In this comprehensive biography, learn about the ups and downs of W. W. Phelps –– early Latter-day Saint leader, printer, scribe, ghostwriter, and monumental hymn writer. He printed the Book of Commandments and other early standard works. He was one of the "council of presidents" that guided the Church in Kirtland and helped publish the newspaper in Nauvoo. As political clerk, he assisted Joseph Smith in his roles as mayor of Nauvoo and contender for the U.S. presidency. Phelps also played a key role in the Council of Fifty. He went west with the Saints, helped propose the "State of Deseret," and published prose and poetry in the Deseret News and his Deseret Almanac. Phelp's strong feelings sometimes put him at odds with Church leaders, and he was excommunicated three times, rejoining each time.