The Joseph Smith Papers Project is made possible by the help and cooperation of hundreds of people. Though we here primarily identify the individuals and institutions who have contributed to this volume, we are mindful of our ever-increasing debt to our many colleagues and friends who are assisting with later volumes, the Joseph Smith Papers Project website, or more general undertakings. Their work informs ours, and we are grateful for their support and collegiality. Administrators and officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, and Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, have provided support and resources that have facilitated this work. We give special acknowledgment to management and staff at the Church History Library, Salt Lake City, where the bulk of the Joseph Smith papers are housed. Th e project is also blessed by continued, generous funding by the Larry H. Miller and Gail Miller Family Foundation. The support of the Miller family has allowed us to expand our staff and move forward at an ambitious pace. We strive always to produce scholarship that is worthy of the trust and confidence they have placed in us.
We wish to express special thanks to several individuals whose eff orts were integral to the success of this volume. In addition to arranging for us to have access to the valuable documents reproduced in this volume, Glenn N. Rowe of the Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared with us his encyclopedic knowledge of the documents’ provenance. The work of Peter Crawley, a retired professor at Brigham Young University and an eminent collector of Mormon imprints, was essential to our research on early Mormon printing. He also provided thorough and thoughtful feedback on drafts of the material in this volume. Steven C. Harper, of the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, and Robert J. Woodford, a retired instructor at the Latter-day Saint Institute of Religion at the University of Utah, also carefully reviewed draft material and provided valuable feedback.
The Joseph Smith Papers Project relies on the skills and dedication of employees of the Church History Department, faculty and researchers at Brigham Young University, retired scholars and other volunteers, and independent researchers and editors. Among those who contributed to the development of this volume are Linda Hunter Adams, Grant A. Anderson, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Brian P. Barton, Noel R. Barton, Christy Best, Kathryn Burnside, Jeffrey G. Cannon, Christopher K. Crockett, Joseph F. Darowski, Kay Darowski, Dorsey Ford, Amanda K. Fronk, Russell C. Fuhriman, Alison Gainer, Matthew C. Godfrey, Andrew H. Hedges, Sharalyn D. Howcroft, Emily W. Jensen, Cort Kirksey, David H. Kitterman, Viola Knecht, Jamie Layton, Constance Palmer Lewis, Michael Hubbard MacKay, Andrea Maxfield, Chris McAfee, Brandon Metcalfe, Allison Morgan, Larry E. Morris, Steven Motteshard, Sharon Nielsen, Jay A. Parry, Sarah Gibby Peris, Leslie Sherman, Alex D. Smith, Anna Staley, Nathan N. Waite, and Julia K. Woodbury.
Employees of other departments at church headquarters in Salt Lake City provided invaluable assistance. Clark D. Christensen and Tyler Humble, Information and Communications Systems Department, provided technical support. Daniel B. Hogan, Curriculum Department, advised us on a variety of editorial issues. Welden C. Andersen, Audiovisual Department, shot the textual photographs in this volume. Charles M. Baird, Materials Management Department, prepared the photographs for publication. The Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers would not be what it is without the expertise of Welden and Charley, and we are fortunate in our continued association with them.
We extend thanks for the consulting provided by Clark Evans, head of reference services in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress; John Hajicek, collector of early Mormon books and artifacts; Joseph Johnstun, independent historian and past director of tourism for the city of Nauvoo, Illinois; Richard L. Saunders, curator of special collections and university archivist, University of Tennessee at Martin; and George J. Throckmorton, forensic document examiner and handwriting expert.
Management and staff at Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, expertly assisted with the design, printing, and distribution of this volume. In particular, we thank Sheri L. Dew, Cory H. Maxwell, Anne Sheffield, Richard Erickson, Suzanne Brady, Gail Halladay, Derk Koldewyn, Rebecca Chambers, and Vicki Parry. We thank Scott Eggers, of Scott Eggers Design, Salt Lake City, for designing the dust jacket and cover.
Finally, we express deepest gratitude to our families, without whose quiet support and strength this project could not succeed.