A stray drop of ink and a quirk of nineteenth-century penmanship make the difference between “retain that wrong” and “repair that wrong.” Only scrupulous attention to the earliest written manuscripts of the Book of Mormon can uncover such discrepancies. Professor Royal Skousen has spent more than twenty five years meticulously researching the original and printer’s manuscripts of the Book of Mormon, revealing discrepancies and making a case for the type of translation the Book of Mormon is. Every page, every sentence, every word, letter, and mark are accounted for in the landmark Critical Text Project, arguably the most important Book of Mormon research to date.
As director of the Maxwell Institute’s Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, I’m excited to announce that for the first time ever we are making the foundation of the Critical Text Project—Volumes one and two—available online. Volume four, which analyzes each textual variant found on the manuscripts and editions of the Book of Mormon, is also now available.
The Willes Center website features a Critical Text Project page which includes digital editions of volumes 1, 2, and 4, a video lecture series describing the project, a free introductory book written by a number of scholars who discuss the project, and a bibliography of articles Professor Skousen has written using his work on the Critical Text Project.
I express my gratitude to Professor Skousen for his ongoing work on the project, to Blair Hodges for managing the new website, and to the donors and supporters who have helped fund the project thus far. The Willes Center is the main venue for serious, academic research concerning the Book of Mormon. The Critical Text Project is an invaluable resource for any scholar or student of the Book of Mormon.
See it here.