The Joseph Smith Papers

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The Joseph Smith Papers is the name of a project which is in the process of researching, collecting, and publishing original historical documents pertaining to Joseph Smith, the founder and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in general, the Latter Day Saint movement. The project is primarily for historians and for scholarly research, but will be readily available to all. It is a joint-effort by the various churches within Mormonism and private holders of important documents. There has never been a complete catalog or edition of first-hand documents of Joseph Smith; this project will be an attempt to remedy the situation.[1]

[edit] History

The research and collecting for the project had its start in 2001 at Brigham Young University (BYU) by prominant LDS historian Dean C. Jessee, and was known as The Papers of Joseph Smith.[2] The project was renamed and has expanded with accelerated pace with the added funding from Larry H. Miller.[3] As of the beginning of 2008, the Church had 25 to 30 historians working full time on the project.

In February, 2008, the LDS Church announced that is has established The Church Historian’s Press -- a new imprint for publishing works related to the Church’s origin and growth, including the The Joseph Smith Papers.[4]

The head editor of the current project is retired BYU professor Ron Esplin.

[edit] Outlook

The first 2 volumes of the The Joseph Smith Papers are expected to be published in the Fall of 2008. It is anticipated that over the next 10 to 12 years, there will be 25 to 30 volumes published for the complete set.