“Every document that we know of that was produced by or under the direction of Joseph Smith, or written to him directly, has been published with annotations,” said Elder Kyle S. McKay, Church Historian and Recorder.
“When you read these documents, … it’s not novel style. It’s not a narration. It’s document after document after document. And you kind of put the narration together. But you do get a sense for how God uses an ordinary person and creates something magnificent,” said Elder McKay.
“To prepare these documents will only make us more effective in telling the story of the ongoing restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world as we move into the future,” said Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“This scholarly project includes, as we noted, 27 volumes, 1,306 journal entries, 643 letters, 155 revelations, 18,822 pages, 7,452,072 words and 49,687 footnotes — and even meticulous footnotes on footnotes,” said Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.