WHAT IS MORMONISM? A STUDENT'S INTRODUCTION. By Patrick Q.Mason. London and New York: Routledge, 2017. Pp. x + 265. Hardback, $180.00; Paperback, $56.99.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the various aspects of Mormonism, focusing on the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After the first chapter—a semi-fictional account of a week in the life of an idealized Mormon family—the rest of the book is written in a more conventional scholarly fashion, with three chapters devoted to the history of Mormonism from the time of its founder, Joseph Smith (1805–1844), to the present. Each of the three chapters opens with a focus on a particular person, followed by a chronological presentation of Mormon church history. This is followed by chapters on the various scriptures of Mormonism, the ways of establishing authority, the characteristic beliefs of Mormonism, and the forms of Mormon religious practice. The last two chapters discuss the globalization of the religion, using Mason's fieldwork in Romania as a case study, and the non-mainstream communities (namely, the Community of Christ and fundamentalist Mormonism). In several chapters, Mason also discusses the reception of Mormonism by scholars as well as its critics. Controversies related to Mormonism are presented in a nonpartisan manner, while Mason shows an obvious (but understandable) distaste for anti-Mormon stereotypes. The book is illustrated with a number of pictures and the text is interspersed with many quotations. What is Mormonism? is a very informative, accessible, and entertaining book for anyone who wants a solid basic knowledge of Mormonism, not just the undergraduate students for whom the book is intended.