Entire Joseph Smith Papers Print Edition Now Available for Free Online

The content from all 27 print volumes of The Joseph Smith Papers is now available for free online at josephsmithpapers.org.

The final print volume, Documents, Volume 15: 16 May–28 June 1844, first published in June 2023, was digitized and released online earlier this month. This update completes the collection, giving scholars, Latter-day Saints, and members of the public free access to troves of material on Joseph Smith, no matter where they are in the world.

The 27 print volumes of The Joseph Smith Papers were printed in five series. Left to right: Revelations and Translations; Histories; Journals; Documents; and Administrative Records.

The print volumes, which comprise more than 18,000 pages total, make available the key, high-priority papers of Joseph Smith, including his revelations, letters, and sermons.

“Making these publications widely available at no cost helps us more fully realize the vision of the Joseph Smith Papers Project,” said Matthew McBride, director of the Publications Division at the Church History Department. “There was a time when scholars had to travel to archives to examine Joseph Smith’s papers. Our print publications made them more accessible than ever. Now, anyone can view them from anywhere.”

Nathan Waite, a product manager who supports the JSP website, adds: “When we put the books online, we don’t post just the text. We add images of all the papers so users can read the original handwriting, just as if they were holding the original document in their hands.”

Though the final Joseph Smith Papers print volume is now online, a team of editors remains busy finalizing the website and publishing web-only records, including alternate versions of documents and routinely created papers, such as priesthood licenses and records of property sales. The team expects to finish by the end of 2026.