Essential Joseph Smith

As illuminating as commentaries are, nothing conveys Joseph Smith's character like his own unadulterated words. In his distinctive language -- a mix of biblical and frontier idioms -- and in his famously spontaneous humor, one can feel the force of his charisma. Like Old Testament prophets, he was alternately contemplative and poetic, animated and surprisingly earthly.Popular editions of Smith's speeches and writings have usually edited out the extemporaneous complexities, as well as most deviations from present-day doctrines. Recent academic publications, on the other hand, camouflaged the text in scholarly apparata.By contrast, this volume brings together a sampling of the prophet's thinking from New York to Illinois in a complete, unabridged form, utilizing the earliest known sources, without excessive footnoting or commentary. No attempt is made to harmonize disparate, conflicting ideas. Readers can trace the developing, revelatory unfolding of ideas for themselves. They can also enjoy the text without reference to any interpretative agenda. In other words, The Essential Joseph Smith is both readable and reliable. Bracketed material and punctuation are added where needed, but the text otherwise speaks for itself. These are Joseph Smith's own words, his most essential messages, all in one place.Smith, Joseph is the author of 'Essential Joseph Smith' with ISBN 9780941214711 and ISBN 0941214710.