It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the b oo k of mo rmon. Sep 16, 2007 the rare first edition copy of the book of mormon was found at the bottom of a box of books by mark witmer, manager of hessney auction co. The majority of modern scholars have accepted that the sources used for the king james version of the bible were not the earliest or most. In this study we will show that there have been at least 3,9 changes made in the book of mormon from the time it was first published in 1830. This copy was donated to the library by the mormon apostle john a. Dissatisfied liberal mormons find refuge in the community of christ.
It was begun in july 1829 and finished early in 1830. The book of mormon is changing the lives of people all. Smith reportedly placed the original dictation of the book of mormon in the cornerstone of a house in nauvoo, illinois, in 1841. An exact facsimile reproduction of the first edition of the book of mormon, providing the authentic size, look and feel, and format of the original. Facsimile copy of the original manuscript of the book of mormon. It was acquired by the mormon church from community of. After the original manuscript was completed, joseph smith instructed oliver cowdery to prepare a second copy for the printers use. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of. Book of mormon printers manuscript is now online church. The publication of the book was done under adverse circumstances, and there were a few errors, mostly typographical conditions that arise in most any book that is being published but there was not one thing in the book of mormon or in the second edition or any other edition since that in any way contradicts the first edition, and such. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of. As of 2011, more than 150 million copies of the book of mormon had been printed.
According to smith, the book is originally written in an otherwise unknown language called reformed egyptian on golden plates and it should be of similar importance as the bible. Initial work concentrated on studying the two manuscripts of the book of mormon, namely the original manuscript and the printers manuscript. The original manuscript of the book of mormon book of. In summary, the real task for those wishing to claim that the nonbiblical language of the book of mormon is joseph smiths english will be to concentrate on the 80 or so examples of archaic language that have thus far been identified in the original text of the book of mormon, that is, the word uses, phrases, expressions, and grammatical. We know it was the 1769 version because even translation errors unique to that bible were copied into the original 1830 book of mormon. After ten years, this site averaged more than 5,000 per year. In addition to the electronic versions of these two manuscripts, 17 significant editions of the book of. After comparing the first edition of the book of mormon with the 1964 edition we marked the changes on the photocopies of the 1830 edition. Photocopy of the printers copy of the book of mormon. To the inside front cover are affixed four clippings of descriptions of different versions of first edition copies of the book of mormon and of an 1854 edition of the.
The book of mormon is a compilation of several books written by ancient prophets. The same article reported the highest price paid for a firstedition book of. This faithful reproduction of the earliest manuscript of the book of mormon perfectly preserves the original text, including the spellings, punctuation, and typography of the book as it was written and printed for the first time in 1830. In a nailbiting, downtothewire bidding war, a version of a book that can be had for free in many hotel room drawers was sold this week at.
According to the accounts of joseph smith and his associates, the original record was engraved on thin, malleable sheets of metal leaves with the appearance of gold, and bound with three rings at one edge. Sep 20, 2007 the book was an unrestored copy with the original binding, and its discovery immediately drew national interest. Moons rare books is a collection of rare and antique bibles, early mormon books and documents, lds scripture, classic literature, and early american and european historical documents. Jun 25, 2019 one of the advantages of the hard copy book is the footnotes. Less than six months later, the cornerstone of the nauvoo house was laid and many items were deposited into it including the original manuscript copy of the book of mormon. The document is a handwritten copy of the original manuscript dicated by joseph smith, according to the ldsowned newspaper the deseret news. There are on the average three changes per original manuscript. What im going to be talking about today is restoring the original text of the book of mormon. One of the advantages of the hard copy book is the footnotes.
The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors. The printers manuscript is not an exact copy of the original manuscript. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates. A complete transcript of the extant parts of the original manuscript of the book of mormon has been published as royal skousen, ed.
Private collector of rare mormon books, the 1830 first edition book of mormon, mormon art and artifacts, historic mormon paintings, autographed historical documents, early mormon historical photographs, mormon imprints from palmyra, zion, kirtland, and nauvoo, and anything related to the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. Two major goals of each published edition of the book of mormon have been 1 to faithfully reproduce the text. The original book of mormon manuscript byu studies. This book is a facsimile reproduction of the original printing of the book of mormon in 1830, written by joseph smith. This original 1830 version of the book of mormon, as it was originally printed is a good read for anyone who wants to see what the church originally believed or. The language of the original text of the book of mormon. The document is a handwritten copy of the original manuscript.
An account written by the hand of m ormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. A depiction of joseph smith dictating the book of mormon by peering into a hat. According to joseph smith, the book of mormon is more correct than the bible history of the church, vol. Mormon appraisal appraisals rare books lds 1830 book of. According to the accounts of joseph smith and his associates, the original record was. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Construction was attempted again in 1845, but was halted due to. Typographical facsimile of the extant text provo, ut. Whitney acquisition recently obtained by brigham young university. Mormon appraisal appraisals rare books lds 1830 book of mormon. The rare first edition copy of the book of mormon was found at the bottom of a box of books by mark witmer, manager of hessney auction co. The printers manuscript is a copy of the original manuscript and was used by the printer to set the type for the 1830 edition. For the latest detailed report, see royal skousen, towards a critical edition of the book of mormon, byu studies 30 winter 1990.
It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. It is the most complete copy of the original manuscript, deseret news reports. Sep 25, 2017 the printers manuscript was handwritten by a follower and was used to create the first printed edition of the book of mormon in 1830. Book of mormon sets new record for most expensive manuscript. After this original manuscript was completed, a second copy was made for the printers use. First edition book of mormon 1830 moons rare books. The book was an unrestored copy with the original binding, and its discovery immediately drew national interest. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. Sep 26, 2017 the document is a handwritten copy of the original manuscript dicated by joseph smith, according to the ldsowned newspaper the deseret news. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, brigham young university, 2001. The language of the original text of the book of mormon byu.
The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. The book, still in good condition, is presumed to be the copy hyrum smith purchased after it was printed in palmyra, new york, in 1830. Five of the scribesoliver cowdery, martin harris, john whitmer, christian whitmer, and samuel smithalso gave their testimonies as witnesses of the book of mormon. Provo one year ago, reid moon acquired a firstedition book of mormon signed by hyrum smith, the older brother and fellow martyr of mormon prophet joseph smith. The printers manuscript is the copy of the book of mormon text made by oliver cowdery, hyrum smith, and a third, unknown scribe from the original text written by scribes as joseph smith dictated an english translation of the nephite record. There were five early editions of the book of mormon published that are extremely significant to the lds faith, the first edition of 1830 being the most important, but also the 1837 kirtland, the. The goal of textual accuracy has led later editors to earlier editions and, when available, to the original and printers manuscripts see book of mormon manuscripts. The 1830 book of mormon text there were 5,000 original book of mormon copies published in 1830 in palmyra, new york.
There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. Restoring the original text of the book of mormon fairmormon. The book o f morm on is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Yet the original 1839 book of mormon was full of all kinds of errors. To the inside front cover are affixed four clippings of descriptions of different versions of first edition copies of the book of mormon and of an 1854 edition of the doctrine and covenants, along with a clipping describing the origin of the text of the book of mormon and a bookplate of the shepard book company of salt lake city, utah. This copy is called the printers manuscript p since it was the one normally used to set the type for the first 1830 edition of the book of mormon. Because 116 pages of the book of mormon manuscript had been lost a year earlier, joseph and his associates were wary about the manuscripts safety. David whitmer was not aware of this commandment, or had forgotten it, and without doubt, believed that the printers copy was the original. For those interested in experiencing the original book of mormon, this high quality reprint will make a wonderful addition to your library. The book of mormon testifies of jesuss ministry in the americas following his resurrection. This blue edition of the book of mormon includes footnotes, crossreferences, and guide to the scriptures.
The printers manuscript is the earliest surviving copy of about 72 percent of the book of mormon text, as only about 28 percent of the earlier dictation copy survived decades of storage in a. The printers manuscript was handwritten by a follower and was used to create the first printed edition of the book of mormon in 1830. Book of mormon, 1830, page 0 the joseph smith papers. According to joseph smith, the book of mormon is more correct than the bible history of. Ive been working on the critical text project of the book of mormon since 1988 and there are a number of works that have been published. We specialize in early mormon books, carrying several copies of the first edition book of mormon and first edition doctrine and covenants, as well as other documents which have contributed to mormon and utah. The creasing which is seen in the title page, at right, is a hallmark of the firstedition book of mormon, and is not a flaw. Between 1830 and 1837, joseph smith circulated copies of the book of mormon to 5,000 people. Book of mormon manuscript excerpt, circa june 1829 1 nephi 2. The original was never in the hands of the printer. Copy made from the original book of mormon manuscript by oliver cowdery, for use by the typesetter for the first printing of the book of mormon 1830. This copy of the book of mormon was published in palmyra, new york, by e. The book of mormon is a sacred text that was published in march 1830 by joseph smith, jr.
The footnotes correlate all the books of scripture with each other. Materials include a bound copy of fascimiles of pages 324 of the original manuscript of the book of mormon. The book of mormon has a number of original and distinctive doctrinal discussions on subjects such as the fall of adam and eve, the nature of the. This book presents the original transcription of joseph smiths dictated translation of the golden plates. How one utah rare book collector acquired a first edition book of. Verses make the scripture very manageable and are of great use in teaching situations, but reading the book of mormon as it was originally published, with only chapters, you get a real sense of the story within the book.
Jul 26, 2018 large parts of the book of mormon were found to be the same as parts of the 1769 version of the king james version of the bible. The original manuscript was in this manner carefully guarded, and the copy struck off by oliver cowdery was used in the printing of the book of mormon. Moons rare books first edition book of mormon for sale. Smith said he has received these plates in 1827 from an angel named moroni, who identified himself to smith as a native. The original book of mormon transcript the book of. We specialize in early mormon books, carrying several copies of the first edition book of mormon and first edition doctrine and covenants, as well as other. Title page found in ltpscs copy of 1st edition spanish book of mormon 1886 with the prevalence today of spanishspeaking members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, many are surprised to hear that the church did not have a large presence in latin america or among spanish speakers until the late 19th century. The current critical text project of the book of mormon began in 1988 with major support from farms.
The first edition book of mormon is composed in a narrative, paragraph format, uninterrupted by verses and chapters, which many readers will find easier to digest. This is an exact facsimile reprint of the original, 1830 edition of the book of mormon, the authoritative scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. There were 5,000 original book of mormon copies published in 1830 in palmyra, new york. We have several first edition copies of the book of mormon for sale. Manuscripts of the book of mormon the book of mormon. He owns a firstedition book of mormon with the original binding that he bought. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Book of mormon manuscript excerpt, circa june 1829 1. Come back often to see how fast we distribute 5,000 copies. The original manuscript was written down by joseph smiths scribes as joseph dictated the book of mormon. The engraving was reportedly of considerable skill. May 01, 2007 this book is a facsimile reproduction of the original printing of the book of mormon in 1830, written by joseph smith.
Rns in a nailbiting, downtothewire bidding war, a version of a book that can be had for free in many hotel room drawers was sold this. For information about the more recent discovery of several fragments of the original manuscript. The book of mormon critical text project religious studies. Nov 06, 2017 the printers manuscript is the copy of the book of mormon text made by oliver cowdery, hyrum smith, and a third, unknown scribe from the original text written by scribes as joseph smith dictated an english translation of the nephite record. The book of mormon critical text project religious. Other samples are located in the cowdery docket book and letters at the huntington library in california, the printers copy of the book of mormon manuscript in the possession of the reorganized church at independence, missouri, and the newel k. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. He later said of this book that, it is the most perfect book ever printed, because it had been made by the power of god using a seer stone and verbatum dictation. The original book of mormon transcript the book of mormon. Facsimile copy of the original manuscript of the book of. This means that if a concept is taught in the bible, the footnote for the verse in the book of mormon can tell you where to find it in the bible. A colored photographic facsimile reprint of the original. It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel.
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