Preserving the Past, Editing for the Future
Bringing historical records to life through expert transcription, annotation, and publication
Where History & Access Converge
The purpose of the Association for Documentary Editing is to support, facilitate, and promote the creation and use of edited texts and other acts of recovery through cooperation and exchange among those concerned with uncovering, contextualizing, sustaining, and preserving primary source materials, texts, and cultural artifacts.
The ADE is for professional editors, teachers, students, interdisciplinary scholars, librarians, archivists, genealogists, and others. Our community of practitioners is open to a wide range of disciplines, professions and backgrounds as the work of recovery and creation of editions is a multidisciplinary effort. Please join us!
Resource Hub
The Association for Documentary Editing’s resource hub is a starting point for anyone interested in the art and craft of editing documents and recovery projects. Whether you’re exploring the field for the first time or preparing to launch your own edition, you’ll find curated tools, guidance, and inspiration here.
Get Started
Explore foundational articles and best practices compiled by experienced editors and practitioners.
Community
Discover trusted external resources to help you learn the basics, gain insight, and begin your journey into documentary editing and recovery of primary sources.
Scholarly Editing
Read peer-reviewed digital editions and articles that reflect the latest practices, research, and innovations in the field
News & Updates
Call for Nominations: The 2026 Lyman H. Butterfield Award
The Lyman H. Butterfield Award Committee seeks nominations for the 2026 award. Since 1985, the Association for Documentary Editing has presented the Butterfield Award annually to recognize recent contributions in the areas of documentary publication, teaching, and...
New Volume of Collected Letters of Mary Todd Lincoln Underway
A new volume of the Collected Letters of Mary Todd Lincoln is currently underway under the auspices of the Lincoln Studies Center of the University of Illinois, to be published by the University of Illinois Press. The work, by editor and ADE member Jason Emerson, will add more than 300 new letters to the collection as well as correct errors in more than 150 previously published letters.
The Adams Papers Hiring Three Assistant / Associate Editors
The Adams Papers editorial project at the Massachusetts Historical Society seeks up to three full-time assistant or associate editors. These grant-funded positions are made possible by an award from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support work through...
Papers of James Monroe hiring four new full-time professional staff members
The National Endowment for the Humanities recently awarded to the University of Mary Washington a grant of just under $3,000,000 outright over five years in support of The Papers of James Monroe. The grant will cover salary and benefits for four new full-time...
Projects
Members of the ADE represent a diverse range of documentary editing and recovery projects. Our members come from a variety of disciplines and methodologies. To explore more of the projects ADE members contribute to, visit our projects page and browse according to your interests.
