(MORMONS) The Book of Mormon An Account Written by the Hand

Sale 2391 - Lot 225

Price Realized: $ 57,500

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 40,000 - $ 60,000

FIRST EDITION (MORMONS.) The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon, upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi. 588, [2] pages. 8vo, modern full calf in the style of the original, with seven double bands in gilt and a black spine label on the backstrip; foxing, moderate dampstaining, minor soiling and wear to title page; pencil signature of Samuel Chisholm on flyleaf. Palmyra, NY: E.B. Grandin, 1830

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first edition of the scripture of the mormon church, released just days before the official establishment of the church on 6 April 1830. This was the only edition listing Joseph Smith as the "author and proprietor" rather than as the translator, and the only edition with his 2-page preface. This copy has the 2 pages of witness testimony at the end, but not the index pages which were inserted in later copies. The first edition was printed with numerous variants; Crawley concludes that "very few copies of the book exist which are entirely identical." This copy includes the uncorrected sheets for 10 of the 41 variants noted in Jenson:
page 81 reads "Holy one"; page 83 reads "condescentions"; page 91 reads "carcases"' page 212 is misnumbered as "122"; page 275 has the uncapitalized "this"; page 286 reads "ifthou" and "khown"; page 507 reads "which is in my name"; page 521 reads "rum-derers" for "murderers"; and page 576 reads "un-to the baptism" for "unto baptism." See Janet Jenson, "Variations between Copies of the First Edition of the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies 13 (Winter 73), 214-222. Crawley 1; Flake 595; Grolier Hundred 37; Howes S623; Sabin 83038; Streeter sale IV:2262.