Apr 05, 2016 History of Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: a Source and Text-Critical Edition

The Special Collections Print and Journal collection has recently acquired the new eight volume History of Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: a Source and Text-Critical Edition, edited by Dan Vogel, published by the Smith-Pettit Foundation and distributed by Signature Books.

The History of the Church of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was composed over decades, and was assembled from numerous sources by many hands. The aim of this new text-critical edition is to identify those sources that are the basis of the Joseph Smith history and to trace the changes and development of the text until its final form. Vogel identifies the scribes’ handwriting, including a biographical register of the contributors; the chronology of the composition; the publication schedule; and later changes to the text.

Joseph Smith began dictating the History in 1838 in Missouri. Although the History is written in the first person, the work was composed by a series of scribes, though the final product was overseen and edited by Smith during his lifetime. This History was published serially in the Times and Seasons, a Mormon newspaper from 1842 to 1846. At the time of Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, the narrative had reached August 1838.

The writing of the History was taken up again by Willard Richards and others, and was reviewed by Brigham Young and members of the Twelve Apostles before publication. The work was continued in Utah by Richards, George A. Smith and other men, and was published in the Deseret News from 1851 to 1857. The History was later revised by B. H. Roberts and published as a six volume set from 1902 to 1912.

Dan Vogel set of the History, which Vogel has been working on for ten years, provides an edition using modern professional historical and editing standards. He reveals the sources and the men behind what is essentially a ghost-written narrative. This edition should be of interest and utility to both professional researchers and to anyone interested in Mormon history.

Dan Vogel is an independent researcher, historian, and the author of numerous books and articles, including Early Mormon Documents (1996-2003) and a biography of the early years of Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith, The Making of a Prophet (2004).

Please visit the Special Collections Reading Room on Level 4 of the J. Marriott Library, Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Written by Scott Reiter