Volume 1 of the Journals series is the first of approximately thirty volumes that will constitute The Joseph Smith Papers. It features Joseph Smith s first five journals, which give the reader an appreciation for Smith s character, his private piety, and his sense of mission. These journals, covering the years 1832 1839, also convey his perspective on the spiritual manifestations experienced in the Kirtland, Ohio, temple, the origins of the Mormon War in Missouri, and the founding of what would become Nauvoo, Illinois the Mormon city on the Mississippi.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
The highest documentary editing and production standards have been applied here, matching those of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and comparing favorably to large-scale presidential papers projects. . . . Any academic library with collections in American religious history will want to start collecting this set. David Azzolina (University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Philadelphia), Library Journal, 15 February 2009 --David Azzolina University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Philadelphia
[Journals, Volume 1] contains generous background information, abundant annotations (recommending a variety of primary and secondary sources), illustrations, and maps. . . . these volumes may I live to see the release of the entire series will be indispensable for the next generation of scholars on Mormon history. John Turner, Joseph Smith Papers, Religion in American History, comment posted 23 January 2009 --John Turner, Religion in American History
This first volume in the upcoming 30-volume series is a monumental achievement in so many ways. It provides both content and context it relates what Joseph wrote, and gives the modern reader a glimpse at what was going on around him. And, in many ways, it represents a major step in Mormonism's emergence into the light of the 21st century. . . . this volume, and, I suspect, the ones that will follow, will constitute one of the greatest contributions to the lore of Mormonism's founder that we've seen in some time. This is a book well worth owning, if only for its appendices and other notes. This is a treasure trove. Dive in. I think you'll like it a lot. Jeff Needle, The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Vol. 1: 1832-1839, LDS Book Lovers, comment posted 10 Jan. 2009 --Jeff Needle, LDS Book Lovers
[Journals, Volume 1] contains generous background information, abundant annotations (recommending a variety of primary and secondary sources), illustrations, and maps. . . . these volumes may I live to see the release of the entire series will be indispensable for the next generation of scholars on Mormon history. John Turner, Joseph Smith Papers, Religion in American History, comment posted 23 January 2009 --John Turner, Religion in American History
This first volume in the upcoming 30-volume series is a monumental achievement in so many ways. It provides both content and context it relates what Joseph wrote, and gives the modern reader a glimpse at what was going on around him. And, in many ways, it represents a major step in Mormonism's emergence into the light of the 21st century. . . . this volume, and, I suspect, the ones that will follow, will constitute one of the greatest contributions to the lore of Mormonism's founder that we've seen in some time. This is a book well worth owning, if only for its appendices and other notes. This is a treasure trove. Dive in. I think you'll like it a lot. Jeff Needle, The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Vol. 1: 1832-1839, LDS Book Lovers, comment posted 10 Jan. 2009 --Jeff Needle, LDS Book Lovers
About the Author
The Joseph Smith Papers will be a comprehensive edition of extant Joseph Smith documents featuring complete and accurate transcription with both textual and contextual annotation. They will present the earliest handwritten and published texts of the foundational documents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Joseph Smith's correspondence, journals, sermons, court cases, and business dealings. In addition, the Papers will contain minutes of important church councils, reproductions of the scriptural canon as it existed during Joseph Smith's lifetime, official histories, and records pertaining to church institutions that were under Joseph Smith's direction or that reflect his personal instruction and involvement. Many of these essential primary documents have never been published. In recognition of the high scholarly standards being employed in all phases of this project, The Joseph Smith Papers Project has earned an endorsement by the National Archives' National Historical Publication and Records Commission (NHPRC). For more information on the Joseph Smith Papers Project, visit josephsmithpapers.org.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Important Book Ever Published About Mormon Founder, Joseph Smith,
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This review is from: The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Vol. 1: 1832-1839 (Hardcover)
Here we have the inaugural volume in the monumental enterprise of publishing everything that Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844) ever wrote or dictated during his short life. This will doubtless become the most important book or series of books ever published about Joseph Smith and his life, far exceeding the value of every biographical work skeptical (such as Faun M. Brodie's venerable No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith), hagiographical (such as Francis M. Gibbons's popular Joseph Smith: Martyr-Prophet of God) or scholarly (such as Richard L. Bushman's impressive and moving Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling).
Smith is unquestionably one of the most significant historical figures in American history. For good or ill, his legacy is with us, and continues to alternately inspire or anger, fascinate or titillate, move or amuse millions. And yet, with all that has been written about him, the man himself and his work continues to defy pat description or characterization. For someone who wrote and spoke so much he is really a closed book in many respects. To the everyman he is an enigma, to the Evangelical anathema (as we saw in 2008 from a major U.S. Presidential candidate), but to the rare observer he is an object of deep curiosity and serious study whether you believe his doctrine or not. For example, Smith has been called "the founder of a new religious tradition" comparable to Moses or Mohammed, and a "genius" by the eminent Yale critic and humanist, Harold Bloom, who noted Smith's "uncanny recovery of elements in ancient Jewish theurgy that had ceased to be available either to Judaism or to Christianity, and that had survived only in esoteric traditions unlikely to have touched Smith directly." (Harold Bloom, The American Religion, page 101.) This book will appeal to the thoughtful observers in the tradition of Bloom. This work reminds me in many ways of two previous collections of documents, Early Mormon Documents (Volume 1) and its four successor volumes from well repected Mormon critic Dan Vogel, published between 1996 and 2003, and more recently the one-volume Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820-1844 (Documents in Latter-Day Saint History) from sympathetic scholar John W. Welch. What I like about both of these series--and the present volumes on the Smith Papers--is the fact that the reader is presented with original documents and left to his or her own interpretations. To be sure, Vogel, Welch and the editors of the present volume offer their respective footnoted interpretations, but it is the documents themselves which are the precious jewels of these books. I concur wholeheartedly with Welch's insightful comment that "a generation from now, few people will care how various historians in our day have interpreted the past. . . But the original documents convey testimonies that will always be of the utmost interest." (from Welch's Introduction). With this new collection in hand and access to other original documents, the day should be long past in studies of Mormon Church history, when any reader possessed of reasonable intelligence should put much further credence in the rarified theories of professional historians or sectarian critics. Few academic writers have ever been honest enough to "proclaim their malefactions" - their personal bias - in their writing, pretending, instead that their work is "scientific." What many historical writers - both apologists and critics - fail to admit is that, "A fact is a fact", until you begin to string two or more facts together. Then it becomes a work of the imagination and not a science. In courtroom parlance, the reader of this book and its succeeding volumes will be able to hear the trial witness and, like jurors, to make up his or her own mind as to weight and credibility, unfiltered by the officious interpretations of believers, critics or professional historians. I say, let the documents speak for themselves! Additional comments: 1. This volume is beautifully put together with a fine binding and layout. Editorially, the documents themselves are placed in the primary stage, with a minimum of editorial or contextual commentary, which is as it should be. The focus is on the precious original documents themselves, not on any fleeting commentary. 2. Previous commentators have noted the lack of an index in this volume. To those who are patient to await subsequent volumes, this lack is inconsequential. It is hoped that eventually this collection will be searchable digitally.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Original Documents in Entirety at Long Last!,
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This review is from: The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Vol. 1: 1832-1839 (Hardcover)
Finally, the unadulterated original documents of Joseph Smith are available to the interested reader! The beauty of this work is not in all of the support information (which is substantial, and useful) but in that I, the casual reader of Mormon history, finally have access to documents that were difficult (prohibitively so for me) to get to.
As I mentioned above, there is a substantial amount of back matter and introduction to the documents. Some might argue that these materials are biased, and therefore "taint the readers' view" of the documents. I think that the extras in this volume are as even handed as can be expected. Even if there is bias - and I have heard separately both anti-Mormon and pro-Mormon bias arguments - in the glossary or introductions or notes, the readers have the pure documents in their hands to make judgments for themselves! I have been dismayed in the past by historical material published in connection with the church, such as in the case of the multi-volume "History of the Church" which was pieced together from many documents by church historians who were forced to make judgments on what things were important to include and how to phrase things in first person Joseph Smith. Don't get me wrong, the "History of the Church" is a valuable tool and includes many documents, but it lacks the scholarly rigor and modern standards that the Joseph Smith Papers project has. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I am glad that I can purchase a document collection without the bias inherent in somebody selecting only certain entries or doctored by others trying to piece things together. I'll say it again, finally the original papers so I can read and judge for myself!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Documentary History Piece, Not Historial Interpretation So Much,
This review is from: The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, Vol. 1: 1832-1839 (Hardcover)
It appears that some readers don't understand what the Joseph Smith Papers project really is. Those familiar with historiography recognize immediately that this text is a piece of documentary history rather than a historian's retelling or interpretation of history. Do not expect this book to be a biography of Joseph Smith. Rather, historians and archivists have compiled the primary source documents into this book and have laboriously examined the texts to ensure that the format maintains the integrity of the document. In other words, this book makes available what normally would require painstaking examination, which requires much of the time infrared scanning, material analysis, and graphology (handwriting analysis). In terms of the integrity of the primary sources compiled in this volume, the editors have done a marvelous job. Historians will likely benefit the most, though casual readers can approach the footnotes and introduction with confidence that the editors provide some context to help make sense of the documents. Readers looking for a smoking gun in this book that could implicate Smith in some kind of fraud ought to remember that this piece is primarily an academic one, backed up by credentialed and non-Mormon historical societies. Criticisms must be equally leveled at the academic forum supporting this text as much as at the LDS Church or individual Mormon scholars who contributed, which I don't find happening with any precision and professionalism in the low-star reviews thus far.
This book will prove useful for those readers interested in the primary sources themselves. This will save you the hours of traveling to the LDS Church's archives, making requests for original documents, and transcribing them yourself. And, based on the commitment of the Church Historian's Press to provide additional volumes, I'd say the ambition and scope brings value to Mormon studies and history, regardless of one's sympathetic, professional/objective, or polemical attitude towards Mormonism.
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