Within These Prison Walls

Lorenzo Snow's Record Book 1886-1897

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
Appendix: Individuals Mentioned in the Record Book
Index