More than a dozen years of answering questions about the Joseph Smith Papyri on a weekly, if not daily, basis have convinced me that one of the major problems with understanding the complicated issues surrounding the papyri has been the lack of up-to-date, reliable, readily available information on the Joseph Smith Papyri. Many discussions of the papyri are often completely devoid of not only recent Egyptological research but sometimes of even basic information about ancient Egypt. Additionally, few of the available discussions show any acquaintance with serious Latter-day Saint thought on either the Book of Abraham or the Joseph Smith Papyri. This guide has been prepared to provide basic information about the Joseph Smith Papyri and an overview of the discussion about the connections that they may have with the Book of Abraham for those who have no knowledge of ancient Egypt and perhaps little of the Latter-day Saints.

Due to the general nature of this work, references have been kept to an absolute minimum. I am currently preparing a larger study that will provide a fuller discussion with references.

The present work is not an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and does not necessarily represent the official positions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University, or the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at Brigham Young University.