Each year the descendants of former Brigham Young University president George H. Brimhall honor the founders of the university by sponsoring the Brimhall Essay Contest. Held in conjunction with the university's Homecoming celebrations, the contest is designed to introduce students to the individuals who have helped to shape Brigham Young University’s unique institutional character.
The L. Tom Perry Special Collections preserves and makes available a range of manuscript and archival resources documenting the contributions of the university's founders. A bibliography of related materials is available below. If you would like to learn more about the resources available for this year's founder, contact the University Archivist.
Manuscript Materials
The L. Tom Perry Special Collections includes a variety of manuscript materials produced by James E. Talmage and his family, documenting his education, career, and church service. Additional materials may be available in the Church History Library or other repositories. At Brigham Young University, our collections include:
James E. Talmage papers (MSS 229; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss229)
James E. Talmage letter (MSS 7663; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss7663)
James E. Talmage letter to Joseph F. Smith (MSS 7718; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss7718)
James E. Talmage letter to Joseph Langhorn (MSS 3835; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss3835)
James E. Talmage voice recording (MSS 4233; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss4233)
James E. Talmage photographs (MSS 3042; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss3042)
James E. Talmage photographs (MSS P 21; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mssp21)
James E. and Merry May Booth Talmage letters (MSS 8324; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss8324)
James E. and Merry May Booth Talmage family stories and recollections (MSS 8858; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss8858)
Photographs of James E. Talmage, Merry May Booth Talmage and missionaries from the European Mission (MSS 8275; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss8275)
Shannon Howells collection on James and May Booth Talmage family (MSS 8863; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/ltpsc/resources/upb_mss8863)
Merry May Booth Talmage papers (MSS 1607; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/7005)
Secondary Sources
James E. Talmage has also been the subject of a number of biographies, sketches, and historical analyses that may be of use. Some of the more relevant titles include:
"Doctor James E. Talmage," Improvement Era 15 (February 1912): 347-349 (https://archive.org/details/improvementera1504unse/page/346/mode/2up)
James E. Talmage: The Story Behind Jesus the Christ (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 2015)
Melvin J. Ballard, "Dr. James E. Talmage," Improvement Era 36 (September 1933): 647-648 (https://archive.org/details/improvementera3611unse/page/n7/mode/2up)
Richard E. Bennett, "'How Long, Oh Lord, How Long?' James E. Talmage and the Great War," Religious Educator 3, no. 1 (2002): 87-101 (https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-3-no-1-2002/how-long-oh-lord-how-long-james-e-talmage-great-war)
Richard E. Bennett and Thomas G. Alexander, "James E. Talmage and the Great War : An Examination of His Views and Attitudes" in Times of Transition: Proceedings of the 2000 Symposium of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, Brigham Young University, 2003): 139-146
David L. Clark, "James E. Talmage's Paleontological Solution for a Theologic Controversy," Mormon Historical Studies 22, no. 2 (2021): 73-80 (http://erl.lib.byu.edu/login/?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.erl.lib.byu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=31h&AN=155535353&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
John Henry Evans, "Elder James Edward Talmage," Juvenile Instructor 47 (January 1912): 7-9 (https://archive.org/details/juvenileinstruct471geor/page/6/mode/2up)
Bryant S. Hinckley, "James E. Talmage," Improvement Era 35 (July 1932): 522-525, 567 (https://archive.org/details/improvementera3509unse/page/n11/mode/2up)
Margaret Horspool, James Edward Talmage: The Scientist and His Religion (Provo: Brigham Young University, 1970)
Bradley Kime, "Exhibiting Theology: James E. Talmage and Mormon Public Relations, 1915-20," Journal of Mormon History 40, no. 1 (Winter 2014): 208-238 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/24243876)
Brian Ricks, "James E. Talmage and the Doctrine of the Godhead," Religious Educator 13, no. 2 (2012): 85-210 (https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-13-no-2-2012/james-e-talmage-doctrine-godhead)
Brian Ricks, "James E. Talmage and the Nature of the Godhead: The Gradual Unfolding of Latter-day Saint Theology" (M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 2007) (https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/1181/)
Dennis Rowley, "Fishing on the Kennet : The Victorian Boyhood of James E. Talmage, 1862-1876," BYU Studies 33, no. 3 (1993): 480-520 (https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/fishing-on-the-kennet-the-victorian-boyhood-of-james-e-talmage-18621876/)
Dennis Rowley, "Inner Dialogue: James Talmage's Choice of Science as a Career, 1876-84," Dialogue 17, no. 2 (Summer 1984): 112-130 (https://www.dialoguejournal.com/articles/inner-dialogue-james-talmages-choice-of-science-as-a-career-1876-84/)
Gregory Kevin Seppi, "James E. Talmage and Scientific Consulting in Early Modern Utah," BYU Studies Quarterly 59, no. 1 (2020): 183-212 (https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/james-e-talmage-and-scientific-consulting-early-modern-utah)
Craig S. Smith, "James E. Talmage and the 1895 Deseret Museum Expedition to Southern Utah," Utah Historical Quarterly 84, no. 2 (Spring 2016): 136-151 (http://utahhistory.sdlhost.com/#/item/000000115006000/)
John R. Talmage, The Talmage Story: Life of James E. Talmage - Educator, Scientist, Apostle (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1972)
Grant Larsen Wilson, "The Life and Educational Contributions of James Edward Talmage" (M.S. thesis, University of Utah, 1958)
Albert L. Zobell Jr., "The Life of James E. Talmage," Improvement Era 65 (November 1962): 812-814 (https://archive.org/details/improvementera6511unse/page/n45/mode/2up)
