Eleanor Knowles Laney (Feb 28, 1932-July 17, 2010) was a vice president of Deseret Book and an author and editor who wrote many Mormon related books and was a key figure in the LDS Editions of the scriptures published in 1979-1981.
Knowles was born and raised in Ogden, Utah. She graduated from Ogden High School and then attended the University of Utah where she boarded with John A. Widtsoe and his wife Leah. After a year there she transferred to Utah State University where she eventually became the campus newspaper editor.
From 1954-1959 Knowles worked for the Deseret News. She then moved to New York City where she edited Supervisory Management and then worked for Cornell University Medical School. She was president of the Young Women (Organization) of the New York New York Stake while there.
Knowles returned to Utah in 1965 to serve as an editor with the Improvement Era. In 1969 she joined Deseret Book as the first full-time editor. She later became a vice president of that company. During these years Knowles served as a member of the general board of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association.
Knowles wrote biographies of Howard W. Hunter and William James Critchlow, Jr. She also wrote many articles for the Ensign and edited books by many General Authorities. Knowles retired from Deseret Book in 1994.
In February 2007 Knowles married Richard B. Laney, a former editorial editor of the Deseret News in the Bountiful Temple.