Updated October 2023
The following is a selection of books, book chapters, and articles by current staff members that are based on Joseph Smith Papers scholarship or provide supplementary information to the Papers.
Ashurst-McGee, Mark. “Zion as a Refuge from the Wars of Nations.” In War & Peace in Our Time: Mormon Perspectives, edited by Patrick Q. Mason, J. David Pulsipher, and Richard L. Bushman, 83–91. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2012.
———. “Zion in America: The Origins of Mormon Constitutionalism.” In “Mormonism in Cultural Context,” edited by J. Spencer Fluhman, Steven C. Harper, and Jed Woodworth. Journal of Mormon History 38, no. 3 (Summer 2012): 90–101.
Ashurst-McGee, Mark, Robin Scott Jensen, and Sharalyn D. Howcroft, eds. Foundational Texts of Mormonism: Examining Major Early Sources. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
Ashurst-McGee, Mark, and Alex Smith. “The Joseph Smith Journals.” Ensign, December 2007, 34–39.
Bradley, Don, and Mark Ashurst-McGee. “Joseph Smith and the Kinderhook Plates.” In A Reason for Faith: Navigating LDS Doctrine & Church History, edited by Laura Harris Hales, 93–115. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2016.
———. “‘President Joseph Has Translated a Portion’: Joseph Smith and the Mistranslation of the Kinderhook Plates.” In Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity, edited by Michael Hubbard Mackay, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Brian M. Hauglid, 452–524. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2020.
Carruth, LaJean Purcell, and Robin Scott Jensen. “Sidney Rigdon’s Plea to the Saints: Transcription of Thomas Bullock’s Shorthand Notes from the August 8, 1844, Morning Meeting.” BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 2 (2014): 121–139.
Dirkmaat, Gerrit J. “Consecration and Controversy: Ezra Thayer, Leman Copley, and Early Conflicts over Consecrated Properties.” In Business and Religion: The Intersection of Faith and Finance, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey and Michael Hubbard MacKay, 45–63. Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2019.
———. “Safely ‘Beyond the Limits of the United States’: The Mormon Expulsion and US Expansion.” In Inventing Destiny: Cultural Explorations of US Expansion, edited by Jimmy L. Bryan Jr., 205–228. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2019.
Esplin, Ronald K., and Sharon E. Nielsen. “The Record of the Twelve, 1835: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles’ Call and 1835 Mission.” BYU Studies Quarterly 51, no. 1 (2012), 4–52.
Godfrey, Matthew C. “A Culmination of Learning: D&C 84 and the Doctrine of the Priesthood.” In You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan, and Rachel Cope, 167–181. Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2012.
———. “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 213–218. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “‘Forbearance Was No Longer a Virtue’: Insights into John C. Bennett’s Dismissal from the Church.” Latter-day Saint Historical Studies 21, no. 2 (Fall 2020): 19–32.
———. “A Monument of the Saints’ Industry: The Nauvoo House and the Council of Fifty.” In The Council of Fifty: What the Records Reveal About Mormon History, edited by Matthew J. Grow and R. Eric Smith, 131–140. Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2017.
———. “The Natural World and the Establishment of Zion, 1831–1833.” In The Earth Will Appear as the Garden of Eden: Essays on Mormon Environmental History, edited by Jedediah S. Rogers and Matthew C. Godfrey, 71–84. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2019.
———. “The ‘Nature’ of Revelation: The Influence of the Natural Environment on Joseph Smith’s Revelatory Experiences.” In Joseph Smith and His First Vision: Context, Place, and Meaning, edited by Alexander L. Baugh, Steven C. Harper, Brent M. Rogers, and Benjamin Pykles, 149–166. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2021.
———. “Newel K. Whitney and the United Firm.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 142–147. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “‘The Redemption of Zion Must Needs Come by Power’: Insights into the Camp of Israel Expedition, 1834.” BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 4 (2014): 125–146.
———. “A Season of Blessings: The Function of Blessings in Kirtland, Ohio, 1834–1835.” Mormon Historical Studies 18 (Spring 2017): 25–42.
———. “The Second Sacred Grove: The Influence of Greenville, Indiana, on Joseph Smith’s 1832 First Vision Account.” Journal of Mormon History 44 (October 2018): 1–18.
———. “‘Seeking after Monarchal Power and Authority’: Joseph Smith and Leadership in the Church of Christ, 1831–1832.” Mormon Historical Studies 13 (Spring/Fall 2012): 15–37.
———. “‘We Believe the Hand of the Lord is In It’: Memories of Divine Intervention in the Zion’s Camp Expedition.” BYU Studies Quarterly 56, no. 4 (2017): 99–132.
———. “William McLellin’s Five Questions.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 137–141. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Wise Men and Wise Women: The Role of Church Members in Financing Church Operations, 1834–1835.” Journal of Mormon History 43 (July 2017): 1–21.
Grow, Matthew J. “‘Thou Art an Elect Lady’: D&C 24, 25, 26, 27.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 33–39. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Grow, Matthew J., and Marilyn Bradford. “‘To Carry Out Joseph’s Measures is Sweeter to Me than Honey’: Brigham Young and the Council of Fifty.” In The Council of Fifty: What the Records Reveal about Mormon History, edited by Matthew J. Grow and R. Eric Smith, 105–118. Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2017.
Grow, Matthew J., Ronald K. Esplin, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, and Jeffrey D. Mahas, eds. “Minutes of the Afternoon Meeting of the Council of Fifty, April 11, 1844.” BYU Studies Quarterly 55, no. 3 (2016): 23–33.
Grow, Matthew J., and R. Eric Smith, eds. The Council of Fifty: What the Records Reveal about Mormon History. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 2017.
Grow, Matthew J., and R. Eric Smith. “‘Select the Pure Gold from the Dross’: Joseph Smith on Inspired Councils.” Church News, 29 December 2016, https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/2016-12-29/select-the-pure-gold-from-the-dross-joseph-smith-on-inspired-councils-21910.
Grua, David W. “Joseph Smith and the 1834 D. P. Hurlbut Trial.” BYU Studies 44, no. 1 (2005): 33–54.
———. “The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri.” In Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia, edited by W. Paul Reeve and Ardis Parshall, 92–94. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2010.
———. “Joseph Smith’s Missouri Prison Letters and the Mormon Textual Community.” In Foundational Texts of Mormonism: Examining Major Early Sources, edited by Mark Ashurst-McGee, Robin Scott Jensen, and Sharalyn D. Howcroft, 124–153. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
———. “Missouri War.” In Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia, edited by W. Paul Reeve and Ardis E. Parshall, 92–94. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2010.
———. “‘We Glory in Tribulations’: Parley P. Pratt, Martyrology, and the Memory of Persecution.” In Parley P. Pratt and the Making of Mormonism, edited by Gregory Armstrong, Matthew J. Grow, and Dennis Siler, 169–199. Norman, OK: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 2011.
Grua, David W., and William V. Smith. “The Tarrying of the Beloved Disciple: The Textual Formation of the Account of John.” In Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity, edited by Michael Hubbard MacKay, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Brian Hauglid, 231–261. Salt Lake City: University of Utah, 2020.
Howcroft, Sharalyn D. “A Textual and Archival Reexamination of Lucy Mack Smith’s History.” In Foundational Texts of Mormonism: Examining Major Early Sources, edited by Mark Ashurst-McGee, Robin Scott Jensen, and Sharalyn D. Howcroft, 298–335. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
Jensen, Robin. “Abner Cole and The Reflector: Another Clue to the Timing of the 1830 Book of Mormon Printing.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 24, no. 1 (2015): 238–247.
———. “Contextualizing Revelations: Changing Attitudes Towards Sacred Texts in the Church of Christ, 1829–1831.” Journal of Mormon History 46 (January 2020): 26–52.
———. “From Manuscript to Printed Page: An Analysis of the History of the Book of Commandments and Revelations.” BYU Studies 48, no. 3 (2009): 18–52.
———. “Jesse Gause: Counselor to the Prophet: D&C 81.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 155–157. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Revelatory Language Expounded: Emma Smith’s Role in Divine Communication.” In As It Shall be Given Thee: Reading Doctrine and Covenants 25, edited by Joseph M. Spencer and Rosalynde Frandsen Welch, 79–92. Independently published, 2023.
———. “The Rhetorical Power of Archival Access.” Journal of Mormon History 46, no. 4 (Oct. 2020): 91–102.
Kuehn, Elizabeth. “More Treasures than One: D&C 111.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 229–234. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
MacKay, Michael Hubbard, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Brian M. Hauglid, eds. Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2020.
———. “‘I Intend to Get Up a Whistling School’: The Nauvoo Whistling and Whittling Movement, American Vigilante Tradition, and Mormon Theocratic Thought.” Journal of Mormon History 43, no. 4 (October 2017): 37–67.
———. “Joseph T. Ball,” Century of Black Mormons, J. Willard Marriot Library, University of Utah, 2019, https://exhibits.lib.utah.edu/s/century-of-black-mormons/page/ball-joseph-t#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-2650%2C-215%2C7807%2C4288.
———. “Remember the Martyrdom: D&C 135.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 299–306. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
McBride, Matthew. “The Contributions of Martin Harris: D&C 3, 5, 10, 17, 19.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 1–9. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley: D&C 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 71, 73.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 130–136. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Ezra Thayer: From Skeptic to Believer: D&C 33.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 61–65. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. A House for the Most High: The Story of the Original Nauvoo Temple. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2007.
———. “Leman Copley and the Shakers: D&C 49.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Coventants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 117–121. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Letters on Baptism for the Dead: D&C 127, 128.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 272–276. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “‘Man Was also in the Beginning with God’: D&C 93.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 192–195. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Orson Pratt’s Call to Serve: D&C 34.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 66–69. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “‘Our Hearts Rejoiced to Hear Him Speak’: D&C 129, 130, 131.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 277–280. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Religious Enthusiasm among Early Ohio Converts: D&C 46, 50.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 105–111. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “The Vision: D&C 76.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 148–154. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
McBride, Matthew, and James Goldberg, eds. Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
McBride, Spencer W. “The Council of Fifty and Joseph Smith’s Presidential Ambitions.” In The Council of Fifty: What the Records Reveal about Mormon History, edited by Matthew J. Grow and R. Eric Smith, 21–30. Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2017.
———. “Of Government and Laws: D&C 134.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 294–298. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Joseph and Emma Smith as Parents,” Deseret News, 16 April 2015.
———. Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021.
———. “Joseph Smith's Quest to Secure Religious Freedom for All.” Ensign, February 2019.
———. “‘Many Think This Is a Hoax’: The Newspaper Response to Joseph Smith's 1844 Presidential Campaign.” In Contingent Citizens: Shifting Perceptions of Latter-day Saints in American Political Culture, edited by Spencer W. McBride, Brent M. Rogers, and Keith A. Erekson, 29–41. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2020.
———. “Pilgrimage to History.” New York Archives 15, no. 1 (Summer 2016): 16–19.
———. “When Joseph Smith Met Martin Van Buren: Mormonism and the Politics of American Religious Liberty in Nineteenth-Century America.” Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture 85, no. 1 (March 2016): 150–159.
McBride, Spencer W. and Jeffrey Mahas. “Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde, ‘A Bill for the Relief of “the Latter Day Saints,” exiled from the State of Missouri in the Winter of 1838 and 1839, [April 26, 1844].’” Mormon Historical Studies 16, No. 1 (Spring 2015): 226–231.
Parry, Jay A. A Treasured Testament: The Miraculous Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2019.
———. “‘Called to Drink Deep of the Bitter Cup’: Mary Fielding Smith (1801–1852).” In Women of Faith in the Latter Days: Volume 1, 1775–1820, edited by Richard E. Turley Jr. and Brittany A. Chapman, 376–388. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013.
———. “‘The Lord Has Remembered His Handmaiden in Her Affliction’: Helen Mar Kimball Whitney (1828–1896).” In Women of Faith in the Latter Days: Volume 2, 1821–1845, edited by Richard E. Turley Jr. and Brittany A. Chapman, 398–412. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2014.
Reeder, Jennifer. “The Textual Culture of the Nauvoo Female Relief Society Leadership and Minute Book.” In Foundational Texts of Mormonism: Examining Major Early Sources, edited by Mark Ashurst-McGee, Robin Scott Jensen, and Sharalyn D. Howcroft, 154–189. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
Rogers, Brent M. “‘Armed Men Are Coming from the State of Missouri’: Federalism, Interstate Affairs, and Joseph Smith’s Final Attempt to Secure Federal Intervention in Nauvoo.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 109, no. 2 (Summer 2016): 148–79.
———. “A Digital Voice from the Dust: The Joseph Smith Papers at the Intersection of Public and Digital History.” Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals 12, no. 4 (Fall 2016): 409–418.
———. “The Fascinating Life of Vienna Jaques.” Mormon Historical Studies 16, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 148–178.
———. “‘In the Style of an Independent Sovereign’: Mid-Nineteenth-Century Mormon Martial Law Proclamations in American Political Culture.” In Contingent Citizens: Shifting Perceptions of Latter-day Saints in American Political Culture, edited by Spencer W. McBride, Brent M. Rogers, and Keith A. Erekson, 110–127. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2020.
———. “Living with the Memory of the Hawn’s Mill Massacre: Aftermath, Exodus, and Efforts to Obtain Redress.” In Truth and Tragedy: What Happened at Hawn’s Mill, edited by Alexander L. Baugh, 105–121. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2014.
———. “Prelude to the March: The Expulsion from Zion and Plans for Redemption.” In Zion’s Camp, 1834: March of Faith, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, 5–32. Sandy, UT: History of the Saints, 2018.
———. “To the ‘Honest and Patriotic Sons of Liberty’: Mormon Appeals for Redress and Social Justice, 1843–1844.” Journal of Mormon History 39, no. 1 (Winter 2013): 36–67.
Smith, Alex D. “Balancing Faith and History: A Conversation with James B. Allen,” Mormon Historical Studies 11, no. 2 (Fall 2010): 115–157.
———. “The Book of the Law of the Lord.” Journal of Mormon History 38, no. 4 (Fall 2012): 131–163.
———. “The Day Joseph Smith Was Killed: A Carthage Woman’s Perspective.” BYU Studies Quarterly 58, no. 2 (2019): 107–114.
———. “Organizing the Church in Nauvoo: D&C 124, 125.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, 264–271. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Symbol of Mormonism: The Nauvoo Boarding House.” The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 35, no. 2 (Fall/Winter 2015): 109–136.
———. “Untouchable: Joseph Smith’s Use of the Law as Catalyst for Assassination.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 112, no. 1 (Spring 2019): 8–42.
Smith, Alex D., and Andrew H. Hedges. “Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo Journals.” In Foundational Texts of Mormonism: Examining Major Early Sources, edited by Mark Ashurst-McGee, Robin Scott Jensen, and Sharalyn D. Howcroft, 231–267. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
———. “Joseph Smith, John C. Bennett, and the 1842 Extradition Attempt.” In Joseph Smith: The Prophet & Seer, edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson, 437–465. Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2010.
———. “The Lady and the Governor: Emma Hale Smith’s and Thomas Carlin’s 1842 Correspondence.” Mormon Historical Studies 9, no. 2 (Fall 2008): 139–152.
Smith, R. Eric. “Joseph Smith’s First Journal.” Treasures of the Collection, history.churchofjesuschrist.org, 19 April 2012, https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/joseph-smiths-journal?lang=eng.
———. “Insights into Mormon Record-Keeping Practices from the Council of Fifty Minutes.” In The Council of Fifty: What the Records Reveal about Mormon History, edited by Matthew J. Grow and R. Eric Smith, 91–104. Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2017.
———. “A Mission to Canada: D&C 100.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 202–207. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Smith, R. Eric, Matthew C. Godfrey, and Matthew J. Grow, eds. Know Brother Joseph: New Perspectives on Joseph Smith’s Life and Character. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2021.
Smith, R. Eric, and Matthew J. Grow. “Council of Fifty in Nauvoo, Illinois.” Perspectives on Church History, history.churchofjesuschrist.org, 13 September 2016, https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/council-of-fifty-minutes-joseph-smith-papers?lang=eng.
Tait, Lisa Olsen, and Brent Rogers. “‘A House for Our God’: D&C 88, 94, 95, 96, 97, 109, 110, 137.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 165–173. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Turley, Richard E., Robin S. Jensen, and Mark Ashurst-McGee. “Joseph the Seer.” Ensign, October 2015, 49–55.
Waite, Nathan N. “A School and an Endowment: D&C 88, 90, 95, 109, 110.” In Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, 174–182. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
———. “Using the Joseph Smith Papers Website: A Guide for Church Educators.” Religious Educator 20, no. 2 (2019): 105–121.