"When <i>The Gathering of Zion</i> was first published in 1964, Ray A. Billington wrote, "Wallace Stegner has written the best single volume to appear on the Mormon migration westward. . . . His sensitivity to human beings and his ability to understand the spirit motivating the oft-persecuted Latter Day Saints allow him insights missed by earlier writers. . . . [Stegner draws on] scores of printed and unprinted diaries kept by the Saints, and has used these very personal documents to pinpoint events that take on new meaning when viewed through the eyes of commonplace mortals."—<i>Book Week</i> "Even those who have a minimal interest in trails, covered wagons, and the West will find <i>The Gathering of Zion</i> abundantly worth their while; and the Mormons too might profit by meditating upon Mr. Stegner's thoughtful comments on their faith, their society, and their history."—<i>Saturday Review</i>