The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals: December 1841-April 1843
Hardcover
558 pages
This volume of The Joseph Smith Papers features the first Nauvoo, Illinois, journal of Joseph Smith as well as part of the second. Like the first five of his journals previously published (Journals, Volume 1), these Nauvoo journals close the distance between modern readers and the life, thought, and personality of the Mormon prophet. Kept primarily by scribes Willard Richards and William Clayton, these journals chronicle such significant developments as the organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo; proxy baptism for deceased persons; the publication of the Book of Abraham; the construction of the Nauvoo temple; the continued growth of the church and ongoing settlement of Nauvoo; and the maturing of Joseph Smith as a religious and political leader whose influence would extend far beyond the years of his life and the city he founded on the banks of the Mississippi River. The journals also detail the many challenges Joseph Smith faced during this period. Joseph Smith was also accused of masterminding the 6 May 1842 assassination attempt on Lilburn W. Boggs, the former Missouri governor who ordered the removal of the Latter-day Saints from the state in 1838. This led to an attempt by Missouri and Illinois officials to have Smith arrested and extradited to Missouri for trial. More pages and entries in Joseph Smith's journal are devoted to aspects of this extradition attempt than to any other single topic. The journals featured here have been transcribed, introduced, and annotated according to the highest standards of documentary editing. Originally created under the direction of Joseph Smith himself, they constitute an essential primary source for research into the life of the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during one of the most dynamic periods in the history of the faith.
$54.95
