioneers interpreted this timely intervention as divine providence, and the event has remained central to Latter-day Saint heritage, commemorated by the Seagull Monument in Temple Square (erected in 1913) and honored by Utah's designation of the California gull as its state bird in 1955.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Come Unto Christ

Missionary Impossible is a wonderful game for the family! You can buy it through our website in our bio or through Amazo...
03/05/2025

Missionary Impossible is a wonderful game for the family! You can buy it through our website in our bio or through Amazon here! https://buff.ly/Q76Vqjd

In 1912 Stockholm, as seasoned athletes from around the world prepared for Olympic glory, a farm boy from Parowan, Utah ...
03/05/2025

In 1912 Stockholm, as seasoned athletes from around the world prepared for Olympic glory, a farm boy from Parowan, Utah stood quietly among them—a stranger to formal training but possessing an extraordinary gift no one had yet recognized, not even himself.

Alma Wilford Richards never dreamed of Olympic gold. Born in 1890 to a humble farming family, his hands were calloused from labor, not from gripping medals. Education took a backseat to survival, yet Richards harbored a thirst for knowledge that led him to Beaver Branch Agricultural College with ambitions of becoming an engineer.

Fate intervened when an observant teacher noticed something special in the way the lanky young man moved. "You should try track and field," the teacher suggested—words that would alter the course of Richards' life forever.

With barely any formal training, Richards found himself on a ship to Stockholm as part of the 1912 U.S. Olympic team. He wasn't a favorite; he wasn't even a known entity. Yet when the high jump competition began, something remarkable happened.

As established jumpers faltered, Richards cleared 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters)—a height that secured him the gold medal and etched his name in history as the first Latter-day Saint Olympic champion.

His victory wasn't just personal triumph; it was living proof that greatness can emerge from the most unexpected places. Richards didn't have elite coaching or state-of-the-art facilities—just raw talent, determination, and one person who believed in him.

Though he passed away in 1963, Alma Richards' legacy endures in Utah's Sports Hall of Fame and in the hearts of underdogs everywhere who dare to leap higher than their circumstances suggest possible.

Come Unto Christ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints BYU

In the darkest hour of a raging storm, one apostle dared to attempt the impossible… and momentarily succeeded until he m...
03/04/2025

In the darkest hour of a raging storm, one apostle dared to attempt the impossible… and momentarily succeeded until he made the crucial mistake that still challenges believers today.

Following Jesus' miracle of feeding five thousand, the apostles crossed the Sea of Galilee alone while Jesus prayed on a mountain. When a violent storm threatened their boat in the darkness, Jesus appeared walking on the turbulent waters—initially terrifying the apostles, who mistook him for a ghost. Upon recognizing their Master, the impulsive Peter boldly requested to join Jesus on the water and, at Christ's invitation, stepped out in faith and briefly experienced the miracle of walking on the waves himself. However, when Peter shifted his attention from Jesus to the howling winds and churning seas around him, fear overcame faith, and he began to sink. His desperate cry, "Lord, save me!" brought immediate rescue as Jesus caught him with the gentle rebuke, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Their return to the boat brought instant calm to the storm and profound worship from the disciples, who declared, "Truly you are the Son of God"—a testament to how faith enables miracles when focused on Christ rather than circumstances. (Matt. 14:22-33)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Come Unto Christ

Orphaned during wartime and forced to flee her homeland, Nora Siu Yuen Koot found not just a new religion, but a calling...
03/04/2025

Orphaned during wartime and forced to flee her homeland, Nora Siu Yuen Koot found not just a new religion, but a calling that would make her the unlikely cornerstone of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout East Asia.

After fleeing mainland China during the Civil War in 1949, she encountered Latter-day Saint missionaries in Hong Kong, becoming the first Chinese convert there in 1950. When geopolitical tensions forced missionaries to withdraw in 1951, Nora independently maintained the small congregation until the Church's return in 1955.

Her dedication led to her historic appointment as one of the first local missionaries in 1957, where she established crucial programs and mentored future leaders across Hong Kong and Taiwan before eventually emigrating to America, marrying, and raising a family while remaining active in her faith until her passing in 2011.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Come Unto Christ

Sixteen ordinary stones became the catalyst for one of history's most profound divine encounters. When the Brother of Ja...
03/03/2025

Sixteen ordinary stones became the catalyst for one of history's most profound divine encounters. When the Brother of Jared asked God to make them glow, he didn't just receive light for his journey—he witnessed the unveiled presence of Deity itself.

When faced with the dilemma of lighting enclosed vessels for an ocean journey, he crafted sixteen clear stones and boldly asked God to touch them with His finger to make them shine. This act of faith resulted in one of scripture's most profound divine manifestations—the Brother of Jared not only witnessed the Lord's finger but was granted a vision of the premortal Christ in His full glory.

This remarkable account teaches that God often invites us to participate in solving our problems and that genuine faith can part the veil between heaven and earth. After this transcendent experience, the Jaredites embarked on their 344-day journey across the ocean, guided by divine winds to their promised land.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Come Unto Christ

“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”...
03/01/2025

“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” – Russell M. Nelson

When 2,000 inexperienced young men volunteered to face seasoned warriors on the battlefield, their commander feared a ma...
02/28/2025

When 2,000 inexperienced young men volunteered to face seasoned warriors on the battlefield, their commander feared a massacre. Instead, he witnessed the impossible—though bloodied and wounded, not a single one fell. Their secret weapon? An unshakable belief in their mothers' teaching that God would preserve them if they did not doubt.

These 2,000 young men, sons of converted Lamanites who had sworn never to take up weapons again, voluntarily fought to defend their families and the Nephites during a desperate war. Led by the prophet Helaman, they entered battle with absolute faith that God would protect them—a belief instilled by their mothers. Despite their youth and inexperience, they fought with extraordinary valor and determination.

What makes their story truly miraculous is that through multiple fierce battles where they faced overwhelming odds and suffered many wounds, not a single one of these 2,000 warriors perished.

Due to its breathtaking architecture and location, the San Diego Temple is one of the most photographed LDS temples in t...
02/27/2025

Due to its breathtaking architecture and location, the San Diego Temple is one of the most photographed LDS temples in the world. The temple's striking, futuristic design sets it apart from most other LDS temples. With its bright white exterior and two towering spires, it looks almost like a castle.

The son of Utah pioneers who became a Naval Academy graduate couldn't have known his final test of leadership would come...
02/27/2025

The son of Utah pioneers who became a Naval Academy graduate couldn't have known his final test of leadership would come while bleeding out on the deck of a sinking battleship, with history and the eyes of his crew upon him.

Captain Mervyn Sharp Bennion, born in 1887 in Vernon, Utah Territory, graduated near the top of his class from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1910 and rose to command the battleship USS West Virginia by 1941. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he demonstrated extraordinary heroism – despite being mortally wounded by shrapnel from a bomb that hit the nearby USS Tennessee, he refused to leave his post on the bridge and continued directing his ship's defense until he died from his injuries.

His unwavering dedication to duty earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor, and the Navy later commissioned a destroyer, the USS Bennion, in his honor.

In 1968 Ghana, Billy Johnson received a Book of Mormon from his friend Frank Mensah and began establishing unofficial La...
02/26/2025

In 1968 Ghana, Billy Johnson received a Book of Mormon from his friend Frank Mensah and began establishing unofficial Latter-day Saint congregations despite having no official Church presence in the country.

Following spiritual visions and promptings, he left his career to dedicate himself to missionary work, losing his marriage but gaining support from his mother Matilda. In Cape Coast, he established the "cocoa-shed church" where hundreds gathered to worship. Through years of persecution and tempting offers from other churches promising financial security, Billy remained faithful, refusing to abandon his beliefs even when faced with imprisonment or pressure from his own congregation.

His persistence was finally rewarded in 1978 when, guided by a spiritual prompting to listen to the BBC radio, he heard the news that the priesthood would be extended to all worthy men regardless of race - a moment that brought him to tears as he realized priesthood authority would finally come to Ghana.

In the fall of 1823, a young Joseph Smith experienced something extraordinary in his family's farmhouse in upstate New Y...
02/26/2025

In the fall of 1823, a young Joseph Smith experienced something extraordinary in his family's farmhouse in upstate New York. An angel named Moroni appeared to him, revealing the location of ancient golden plates buried in a nearby hill called Cumorah.

Though he found the plates the very next day, it would take four years of preparation before he was allowed to retrieve them. In 1827, finally in possession of the plates, Joseph and his wife Emma moved to Pennsylvania to begin the challenging work of translation. Using stones he described as the Urim and Thummim, Joseph dictated the text to various scribes, most notably Oliver Cowdery, who helped complete most of the work in an intensive three-month period in 1829. Despite a significant setback when his first scribe, Martin Harris, lost 116 pages of the manuscript, the work progressed. Before returning the plates to the angel, Joseph allowed several witnesses to see them – three men claimed to see them through divine manifestation, while eight others reported physically handling them.

By March 1830, the Book of Mormon was published in Palmyra, New York, leading to the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which would grow from a small group of believers into a worldwide religious movement.

In a time of crisis for the Nephite nation, Captain Moroni emerged as a pivotal leader when both external enemies and in...
02/25/2025

In a time of crisis for the Nephite nation, Captain Moroni emerged as a pivotal leader when both external enemies and internal dissent threatened their freedom. As the Lamanites pressed at their borders and a charismatic rebel named Amalickiah schemed to become king, Moroni took dramatic action to unite his people.

In a powerful symbolic gesture, he tore his coat and transformed it into what became known as the Title of Liberty, inscribing upon it words that would rally his nation: "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." This makeshift banner became a powerful symbol of resistance and unity, as Moroni raised it high and called upon his fellow Nephites to defend their freedoms, families, and faith. The people responded with passionate commitment, tearing their own clothes and pledging their lives to the cause.

Under Moroni's strategic leadership, the Nephites successfully defeated Amalickiah's forces, and the Title of Liberty endured as a testament to how principled leadership and unwavering conviction can unite people in defense of their most cherished values.

From eighth-string quarterback to first-ballot Hall of Famer, Steve Young's career wasn't just about waiting for his mom...
02/24/2025

From eighth-string quarterback to first-ballot Hall of Famer, Steve Young's career wasn't just about waiting for his moment—it was about what he did when that moment finally arrived.

After being eighth-string at BYU and struggling with Tampa Bay, he spent four years as Joe Montana's backup in San Francisco, even earning a law degree during this waiting period.

When finally starting at age 30, Young excelled as a dual-threat quarterback, winning six passing titles and two MVPs. His defining moment came in 1995 with a six-touchdown Super Bowl MVP performance.

Young never had a losing season as a starter and retired with the highest quarterback rating in NFL history, entering the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection alongside Dan Marino.

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