Salt Lake City, USA — The Mormon church will launch a new imprint for publishing works that detail the faith's early history and growth, beginning with a massive series cataloguing the papers of church founder Joseph Smith.
Marlin K. Jensen, an elder with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the establishment of the Church Historian's Press underscores the value church leaders place on history.
The Joseph Smith Papers, to be released later this year, is a collection of "journals, diaries, correspondence, articles and notices," Jensen said, "everything of a written nature Joseph Smith generated, or over which he had oversight."
Between 25 and 30 volumes are expected in the series.
Project editor Ronald Esplin said the Smith works will provide a greater opportunity for historians and will lift the overall standards for Mormon historical scholarship.
Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller and his wife, Gail, created an endowment to help fund the Joseph Smith Papers project.