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The Joseph Smith Papers

Summary

The Joseph Smith Papers (or Joseph Smith Papers Project) is a documentary editing project to collect, research, and publish all documents created by, or under the direction of, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Documents are published online alongside transcriptions and annotations, with selections also published in 27 printed volumes.

The Joseph Smith Papers
Cover of first published volume
AuthorJoseph Smith, Jr.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreReligious writings
Published2008–2023
PublisherChurch Historian's Press
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)[note 1]
Media typePrint and online (with the latter at JosephSmithPapers.org)

The project began in 2001,[1] published its first printed volume in 2008 and released its final printed volume in 2023; as of 2024, the project continues to publish digital content. The Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) sponsored the project; the department's imprint, the Church Historian's Press, published the website and printed volumes.[2]

History of the project edit

After Smith's death in 1844, a collection of his papers was carried west by Brigham Young and other church leaders. Some significant documents remained with Smith's widow, Emma, and others, such as John Whitmer. Many of these were not published until years later by the LDS Church, the Community of Christ, and independent researchers.[3]

The "roots" of the project began in the late 1960s when Truman G. Madsen invited Dean C. Jessee, then an employee of the Church Historian's Office, to contribute documents relating to Joseph Smith and early Mormonism to issues of BYU Studies. In 1972, Leonard J. Arrington was appointed the Church Historian and he directed Jessee to continue to "locate, collect, and transcribe Smith's writings."[4] This resulted in Jessee's 1984 publication, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, followed by the two volume Papers of Joseph Smith, the first in 1989 and the second in 1992.[5] This preliminary publication of Smith's documents was important to the creation of the landmark biography, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, which Richard Bushman published in 2005.[6]

In 2001, Jessee's project became a joint venture between Brigham Young University's (BYU) Joseph Fielding Smith Institute and the LDS Church Archives. The project was renamed The Joseph Smith Papers and expanded with added funding from Larry H. and Gail Miller.[7] (The Millers provided a donation of $10 million in bonds and additional cash contributions.[8]) In June 2004, the project received endorsement by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, a division of the US National Archives,[9] ensuring research was conducted according to the highest scholarly standards.[10] The project was moved to Salt Lake City in 2005, when BYU's Joseph Fielding Smith Institute dissolved.[5]

Publishing edit

In February 2008, the Church Historian's Press, was established "for publishing works related to the Church's origin and growth." The publication of The Joseph Smith Papers was the press's initial project.[11] Marlin K. Jensen, Church Historian and Recorder at the time of the press' establishment, said the papers project would include "journals, diaries, correspondence, articles and notices. Everything of a written nature Joseph Smith generated, or over which he had oversight."[11][note 2] Prior to publication of the documents, transcripts of the manuscripts were verified three times, and annotation was supplied to provide the historical context for each document.[13]

The first volume of The Joseph Smith Papers, entitled, The Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839, was released in December 2008.[14] Despite the $50 retail price, unexpectedly high demand caused the initial printing of 12,500 copies to sell out in two weeks, and the publishers to triple their projected second printing order to 16,500. Many Christmas purchasers bought gift certificates for the coming printing and some extant copies were resold for over twice the retail price.[15]

The final printed volume, number 15 of the Documents series, was published on June 27, 2023.[1] Even though the print volumes are completed, new content will continue to come and the website will see "substantial work" beyond 2023.[16]

Volumes edit

Initially, the project anticipated that it would publish around two dozen print volumes, as well as online publication of additional documents not included in the print editions.[17][18] After the release of the final volume, the printed volumes numbered 27.[1]

The papers are divided into the following seven series:[19]

Administrative records edit

The Administrative records series published records relating to the "institutions that were established under Smith's directions" as well as minutes for meetings Smith attended.[20]

  • Administrative Records, Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846 (published September 26, 2016)[21]

Documents edit

Contains correspondence, sermons and other addresses, official declarations and pronouncements, editorials and articles from periodicals, early versions of revelations, and "selected minutes and proceedings."[22] Several hundred documents from this series are available on the Joseph Smith Papers website.[23]

  • Volume 1: July 1828-June 1831 (published September 4, 2013)[24]
  • Volume 2: July 1831-January 1833 (published December 2, 2013)[25]
  • Volume 3: February 1833-March 1834 (published December 1, 2014)[26][27]
  • Volume 4: April 1834-September 1835 (published May 9, 2016)[28]
  • Volume 5: October 1835-January 1838 (published May 15, 2017)[29]
  • Volume 6: February 1838–August 1839 (published September 25, 2017)[30]
  • Volume 7: September 1839–January 1841 (published April 2, 2018)[31]
  • Volume 8: February 1841–November 1841 (published May 13, 2019)[32]
  • Volume 9: December 1841–April 1842 (published October 8, 2019)[33]
  • Volume 10: May 1842–August 1842 (published May 4, 2020)[34]
  • Volume 11: September 1842–February 1843 (published October 12, 2020)[35]
  • Volume 12: March 1843–July 1843 (published April 26, 2021)[36]
  • Volume 13: August–December 1843 (published June 23, 2022)[37]
  • Volume 14: 1 January–15 May 1844 (published April 17, 2023)[38]
  • Volume 15: 16 May–28 June 1844 (published June 27, 2023)[1]

Financial records edit

Contains Smith's financial records, including tithing books.[39] The documents from this series are available only online.[19]

Histories edit

Contains Smith's manuscript history, which he began in 1838, and continued by clerks after his death in 1844.[20]

  • Volume 1: Joseph Smith Histories, 1832-1844 (published March 19, 2012)[40]
  • Volume 2: Assigned Historical Writings, 1831-1847 (published September 25, 2012)[41]

Journals edit

Contains the ten journals kept by Smith and his scribes from 1832 to 1844.[5]

  • Volume 1: 1832-1839 (December 1, 2008)[14]
  • Volume 2: December 1841-April 1843 (published November 15, 2011)[42]
  • Volume 3: May 1843-June 1844 (published November 30, 2015)[43]

Legal records edit

Contains records of cases in which Smith was a plaintiff, defendant, witness, or judge. Also contains records related to the trial of his accused assassins and his estate's disposition.[44] While an ebook study aid was published in 2024, the documents from this series are available only online, with minimal annotation.[45]

  • Legal Records: Case Introductions (ebook study aid, published April 17, 2024)[44]

Revelations and Translations edit

Contains the earliest known manuscripts text of revelations received by Smith and published in his lifetime including the printer's manuscript of the Book of Mormon, the published Book of Mormon, and the Book of Commandments.[20]

  • Volume 1: Manuscript Revelation Books (published March 9, 2011)[citation needed]
    • Volume 1: Manuscript Revelation Books, Facsimile Edition (published September 22, 2009)[46]
  • Volume 2: Published Revelations (published March 18, 2011)[citation needed]
  • Volume 3, Part 1: Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 1 - Alma 35 (published August 4, 2015)[47]
  • Volume 3, Part 2: Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, Alma 36 - Moroni 10 (published August 4, 2015)[47]
  • Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts (published October 29, 2018)[48]
  • Volume 5: Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon (published January 25, 2022)[49]

Editorial board and project staff edit

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The current and editorial board and project staff are as follows:[50][failed verification]

Editorial Board

  • LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. - Church Historian and Recorder
  • Matthew J. Grow - Managing Director, Church History Department

National Advisory Board

General Editors

Managing Historian

  • Matthew C. Godfrey

Associate Managing Historian

  • Robin Jensen

Editorial Manager

  • R. Eric Smith

Assistant Editorial Managers

  • Nathan Waite
  • Riley Lorimer

Project Archivist

  • Robin Scott Jensen

Document Specialists

  • Sharalyn D. Howcroft

Volume Co-editors

Production Editors

  • R. Eric Smith, senior editor, Linda Hunter Adams, Susan Hainsworth, Rachel Osborne, Sarah Gibby Peris, Heather Seferovich, Nathan N. Waite.

Awards edit

In 2008, Journals, Volume 1: 1832-1839 received the Special Award in Textual Criticism and Bibliography from the Association for Mormon Letters,[51] and the Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award from the Mormon History Association in 2009.[52]

Related projects edit

From 2017 through 2023, the project sponsored an annual "Joseph Smith Papers Conference" in Salt Lake City.[53][54] Beginning in 2020 and ending in 2023, the project released a five-series podcast, which focused on certain themes from the church's history.[55][56]

In December 2016, the project released a study aid titled Joseph Smith’s Revelations: A Doctrine and Covenants Study Companion from the Joseph Smith Papers. Published only as an ebook, the study aid was produced to provide original text and historical context for those studying the Doctrine and Covenants.[57] The project released an updated version of this book in 2020.[58]

Although not an official part of the project, a documentary TV series also called The Joseph Smith Papers was aired in the late 2000s. The two-season series documented the creation of and work involved in the Joseph Smith Papers Project. It was produced by KJZZ-TV in cooperation with the Church History Department.[59]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ With co-sponsorship by the Miller Family and endorsement from the US National Archives
  2. ^ High resolution images of many of the original documents had previously been published by Brigham Young University Press in 2002 as part of Selected Collections from the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The two volume set contains 76 DVDs of images from 1830 to 1923, including complete images of the Joseph Smith Collection, circa 1831-1844, the Revelations Collections, circa 1831-1876, architectural drawings of the Nauvoo Temple, and several volumes containing minutes from meetings Joseph Smith attended or oversaw.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Final Volume of Joseph Smith Papers Published, Completing Monumental Historical Work". Church Historian's Press. June 27, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "About the Project". The Joseph Smith Papers website. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  3. ^ Jessee, Esplin & Bushman 2008, p. xxxix-xl
  4. ^ Jessee, Esplin & Bushman 2008, p. xxxix-xl
  5. ^ a b c Jessee, Esplin & Bushman 2008, p. xl
  6. ^ Bushman, Richard (2007). Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. Knopf. p. xxii.
  7. ^ Walch, Tad (April 4, 2005). "Miller funding Joseph Smith project". Deseret Morning News. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  8. ^ Miller, Larry H.; Robinson, Doug (2010). Driven: An Autobiography. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. ISBN 9781606416563.
  9. ^ "Commission Adopts New Directions, Awards $5.9 Million in Grants"" (PDF). Annotation. 32 (2): 16. June 2004.
  10. ^ Choate, Amy (August 12, 2004). "Joseph Smith research gets top endorsement". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  11. ^ a b "New Publishing Imprint Set to Boost Mormon Scholarship". Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. February 25, 2008. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  12. ^ "Selected Collections from the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Volumes One and Two)". Brigham Young University Press. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  13. ^ Jessee, Esplin & Bushman 2008, p. Preface
  14. ^ a b "Landmark Publication Launches: Inaugural Volume of Joseph Smith Papers Now Available". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. December 2008. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  15. ^ Lynn, Arave (December 9, 2008). "New Joseph Smith book sells out quickly". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  16. ^ Toone, Trent (September 27, 2022). "A look back at the history of the Joseph Smith Papers, its impact and what's coming in 2023". Church News. Salt Lake City. Retrieved April 20, 2024. "It's kind of a misnomer to say that the Joseph Smith Papers project is going to be completed in 2023," [Brent M.] Rogers said. "There will still be a lot of releases and new content coming that will be available in the years beyond 2023. ... There is still going to be some substantial work ongoing online."
  17. ^ "Purchase Our Published Volumes". josephsmithpapers.org. The Church Historian's Press. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  18. ^ R. Scott Lloyd (October 3, 2012). "Joseph Smith Papers' 'Histories' Vol. 2 released". Church News. Deseret News. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Published Volumes". The Joseph Smith Papers. The Church Historian's Press. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Jessee, Esplin & Bushman 2008, p. xli
  21. ^ Grow, Matthew J.; Esplin, Ronald K.; Ashurst-McGee, Mark; Dirkmaat, Gerrit John; Mahas, Jeffrey D., eds. (2016). Administrative Records, Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church Historian's Press. ISBN 9781629722429. OCLC 939911194.
  22. ^ Jessee, Esplin & Bushman 2008, p. xl–xli
  23. ^ "The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents: Letters, revelations, reports of discourses, minutes, etc". Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  24. ^ Walker, Joseph (September 4, 2013). "LDS Church releases new volume of Joseph Smith documents". Deseret News. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  25. ^ Lloyd, R. Scott (December 10, 2013). "Joseph Smith Papers Project Releases New Volume". Church News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  26. ^ Lloyd, R. Scott (December 5, 2014). "Latest Joseph Smith Papers volume covers 88 historical documents". Church News. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  27. ^ "Joseph Smith Papers Project Publishes Documents, Volume 3". The Joseph Smith Papers. December 1, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  28. ^ Toone, Trent (May 11, 2016). "From Kirtland to Missouri: 5 interesting notes from 'Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Vol. 4'". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  29. ^ "Documents, Volume 5, Now Available". The Joseph Smith Papers. May 15, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  30. ^ "Documents, Volume 6, Now Available". The Joseph Smith Papers. September 26, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  31. ^ "Documents, Volume 7: September 1839–January 1841 Is Now Available". Church Historian's Press. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  32. ^ "Newest Joseph Smith Papers Volume Now Available". The Joseph Smith Papers. May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  33. ^ "Documents, Volume 9 Is Now Available". The Joseph Smith Papers. October 8, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  34. ^ "The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 10 Released". Church Historian's Press. May 4, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  35. ^ "The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 11 Released". Church Historian's Press. October 12, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  36. ^ "The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 12 Released". Church Historian's Press. April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  37. ^ "The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 13 Published". Church Historian's Press. June 23, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  38. ^ "The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 14 Released". Church Historian's Press. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  39. ^ Toone, Trent (November 21, 2023). "New online Joseph Smith Papers content features Nauvoo-era tithing records". Church News. Salt Lake City. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  40. ^ "Joseph Smith Papers Project Releases First Histories Volume". The Joseph Smith Papers. March 19, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  41. ^ Lloyd, R. Scott (October 3, 2012). "Joseph Smith Papers' 'Histories' Vol. 2 released". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  42. ^ Lloyd, R. Scott (November 17, 2011). "New Joseph Smith Papers volume covers Nauvoo period of church". Church News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  43. ^ Evans, Steve (November 30, 2015). "Joseph Smith Papers – Journals Vol 3". By Common Consent. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  44. ^ "Introduction to the Legal Records Series". The Joseph Smith Papers. The Church Historian's Press. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  45. ^ "About The Volumes". The Joseph Smith Papers. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  46. ^ a b Toone, Trent (August 5, 2015). "LDS Church announces publication of the printer's manuscript of the Book of Mormon". Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  47. ^ Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts. Utah: The Church Historian's Press. 2018. ISBN 978-1-62972-480-5.
  48. ^ "Church Historian's Press Releases Landmark Volume on Book of Mormon Manuscript". Church Historian's Press. January 25, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  49. ^ "Project Organization". The Joseph Smith Papers. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  50. ^ "AML Awards:Special Award in Textual Criticism and Bibliography". Association for Mormon Letters. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  51. ^ "MHA 2009 Award Winners". Mormon History Association. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  52. ^ "Joseph Smith Papers Conference". The Joseph Smith Papers. The Church Historian's Press. 2017. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  53. ^ "Joseph Smith Papers Conference". The Joseph Smith Papers. The Church Historian's Press. Retrieved April 20, 2024. The Joseph Smith Papers Project has held a conference each year since 2017, gathering scholars, educators, and others interested in the project to share new ideas and findings based on the ongoing publication of The Joseph Smith Papers.
  54. ^ "New Podcast Series Looks in Depth at Joseph Smith's First Vision of Deity" (Press release). Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. January 6, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  55. ^ Toone, Trent (June 13, 2023). "Church releases final Joseph Smith Papers podcast, on martyrdom, 'Road to Carthage'". Church News. Salt Lake City. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  56. ^ "Joseph Smith Papers Project Publishes Doctrine and Covenants Study Companion" (Press release). Salt Lake City: The Church Historian's Press. December 26, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  57. ^ "New Doctrine and Covenants Study Resources". The Joseph Smith Papers. The Church Historian's Press. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  58. ^ Jarvik, Elaine (November 4, 2007). "TV show to preview Smith Papers Project". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2010.

Bibliography edit

External links edit

  • The Joseph Smith Papers website
  • Church History Library website
  • "The Joseph Smith Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books", Marlin K. Jensen, Ensign, July 2009