In the Summer of 1842, Joseph Smith continued to direct the affairs of a growing church. He introduced new religious rituals, oversaw missionary work, encouraged the construction of a temple, served as editor of the church newspaper Times and Seasons, and struggled to help the hundreds of converts gathering to Nauvoo, Illinois. In May, he was elected mayor, adding new municipal responsibilities to his busy schedule. Financial concerns were yet another matter that required Smiths's attention. He had filed a bankruptcy application in mid-April 1842 and over the summer of 1842 had his first hearing and corresponded with his attorney and creditors regarding bankruptcy. The demands on his time were so great that Wilford Woodruff wrote in June that he had "never seen Joseph as full of business as of late," noting that "he hardly gets time to sign his name."

Joseph Smith's documentary output from May through August 1842 reflects these many roles and concerns. Documents, Volume 10 features 105 documents, including correspondence editorials, reports of discourses, minutes of meetings, municipal and legal documents, military records, financial records and notices and a revelation on conducting a plural marriage sealing.

Intense opposition from John C. Bennett, a respected leader in both the community and the church, consumed much of Joseph Smith's attention during this period. Bennett was excommunicated in May as a result of sexual impropriety. He left Nauvoo the next month, threatening to expose Joseph Smith as a fraud. Smith and other Latter-day Saints marshaled evidence outlining Bennett's perfidy. In turn, Bennett's published letters and public lectures condemning Joseph Smith resulted in a firestorm of controversy in the eastern United States.
Hard cover.