Bookcraft

Bookcraft was a major publisher of books and products for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

In 1940, LDS Church president Heber J. Grant asked the church's Improvement Era magazine to compile his sermons into a book called Gospel Standards. Compiler G. Homer Durham published it in 1941 as "An Improvement Era Publication", rather than through Deseret Book, the church's official book publisher. During production, Grant suggested that the magazine's staff should start a new LDS publishing company, separate from Deseret Book. In 1942, the Era's business manager, John Kenneth Orton, started Bookcraft as a private publishing house in Salt Lake City, Utah.

When Durham presented a later manuscript to the Era, church leadership restricted book publishing to Deseret Book. John A. Widtsoe and Richard L. Evans, staff members of the Era and early supporters of Bookcraft, referred Durham to Orton's new publishing house. The Gospel Kingdom, Durham's compilation of John Taylor's teachings, was Bookcraft's first major venture in 1943.

Bookcraft remained an Orton family business. When John K. Orton retired to Arizona in 1946, Marvin Wallin became the company's general manager. When Orton died in 1959, ownership passed to his wife. When she died in 1980, the Ortons' son Russell took over with his sister-in-law, Diane Orton.

With growth, Bookcraft relocated to new facilities in 1947. In 1969, it moved again to a West Valley City location between Mountain States Bindery and Publisher's Press, the businesses that actually printed and produced Bookcraft's publications. Bookcraft expanded again into new facilities in 1977.

Though independent, Bookcraft established itself as a quasi-official publisher of conservative, faith-promoting works, and was very careful to follow church leadership. Bookcraft eventually became large enough to compete with Deseret Book's lower publishing costs, and become the second largest LDS publisher.

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