Craig Smith (Juvenile Instructor publishing history), 11/10/25
We are pleased to announce that Craig Smith will be here to speak about The Juvenile Instructor Office: The Growth of Specialized Publishing in Utah in the 1880s (published by Greg Kofford Books) on Wednesday, November 12. He will be here from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., will speak at 6:00, and answer questions and sign books before and after that time. To RSVP on Facebook, click here.
Discover the untold story of a pioneering force in Western American publishing. In The Juvenile Instructor Office: The Growth of Specialized Publishing in Utah in the 1880s, Craig S. Smith uncovers the vibrant, largely overlooked history of Mormonism’s early publishing ventures in nineteenth-century Utah. At the heart of this transformation was the Juvenile Instructor Office—a small but ambitious press that evolved from a youth's magazine into one of the largest Mormon publishing operations of its time. With vivid historical detail and engaging narrative, Smith traces how George Q. Cannon and his successors built a powerful cultural institution that shaped the reading lives of a growing faith community amid national scrutiny and local challenges.
Part history, part annotated bibliography, and wholly enlightening, this book also provides an extensive catalog of the office’s diverse publications—from Sunday School cards to bound catechisms and spiritual treatises. Ideal for historians, bibliophiles, and anyone interested in the intersection of faith, media, and regional identity, The Juvenile Instructor Office offers fresh insights into how one press helped define the literary voice of a people. It’s a vital addition to the study of both American religious publishing and Utah’s cultural development during a pivotal era.
Craig S. Smith is a retired archaeologist living in the Salt Lake Valley. He is an avid book collector with a focus on Utah and Mormon-related works, particularly nineteenth-century printing in Utah. He has collected items published by the Juvenile Instructor Office for the past twenty-five years.
The Juvenile Instructor Office: The Growth of Specialized Publishing in Utah in the 1880s. Greg Kofford Books. Hardback. Limited to 400 copies. $99.95. To purchase a copy online, click here.
Also by Craig Smith
The Selected Letters of Juanita Brooks. University of Utah Press, 2019. Hardback. Reg. $45, SALE $12.99.
Shipping: $8.00 for the first book—inquire for rates on multiple book orders
Priority/FedEx/UPS options available–inquire for details.
Utah residents–add 7.45% sales tax