Book of Mormon-Census Project
How many 1830 first copies of the 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒏 exist today?
September 21, 2023, is the 200th anniversary of the Angelic Visit to Joseph Smith.1 At this time the “Book of Mormon Census Project” was announced and the website for the Project made available.
As the 200th anniversary of the publication of the Book of Mormon2 approaches the editio princeps (first printed edition) and subsequent mid-nineteenth century editions of one of the most translated, most reprinted books in history is the subject of a new private census project. It was printed 1830 in rural New York in an outstandingly large initial edition of 5,000 copies in 1830.
The Book of Mormon has since been translated and distributed in hundreds of languages in well over 100 million copies.
Many copies of the 1830 Book of Mormon exist in institutional holdings, but thousands more copies exist in private hands. The “Book of Mormon Census Project” attempts to identify, list, and describe variation, provenance, and current ownership of existing copies, as well as identifying copies known to have been destroyed.3
First fully annotated, academic edition of the 𝘽𝒐𝙤𝒌 𝒐𝙛 𝙈𝒐𝙧𝒎𝙤𝒏 published by Oxford University Press
The first fully annotated, academic edition of the Book of Mormon in its 200-year history has been published by Oxford University Press modelled after the Oxford line of annotated Bibles.
This edition reformats the complete scriptural text in the manner of modern Bible translations, making it more accessible and readable, and the annotations and book introductions identify key themes and intertextual connections. The editorial additions focus on the details of specific passages, but also highlight broader perspectives that will illuminate the text as a whole. It is an essential tool for anyone looking for an accurate, comprehensive understanding of the Book of Mormon.4
Book of Mormon Manuscript Copy- $35 million
In 2017 the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints paid $35 million for the manuscript copy of the original text of the religion’s foundational text,1 The Book of Mormon, dictated by Joseph Smith.5 This is more than paid for the Magna Carta or the Gutenberg Bible.
200 Years Ago: An Angel’s Visit that Led to the Book of Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Newsroom. September 21, 2023; Olds, Rebecca. Why Latter-day Saints commemorate Sept. 21, 1823. Deseret News, September 23, 2023.
Gutjahr, Paul C. The Book of Mormon a Biography. Princeton; Princeton University Press, 2012.
Hardy, Grant. The Annotated Book of Mormon. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2023; Hardy, Grant. Understanding the Book of Mormon a Reader’s Guide. New York ; Oxford University Press, 2010.
No surprise that anything Mormon would have a hefty price tag attached....nothing quite like 'having a meter on god." (small 'g' intended)
I had no idea; however, I know that the U.S. Government prefers Mormons for work in such areas as the CIA and other world wide intelligence work because most (99% ) have served in other countries as part of required mission work. They speak other languages and are rather trustworthy souls. I saw the “Book of Mormon” in Chicago when I was at the 2012 ALA Conference. I was shocked; however I did laugh in many parts but most was not to my taste. I had to see what all the hubbub was about. I should have known. I do love the theater!