With the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith has come the publishing of many books about this prominent historical figure.

The 34th annual Sydney B. Sperry Symposium, sponsored by BYU and the Church Educational System, focused on the teachings, experiences and history of Joseph Smith. Full text of the talks given during the Symposium were published in Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration: The 34th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium.

Also newly published by Deseret Book is Joseph: Exploring the Life and Ministry of the Prophet, another compilation of the lectures of 33 Latter-day Saint scholars.

Students at BYU-Idaho said that reading about Joseph Smith’s life helps to enrich their own lives.

Kendra Saxton, a Junior from Sacramento, Calif., read Joseph Smith and the Restoration.

“When I think about Joseph Smith and everything he did for the Church, I am so grateful for all of the trials and pain and suffering that he experienced for us,” Saxton said. “It’s really important to learn about Joseph Smith’s life because if his story isn’t true, if the First Vision didn’t happen, the Church didn’t happen.”

To Elizabeth Summers, Joseph Smith’s sacrifices apply personally.

“I had an ancestor in the Willy Martin Handcart Company, and so I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for him and his influence on those early saints,” said Summers, a freshman from Highlands, Texas.

Students can look forward to the release of many other books before the end of the year for deeper insight into the life of Joseph Smith.