MormonTimes.com: Joseph Smith Papers will change landscape, editor says

PROVO — A class on the seven-year development of the Joseph Smith Papers Project was a highlight of the annual Association of Mormon Letters conference, where novelists, playwrights and scholars gathered Saturday at Brigham Young University to celebrate LDS literature.

The Joseph Smith Papers is an effort to publish "anything written by (the Prophet), dictated by him or received by him," said Robin Jensen, an editor for the project. "This is an exciting project and we are really faced with a tremendous amount of documents."

The first edition will be split into five series: the Prophet's journals from 1832-44, documents published in chronological order, Joseph Smith's writings about his past, legal papers that document the Prophet's involvement in more than 200 cases, and revelations and translations.

The goal of the project is to make a complete documentary edition on Joseph Smith that will provide accurate material for scholars and others interested in his life. It will include editorial commentary to provide context, along with maps, biographical and geographical details to further clarify the documents' meaning.

"The scholarly landscape of writing about Joseph Smith will change as we have already collected the writing of Joseph Smith in a volume," Jensen said. "If (scholars) have written about Joseph Smith and his life, they will not seem credible unless they have used the Joseph Smith Papers Project."

The biggest concerns for those involved are accuracy and credibility. Jeffery O. Johnson, a senior archivist for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is analyzing documents to make sure the scholars are publishing real papers and not forgeries.

"I am concerned about handwriting, paper (quality) and things that make sure the documents are real," Johnson said. "Obviously there have been forgeries in the Mormon documents. My role is to make sure we are selecting the correct documents or help the scholars do so."

The group wants the project to be the go-to source about Joseph Smith in academia — not just among members of the LDS faith.

"Often people think maybe the church wants us to hide something, and that is not true," Johnson said. "This project is supported by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, and they want us to publish everything."

In transcribing the text, three verifications are used to ensure the published reproductions are true to the original. One individual transcribes and checks over the text, while someone else reads the original and another the transcription. Then Jensen uses a special magnifying system and ultraviolet light to check the original once more.