Annotation and Editorial Methodology

The intent of this series is to make available, in annotated form, all of Ellen White's extant letters and manuscripts.^{1On the distinction between Ellen White's “letters” and “manuscripts,” see the introductory article “The Literary Relationship Between Ellen White's Published and Unpublished Works.” Ellen White's original papers reside at the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc., in Silver Spring, Maryland. Photocopies of the transcriptions are available at numerous Ellen G. White—Seventh-day Adventist Research Centers around the world, the locations of which may be found on the estate's Website: www.EllenWhite.org.} With few exceptions, writings that are readily available in other published and electronic formats have not been included in this series.^{2Examples include periodical articles and nonextant letters printed in An Appeal to the Youth, Spiritual Gifts [vol. 2], or other publications such as Testimonies for the Church. Exceptions included in this volume are Ellen White's two earliest communications (printed in the Day-Star), three broadsides, a letter in A Word to the “Little Flock,” and “utterances” from a vision printed in a tract by Joseph Bates.} The table of contents includes a complete chronological list of Ellen White's writings, with references to excluded published sources printed in italic font.^{3Also indicated by italics are five unauthenticated visions described in Appendix A.}1EGWLM 62.1

This volume provides a level of historical context for each document through a series of footnotes dealing with such matters as date of composition, identity of addressee, background to events and issues alluded to in the text, and clarification of obscure or archaic expressions. While having succinct notes has been the goal, some letters have required more extensive annotation, particularly those with considerable theological content.1EGWLM 62.2