Relief Society Magazine
Relief Society Magazine, including the Relief Society Bulletin of 1914,[1] was the official publication of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1915 to 1970. It succeeded the earlier, and privately owned, Woman's Exponent, which was begun in 1872. The magazine was an important publishing outlet for Utah women, and was run by women editors. The founding editor, Susa Young Gates, edited the magazine from 1915 to 1922.
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 Relief Society Magazine cover 1917 | |
| Categories | Religion |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founder | Susa Young Gates |
| Year founded | 1915 |
| Final issue Number | December 1970 Vol 57 No 12 |
| Company | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The December 1970 issue of the Relief Society Magazine was its last. The LDS Church discontinued the magazine as part of the implementation of the Priesthood Correlation Program. Thus, the magazine, and several others within the church, was replaced by the Ensign.[2]
Editors
- Susa Young Gates (1915–22) (she was also editor of the Relief Society Bulletin)
- Clarissa Smith Williams (1923–28)
- Alice Louise Reynolds (1928–30)
- Mary Connelly Kimball (1930–37)
- Belle S. Spafford (1937–45)
- Marianne C. Sharp (1945–70)
Associate Editors
- Alice Louise Reynolds (1923–28)
- Louise Y. Robison (1933–34)
- Marianne C. Sharp (1943–45)
- Vesta P. Crawford (1945–70)
Circulation
Statistics come from "A History of the Relief Society Magazine."[3]
| Year | Subscribers |
|---|---|
| 1930 | 26,509 |
| 1931 | 24,956 |
| 1932 | 20,012 |
| 1933 | 24,157 |
| 1935 | 35,899 |
| 1937 | 41,721 |
| 1941 | 55,500 |
| 1943 | 57,000 |
| 1945 | 73,000 |
| 1947 | 83,000 |
| 1967 | 260,000 |
Notes
- The guides and bulletins of 1914, although not officially part of the magazine, were bound as the first volume. See "About the Relief Society Magazine Index".
- Sharp, Marianne Clark, "Editorial: Facing Forward", Relief Society Magazine, December 1970, pp. 894-95.
- Mann, Patricia Ann (August 1971), A History of the Relief Society Magazine, 1914-1970, Master's thesis, Provo, Utah: Department of Communications, Brigham Young University
References
- Barney, Sarah Walker (August 1993), Nursing and Health Care Among Mormon Women: An Analysis of the Relief Society Magazine, 1914-1930, Master's thesis, Provo, Utah: College of Nursing, Brigham Young University.
- Clark, Carol L. (1992), "The Relief Society Magazine, 1914-1970", in Cornwall, Marie; Anderson, Dawn Hall (eds.), Women Steadfast in Christ: Talks Selected from the 1991 Women's Conference Co-Sponsored by Brigham Young University and the Relief Society, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 0-87579-597-8.
- Mann, Patricia Ann (August 1971), A History of the Relief Society Magazine, 1914-1970, Master's thesis, Provo, Utah: Department of Communications, Brigham Young University.
- Sharp, Marianne Clark (1992), "Relief Society Magazine", in Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, p. 477, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140
External links
- The Relief Society Magazine (PDF scans) courtesy of the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University and the Internet Archive.
- An index of the major categories in the Relief Society Magazine is provided courtesy of the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
This BYU Library holds one of the largest collections of the magazine.
- An index to poetry and prose in the Relief Society Magazine is available through the Mormon Literature and Creative Arts Database of Brigham Young University.