1820: Dawning of the Restoration

What was the world like in 1820? Written to commemorate the bicentennial of the First Vision, this new book introduces the vision and the Restoration of the gospel within a global setting. Seeking to capture the qualities and essential meanings of the age, Richard Bennett explores what he calls the “four dominant constellations in the skies of early nineteenth century history”—namely, revolution and reform, Romanticism, emancipation and independence, and religious revivalism.

From Napoleon to Beethoven to Bolivar, 1820: Dawning of the Restoration is a biographical examination of “the year of our Lord 1820” as it broke upon a weary world that was cautiously seeking new hopes, new dreams, and bold new visions—including Joseph Smith’s.