Along with the hoopla for the newest volume of the Joseph Smith Papers (and the first of the documents series) the Church History Department for the LDS Church just announced that the minutes from the Nauvoo Council of Fifty would not only be used in the forthcoming volumes of the Papers, but that the Minutes would be published in their entirely on their own. Read the press release here. This is kind of miraculous and I think you should care.
As Morgan at By Common Consent noted, the Council of the Fifty has been a "much whispered about source"--an almost notorious source--that has been closed to historians for many years. Rumours sprout and thrive when no one has access to dispute claims. It seemed too much to hope it might be included in the JSPP. This decision helps to make the Papers a comprehensive effort to collect everything related to Joseph Smith. This is a significant step to fulfill that goal. It indicates confidence in the ability of church members to deal with complex history. It likewise demonstrates what Assistant Church Historian Rick Turley has often quipped and I thoroughly believe--the problem is not in reading church history, the problem is in not reading enough church history. With access comes an better ability to try and understand the past as a whole.
*J. Stapley (also at BCC) wrote a good specific analysis of what we now know about the Council of the Fifty and why it is a big deal here.
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