Translation of the Book of Mormon
Joseph Smith first learned about the existence of The Golden Plates from the angel Moroni in 1823. For the next four years he was not allowed to obtain the plates, although he visited the spot where they were buried yearly and met the angel, receiving instruction from him. In 1827 he was sufficiently prepared to be entrusted with the golden plates. Buried with the plates were other artifacts, including the Urim and Thummim, the device by which he began the translation. Joseph also possessed a seer stone, and both these instruments were used to translate.
There are several helpful accounts of the method by which the translation took place. One account describes Joseph attaching the breastplate of the Urim and Thummim and looking directly at the plates through the two stones set in a silver bow. The other widely-recorded method includes Joseph's placing his seer stone in a hat and placing his face in the hat to block out all light. The plates were left covered when using this method. Each scribe reported Joseph dictating one sentence at a time, spelling out words or names. The scribe would then read the sentence back to Joseph to confirm its correctness. Mormon Church leaders and scholars have often stated that the Book of Mormon translation was not a mechanical process; it involved great mental and spiritual concentration on the part of Joseph Smith.
At the completion of the translation, the golden plates were returned to the angel Moroni, in whose care they remain to this day. The resulting translation was published as the Book of Mormon in 1830. Since then it has been translated by linguists into 72 other languages, and over 120 million copies have been distributed worldwide.
Although widely available in print, online, and in apps (in 2023, the church published the 200 millionth copy of the Book of Mormon), the original 1830 copies are in demand.
- The librarians at the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth College are used to one frequent request from visitors. The most requested book in the library’s collection is the first edition of the Book of Mormon from 1830. The demand has been so high over the years that the members of the preservation team crafted a custom box that easily transforms into a book cradle to prevent the strain on the book’s spine. For quick access, the librarians keep the copy on the hold shelf behind the reference desk.
- . . . Most of the visitors seeking the book are not students or faculty, according to librarians, but out-of-state visitors who may be combining their visit to Rauner with a trip to the birthplace of Joseph Smith in Sharon, Vermont, a 30-minute drive from Dartmouth.
- The Rauner at Dartmouth is not the only library where the first edition of the Book of Mormon is a popular book. At the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., which has two first editions of the Book of Mormon, it is the most requested book. In fact, it’s so popular that one of the copies was put in a glass display case to prevent wear and tear. . . .
- Among collectors, the book is a highly sought-after collectible item. From the 5,000 copies of the original first editions printed in New York in 1830, it is estimated that about 700 copies exist today. Some rare book collectors believe the number is closer to 500, while others believe the number could be closer to 2,500. Once a copy emerges on the market, it doesn’t linger there for long . . . . The price of the 1830 first edition went from $50 in the 1950s to around $200,000 today. . . . In June [2024], a copy was sold for $185,000 at Swann’s Auction in New York City, setting a new auction record.
- Ken Sanders, the owner of Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City, called the 1830 edition “the Holy Grail of the (Latter-day Saint) book collecting.”
- “It’s not the rarest book, and it’s not the most valuable book,” Sanders said. “But it’s the most desired book.”[1]
