SALT LAKE CITY — President Thomas S. Monson was a beautiful baby.
He was also a handsome bridegroom and made a dashing sailor.
It's all evident in the pictures currently posted on the store wall in the window of Deseret Book's flagship store downtown.
The pictures are just some of the 160 photographs in the LDS prophet's new book, "To The Rescue," scheduled for release Sept. 27.
"We have these flagship windows that we can use to highlight various events and products," Steve Willes, vice president of marketing, said.
"The last window honored
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and their 100 most-requested CD. It seemed logical to have this window honor President Monson."
Willes said the work on the window started three months ago and involved not only culling the photographs for the wall but negotiating for the loan of a Platen printing press from the Crandall Historic Printing Museum in Provo and the original pulpit from President Monson's home ward — the 6th-7th Ward in Salt Lake City — from the Church History Department, the pulpit where he stood to give his first talk more than 70 years ago and where he often came to talk with the Lord in prayer after he was called to be the bishop.
In addition, there is a 3D partial model of the prophet's childhood home and a video window with selected moments and choice stories.
The result is a space where one can take a virtual walk down President Monson's memory lane, reading little stories and anecdotes that go with the pictures, the diplomas and the map of Germany — where he once traveled to bless Inge Burkhardt, a woman in serious need.
"The title 'To the Rescue' is very appropriate," Willes said. "The whole book is full of stories about service. He is all about service. It's very colorful and fun to read."
The pictures include a shot of President Monson catching a spectacular big fish, wedding pictures and one of his sober face the day he was in the audience awaiting the announcement of his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was 36 years old.
"Most of these are from his personal collection, photos no one in the general public has ever seen," Willes said.
The old, hand-fed printing press is like the one that President Monson's dad and ultimately President Monson used when they worked at the Deseret News. There is a picture of G. Spencer Monson on the table.
President Monson is aware that the window display is up. He participated in the process and approved the items included.
"It was a fun process to go through. We wanted pieces that would delight the viewers," Willes said.
The window will be on display until November.
e-mail: haddoc@desnews.com