“Producing Ancient Scripture is a remarkable contribution. It should be read by anyone with a serious interest in early Mormonism.”—Mormon Studies Review
“A landmark work of scholarship in Book of Mormon studies and for the study of the Latter-day Saint tradition more broadly, the best representation of current work on Joseph Smith’s translation that we have.”—Journal of Book of Mormon Studies
“Joseph Smith's translations are, in a sense, his religion in a microcosm. This book helpfully opens up both the word translation and possibilities for understanding early Mormonism.”—Nova Religio
“Producing Ancient Scripture proves itself to be an essential text to now consult for future efforts in understanding the enigma that is Mormonism's founding prophet.”—Association for Mormon Letters
“The essays in Producing Ancient Scripture are an invitation to engage with the production of texts in early America to far more scholars than simply those specializing in early Mormon history. The paperback edition can easily be used as a textbook in undergraduate courses on early American religion and represents some of the best current work in this field.”—Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture
“An impressive collection of essays that offers the most sophisticated, multifaceted, and detailed examination to date of Joseph Smith’s career-long process of translation and his projects in producing new scripture. This landmark study has significantly elevated the scholarly discourse surrounding the nature of Smith’s revelatory process, and the essays of all the participating scholars offer major contributions to the understanding of Joseph’s prophetic methodology. The resulting synthesis of these wide-ranging essays prompts the proverbial saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”—The Journal of Mormon History
“The comprehensiveness of the treatment of Joseph Smith’s translation projects, the quality and depth of the specific papers, and the way in which many papers confirm or interact with the others in the book, support the assertion that this is currently the most important single work examining the whole of Joseph Smith’s translation projects. For many years to come, anyone attempting to discuss any of Joseph Smith’s translation projects must refer to Producing Ancient Scripture.”—Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
“The editors are to be congratulated on pulling together an excellent collection of articles by seasoned historians, laying a new, higher foundation for a thorough understanding of Joseph Smith’s translations. This book is essential reading for those interested in an in-depth exploration of Joseph Smith's language and translation projects.”—Worlds Without End: A Mormon Studies Roundtable
“These essays collectively revise our understanding of Joseph Smith's many translation projects. I found each essay stimulating and thought-provoking. I cannot imagine writing or teaching about the Joseph Smith period of Mormonism without having this book nearby as a source to consult.”—John Turner, professor of American religion, George Mason University, and author of The Mormon Jesus: A Biography and Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet
“A fantastic contribution—both to the field of Mormon studies and to the larger field of religious studies as well. The volume will immediately become the standard work on the subject of Joseph Smith’s translation projects, far and away the best analyses of the topic available.”—Joseph Spencer, assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies