Smithsonian magazine features a new biography titled "Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet." The work examines the LDS Church founder's life from his early visions through his 1844 assassination in Illinois. The biography appears to take a scholarly approach to Smith's claims of divine revelation, his establishment of the Church, his practice of polygamy, and his brief presidential campaign. The Smithsonian platform gives the work significant mainstream visibility beyond Mormon and ex-Mormon circles.