The Review of Books on the Book of Mormon was established in 1989 by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), with Daniel C. Peterson as founding editor-in-chief. It was renamed to FARMS Review of Books in 1996,[4] to FARMS Review in 2003,[5] and finally to Mormon Studies Review in 2011,[6][7] as the FARMS brand had been phased out[6] after being absorbed into the Maxwell Institute in 2006.[8]
Under Peterson's editorship, the journal specialized in Latter-day Saint apologetics.[9] When FARMS joined with BYU in 1997, Peterson said to the Salt Lake Tribune, "FARMS has often had a polemical edge and we are curious to see how or whether that will be accommodated."[10]
Reboot
In 2012, Peterson was removed as editor and the journal entered hiatus as it sought to become more mainstream to Mormon studies.[9] In March 2013, the Maxwell Institute announced the journal would relaunch as a new religious studiesreview journal, without a primary focus on apologetics. J. Spencer Fluhman, from BYU's department of history, was appointed editor-in-chief with a new broad-based advisory board.[11][12][13][14] The new Review changed from biannual to annual publication, and it restarted its numbering, beginning at volume 1 in 2014, signifying its change in editorial direction as a new publication.[15][11]
After publishing six volumes, the Maxwell Institute transferred ownership of the Review to the University of Illinois Press.[1][2] As of 2025, the University of Illinois continues to publish the Review.[3]
