EDITORIAL PROCEDURES

To preserve the characteristics of someone's handwriting is to preserve evidence of personality, literary orientation, training, temperament, and mood.2 Since a major hindrance to understanding Joseph Smith has been the editorial barrier that arises between him and those who view him through the pages of his writings, I have tried to keep editorial intrusion to a minimum. By identifying the holograph and dictated material and presenting these writings as he and his clerks wrote them, I have intended to illuminate characteristics of his personality, his educational attainment, and the culture of his age. Letting him speak for himself allows readers to see the impact of particular situations upon his expression, the development of his writing ability, and the spontaneity and onrush of ideas that characterized his thought. Thus we can see him in much the same light that those who received his letters or read the original documents saw him. In essence, we observe Joseph through a first draft, unimproved by the usual reworking. If this procedure helps define his personality, it also suggests caution in comparing his writings with other works that are not original drafts, for even professional writers are not exempt from refining their prose. James A. Michener has noted that he wrote almost everything three times, "and would not even dare to send out the first draft of an important letter." He regarded himself as "not a good writer first time around," but as "one of the world's great rewriters."3 And Ernest Hemingway confessed that he reworked the ending of Farewell to Arms 39 times in order to "[get] the words right."4

The following editorial rules govern the treatment of the documents included here:

• A uniform format is employed for paragraph indentation, placement of date, salutation, signature of letters, and date of journal entries.
• Everything written in Joseph Smith's hand appears in boldface type.
• All original spelling, punctuation, and capitalization is retained. Where exact spelling is not clear, current usage is given.
• Crossed out words are designated as written: instead
• Insertions are enclosed in angle brackets: < >.
• Underlined words in the original manuscript are designated as written: some
• Superscript letters have been lowered and a period added: J^r to Jr.
• Brackets are used where necessary to properly identify people and places, and to supply conjectural reading of missing or unintelligible words: John Carl [John Corrill]; Lyman [Wight]; "you shall [be] delivered from danger;"
• Illegible letters and words that cannot be supplied conjecturally are indicated by dots and dashes within vertical lines -dots |...| representing the approximate number of missing letters, and dashes | - - | the approximate number of missing words.
• Editorial insertions that are not part of the text are italicized within brackets: [sentence unfinished].
• Handwriting other than Joseph Smith's is preceded by a slash mark and note identifying the writer: /5.
• Bracketed page numbers designate end of page: [p. 1].
• Occasional ink smudges are not designated, but where used to delete a word or letter they are treated as a strike-through.
• Where a word or letter has been written over, the corrected reading is used; if the change corrects more than a slip of the pen, the original reading is given in a note.
• Place names are located on accompanying maps.
• Photographic reproductions of Joseph Smith holographs and samples of clerical handwriting follow the pertinent documents.

Manuscript Symbols

The following symbols identify and describe the sources used as copy texts:

ADS	Autograph Document Signed. A document written and signed by its author.
ALS	Autograph Letter Signed. A letter written and signed by its author.
Dft.	Draft. A preliminary version of a letter or document, usually bearing alterations.
DS	Document Signed. A document signed by its author but written by someone else.
Ds	Document signed. A document written and signed by someone for its author.
FC	File Copy. A copy of a letter or document kept by the sender.
LS	Letter Signed. A letter signed by its author but written by someone else.
Ls	Letter signed. A letter written and signed by someone for its author.
MS	Manuscript. A handwritten document.
P	Published text. A letter or document available only in published form.
[S]	Signature excised. Used with other symbols to indicate signature was cut off.
Tr	Transcript. A copy of a document made at a substantially later time.