Printing history of the book of mormon

It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. He wrote the booklet, miracle on palmyras main street, the year before he died. He was josephs most prolific scribe, one of the three witnesses, and oversaw the printing process, for which he recopied the entire book of mormon by hand. It is not a commentary or a traditional history book. A printing history of the book of mormon 105 the first edition the first published text from the book of mormon was the title page, which was printed inthe wayne sentinelof 26 june 1829, an item probably obtained from the application. Grandins printing press and bookshop was located in the western most building of a complex. The book of mormon and the growth of printing in america. In every set comparing the book of mormon texts against these three writers, at least seven and often many more rejections were measured. Grandin building and the original printing of the book of mormon. No man knows my history the life of joseph smith the. What may interest you is that there are twenty distinct editions of the book of mormon beginning with the first printing in 1830, and culminating with the current edition, first set and printed in 1981. For example, the prophet joseph smiths history of the church passes over the printing in one phrase.

Should we suspect anything is unusual just by knowing that it took only seven months. In this article, i will survey the printing history of the book of mormon in the english language, focusing on the first edition of 1830 as well as on the other editions that were published before joseph smiths death in 1844. Maxwell institute pomeroy tucker, origin, rise, and progress of mormonism new york. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august.

The grandin printing press that was used to produce the first 5,000 copies of the book of mormon in palmyra, new york, is on display in the lds church history museum in salt lake city, utah. Translating and printing the book of mormon the book of. The historical narrative surrounding the book of mormon witnesses presents a labyrinth of conflicting statements, many provided decades after the fact by those not present during the events. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2600 bc to. It is also known as the grandin building, after egbert b. Nov 24, 2011 the book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2600 bc to. To print the book, grandin used a smith improved printing press, which had first appeared on the market about 1821 and was the most uptodate press available to the small printer of the day. Provo museum preserves printing history of the book of mormon.

Hyrum smith is led by the spirit to go to the press on the sabbath. The newyorkbased brockport free press of april 6, 1831, helped spread a contortion of the unfamiliar name. We just finished printing our newest version of the annotated book of mormon. This is the first published text of the book of mormon to show the precise history of many textual variants.

Page, which was printed in the wayne sentinel of 26 june 1829, an item probably obtained from. A critical text of the book of mormon was published in 19841987 by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. Examine the book of mormon as a historical printed artifact. Here at the crandall printing museum, we attempted to see what it would be like to print 5,000 copies of the original 1830 book of mormon. Printing paper used in the first editions of the book of mormon was a softer, machinedmade paper that did not need moistening. The original grandin printing press, now sitting in the museum of church history and art in salt lake city, was used to print the first copies of the book of mormon in 1830. Rather than go into full detail, ill list each of the. As proselyting increased, another printing of the book of mormon was needed. Printing the book of mormon crandall historical printing museum. Mar 01, 2017 the first editions of the book of mormon were prepared and bound using old traditional methods. Church history department releases book of mormon printer. He and oliver cowdery discover abner cole pilfering the book of mormon, publishing it in a series in his small newspaper.

Mar 01, 2012 what may interest you is that there are twenty distinct editions of the book of mormon beginning with the first printing in 1830, and culminating with the current edition, first set and printed in 1981. Book of mormon historic publication site wikipedia. These books are now individually known as the first edition book of mormon, and only around 500 are estimated to exist today. John gilberts 1892 account of the 1830 printing of the book of mormon. How we got the book of mormon recounts the fascinating history of this work of scripture, from the golden plates to the present edition, explaining the changes that occurred with each major version.

Beautiful working replica of the original eb grandin acorn printing press that was used to print the first book of mormon. Besides joseph smith, few people were as involved in the bringing forth of the book of mormon as oliver cowdery. Grandin, who owned and operated a printshop in the building. Evidence of these pins comes from the holes they created and the rust marks left by the heads of the pins. Much confusion surrounds the issue of who actually saw or signed what, where and when. A printing history of the book of mormon mormon historic sites. Lds church buys printers manuscript of book of mormon for. Marsh of charleston, massachusetts, visited the grandin printing office that fall and was given copies of the first 16 pages of the book of mormon history of thos. Book of mormon printing history showcased in storied provo.

From our modern day perspective, it seems that the printing of the book of mormon would be an obvious success, but the true history varies greatly from the popular lds narrative. Book of mormon historic publishing site grandin building. Book of mormon first edition 1830 church history museum. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Green, the rise of book publishing, in a history of the book in. Book of mormon printing press hd lds mormon church history. Apr 05, 2020 the original grandin printing press, now sitting in the museum of church history and art in salt lake city, was used to print the first copies of the book of mormon in 1830. Part 2 contains the text of the book of mormon from alma 36 through moroni 10, statements of book of mormon witnesses, and reference material, including a chronology, a biographical register, and a table documenting how the printers manuscript was used in printing the 1830 and 1837 editions of the book of mormon. Whilst the book of mormon was in the hands of the printer, we still continued to bear testimony.

Printers manuscript of the book of mormon is the 11th published volume of the. A new volume of the joseph smith papers project featuring the printers manuscript of the book of mormon was released tuesday by the church historians press, an imprint of the history. First edition book of mormon history moons rare books. We hear much these days about the mormonites, the mormon bible, the book of mormon, and people are very desirous to know what mormon signifies.

Eb grandin printing bookstore and press, palmyra, ny duration. The lds church confirms, while many printers were content to publish. These results yield strong statistical evidence that the wordprints of joseph smith, oliver cowdery, and solomon spaulding are not measurable in the book of mormon. Book of mormon printing arrangements printing the book. The sacred book of scripture shed light on a darkened world. Oliver remained involved in the founding events of the church and became one of the first missionaries to.

Church history department releases book of mormon printers. Learning as they went, joseph smith and his associates worked to secure a printer s services, finance the printing process, and respond to local opposition to publish the sacred record. No man knows my history the life of joseph smith the mormon. The replica press is found at the crandall printing museum in provo, utah. Jun 14, 2018 in 1851, twentyone years after its first printing, members of the church in denmark were the first to read the book of mormon in their native language. Grandin of palmyra, ny, a printer whose skill at printing was equal to any in the largest commercial centers along the atlantic seaboard, to print the book of. Today this historic site is open to the public yearround. All new 2nd printing books contain 6 books per case not 8. Using funds from donors, the lds church purchased the manuscript from the community of christ on wednesday, sept. Feb 16, 2017 beautiful working replica of the original eb grandin acorn printing press that was used to print the first book of mormon. The seven months it took to print the book of mormon is well documented. Revised and enhanced history of joseph smith by his mother chapter 32 by lucy mack smith. Lds church buys printers manuscript of book of mormon for record. The first published text from the book of mormon was the title.

Locating the site of the third printing of the book of mormon is more than a trivial exercise revealing historical minutia. The first book of mormon was published in 1830, where 5,000 copies were printed by e. Printing paper used in the first editions of the book of mormon was a softer, machinemade paper that did not need moistening. The ten most expensive mormon books meridian magazine. Where in cincinnati was the third edition of the book of. Journal of the book of mormon an other restoration scripture 21, no.

After printing the 592page first edition of the book of mormon on sheets of paper, church members, typically women and children, folded the sheets into folios to be sewn, glued, and bound into a finished book. But the better procedure is to test this statement against what we have been able to discover about the printing of the first edition of the book of mormon. The oilbased ink used in printing at the time made better imprints when the paper was slightly moistened, which added the timely step of drying before a sheet could be flipped over to print on the reverse side. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints has recognized the museum as the most authentic education center for the printing the book of mormon and even sends its docents from the church museum in salt lake to the crandall historical printing museum for training on how the book was miraculously brought into existence. The earlier loss of 116 pages of the book of mormon manuscript together with rising antagonism in the palmyra area persuaded joseph and his followers to guard the text during printing. Printing and publishing the book of mormon a small group of believers supported joseph smith through the book of mormon translation process, but none of them had experience in publishing. Read more about the history of the printing press and the book of mormon.

Feb 11, 20 the wonderful crandall historical printing museum in provo, utah, undertook in january 20 to reenact the original printing of the book of mormon. Grandin building and the original printing of the book of. History of the book of morman printing tripadvisor. Tracing the development of the printing press, by keith j. John gilberts 1892 account of the 1830 printing of the. Now held at the church history library, the printers manuscript gives unique insight into the translation and production of the book of mormon. To pay for the printing, martin harris had to take a. When exploring the circumstances and motivations of the smith family before and after the publication, it becomes clear that joseph smiths intentions were always to. Feb 23, 2017 printing paper used in the first editions of the book of mormon was a softer, machinedmade paper that did not need moistening. John gilberts 1892 account of the 1830 printing of the book. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of.

The early reception of the book of mormon in nineteenth. The wonderful crandall historical printing museum in provo, utah, undertook in january 20 to reenact the original printing of the book of mormon. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august 1829. The incredible story of the first printing of the book of. This item appeared as joseph smith was trying to find a publisher for his volume. The following year the book of mormon was printed in four additional languages. Solomon chamberlain of lyons, new york, was accompanied to the print shop by hyrum smith, who handed him 64 pages from the new volume chamberlain. We have added additional references, pictures and some information. The book of mormon printing miracle its about time. The incredible story of the first printing of the book of mormon. Weight, who died in 2004 at the age of 72, is another case in point. Wilson, religious studies center late in march 1830, a notice in the palmyra, new york, newspaper appeared announcing the recent publication of the book of mormon. Rather than go into full detail, ill list each of the editions, then mention the ones that may be pertinent to your copy. The original manuscript was used by smith to further correct errors printed in the 1830 and 1837 versions of the book of mormon for the 1840 printing of the book.

Grandins print shop to print the book was signed on tue 25 aug 1829, and the completed book was on sale by fri 26 march 1830. The original press used by grandin to print the book of mormon, is currently located in the church history museum in salt lake city, utah. If theyd have had to moisten it, it would have taken four or five times as long, brother watkins said. The printing of the book of mormon was truly a miracle. The book of mormon was published in march 1830 in palmyra, new york, under the direction of printer egbert b. A new volume of the joseph smith papers project featuring the printers manuscript of the book of mormon was released tuesday by the church historians press, an imprint of the history department of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Its discovery adds a visual element to the testimony of ebenezer robinson in regard to the guiding hand the lord provided for the printing of the book of mormon at a time when resources were scarce in the church. The crandall museum has a working copy of the printing press used to print the original 5,000 copies of the book of mormon, and it was on this that they tried to duplicate the original process. The book of mormon historic publication site in palmyra, new york, is the place where the first copies of the book of mormon were printed and bound in 1829 and 1830. The book of mormon played a major role in the missionary efforts of the early church. Book of mormon printing arrangements printing the book of.