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The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text

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Prof. Royal Skousen, who is also an internationally respected linguistic theorist, has devoted two decades to intensive, meticulous study of the textual history of the Book of Mormon, and this Yale edition is a very important product -- though not the only product -- of that dedicated engagement. Previous reviewers have already adequately described the volume, so, besides simply endorsing it, I would like to say what I especially value about it:

This book represents the bottom-line results of one of the greatest individual scholarly undertakings in the history of Mormonism. The multiple volumes already published by Professor Skousen with FARMS (aka the Maxwell Institute) are wonderful, and, for serious scholars of the Book of Mormon, indispensable. But they're also very large and . . . well, multiple. In other words, unwieldy for speedy reference, when one simply needs to see the text quickly in order to know the likely original reading. I have long wanted a single, convenient volume that would make the superior Skousen text readily accessible, and now it's here. Moreover, with its sense lines and superb physical characteristics (e.g., staying easily open on a table or a desk), this is a wonderful version for simply reading the book through. It's a great study edition.

I recommend this printing of the Book of Mormon enthusiastically and without reservation. It changes no doctrines, but it will change the way even experienced readers of the Book of Mormon perceive and understand its sense and style. In fact, although Professor Skousen has been a consummate scholar, following the evidence where it leads, and has certainly not tried to skew things in a faithful direction, I'm quite confident (speaking as a believer) that many of those who study it carefully will find this edition faith-promoting -- as well they should. For one thing, it illustrates the remarkable consistency of the text as Joseph Smith dictated it, and it even contains the Hebraisms that have been edited out over the years because, though they're very good Hebrew style, they're odd English.

First, the physical production of the volume is outstanding (as one would expect from Yale University Press). High quality paper and binding, outstanding layout and typography. The book is large and heavy (see above) but manages to stay open even near the front and back. The heft of the book makes it a bit hard (though not impossible) to read while stretched out on the couch.

Grant Hardy's introduction lays out the case for accepting the Book of Mormon as a serious work worthy of study in the context of world religions -- all the more so because we have so much definite historical and even forensic information regarding its creation and transmission (cf. Terryl Givens' By the Hand of Mormon).

Skousen's editorial preface in turn provides a brief overview of his methodology in producing the critical text, laying out his overall approach as well as some of his criteria in making critical text decisions. However, he rightly points readers to his multi-volume series on the Book of Mormon Critical Text project for detailed explanations as to item-by-item decisions regarding recovery or conjecture of the critical text.

Skousen also explains his presentation of the critical text: sense lines, (mostly) modern spelling, de novo punctuation, blank lines to indicate paragraph breaks, and a typographic insertion to mark Joseph Smith's original chapter indications. Modern (LDS 1981 edition) chapter and verse indications are given in the left margin.

Note that the punctuation, sense line breaks, and paragraph breaks are Skousen's; the original manuscript had none, and the printer's manuscript didn't have much more. While most paragraphs comprise some number of modern verses, Skousen is willing to break across modern verse or even chapter divisions, though he only does so occasionally. I suspect that what criticism Skousen receives on this volume will come here, since he is in effect inserting himself to the text.

On the other hand, I frankly think he's done a better job than Orson Pratt did back in 1879 in setting up the modern chapters and verses, and as I got into the text itself, I found myself wishing for an edition that left out the modern chapter and verse numbers altogether (though I could simply use a bookmark to cover up the left margin). Since even the printer's manuscript was (in the words of the 1830 typesetter, John Gilbert) "one solid paragraph, without a punctuation mark, from beginning to end" (cited on p. xlii), I much prefer Skousen's approach to wading through a single mass of undifferentiated and unpunctuated text.

The resulting text is wonderful. Layout and typography make it very easy to read, and the presentation brings a fresh look to a very familiar text. I've worked my way through most of the six "Textual Variants" volumes published by Skousen, so I'm not reading this to pick up on those modifications per se (though Skousen lists in an appendix what he considers to be significant textual changes). Instead, I am imagining myself in a small room as Joseph Smith dictates and someone transcribes. It is a powerful experience, one which I'm about to go back to.

Highly recommended. ..bruce..

The typesetting by Saltzman is really a work of art, and combined with the formatting in sense lines, reads much like poetic prose; the story flows easily as never before. I just got my personal copy from the editor himself, Royal Skousen, who is my brother. With this disclosure I'll try to be as objective as I can in describing this work, having personally witnessed almost every facet of its development over the last 21 years. This single volume is the synthesis of all the detailed analysis Royal did on the historical changes and word variants that occupies in excess of ten volumes of scholarly text (also available to the public). What we have here in this reconstructed text of the Book of Mormon is both a flowing readable text of the story itself plus fascinating summaries in the Preface and Appendix of all the important textual changes that have been restored using the original and printer's handwritten manuscripts.

The ink on these manuscripts was so faint that special ultra violet and infra red photography had to be used to bring out the text and the editing marks, yielding a few hundred very interesting changes stemming mostly from copy errors when a printer's manuscript was prepared for delivery to the printer of the original 1830 edition. By openly discussing all of the copy and editorial changes over the history of the book, Royal feels he has "freed the earliest text" for everyone to view and discuss for themselves. I have observed his rigid adherence to scholarship and his principled resistant to common textual readings that may be more comfortable to our ears, but which are unsupported by the original documents. By giving us the earliest possible text he lets the story speak for itself. Enjoy.

Joel Skousen

Others have written well regarding my colleague Royal Skousen's monumental scholarly achievement in producing "The Earliest Test," so I want to address why both members and non-members of the LDS Church ought to be interested in reading it. First, both groups will find Grant Hardy's introduction to the text to be one of the clearest available on the contents and production of The Book of Mormon. In addition, Hardy makes a compelling case for The Book of Mormon's place in the canon of religious texts and explains how Skousen's methodology (textual criticism) works in reproducing a version of the text closest to Joseph Smith's translation (based on his careful examination of the printer's manuscript as well as the extant portions of the original manuscript written by Joseph Smith's scribes). Skousen's aim is certainly not to supplant the LDS Church's standard version of the Book of Mormon with its chapter and verse organization and its critical apparatus but to complement that version.

Second, both groups will find that Skousen's reframing of the text as a sort of prose poem according to his "sense-line" division makes the Book of Mormon more inviting to read than the standard version just by the way it looks on the page. For those, like me, who have read the Book of Mormon dozens of times over a lifetime, "The Earliest Text" will make a very familiar text appear new again and will open it up to fresh readings and insights. My reading of "The Earliest Test," for example, has renewed my aesthetic and doctrinal appreciation for the Book of Mormon. For those who haven't read the Book of Mormon before, "The Earliest Text" will offer a simpler, perhaps even purer, reading of the text--without the mediation of chapter divisions and headings, footnotes, and so forth. Further, "The Earliest Text" seems to enhance the Book of Mormon's engaging narrative and literary qualities, a boon for readers less interested in the text's theological content.

Since the Book of Mormon was first published in 1830, its readers have tended to be placed into two opposing camps: believers and nonbelievers. Perhaps "The Earliest Text" can do something to undo this binary opposition by opening the Book of Mormon to fuller and more open discussions among readers who, regardless of their religious or nonreligious affiliations, find it to be a significant sacred text. In this day and age, we would all do well to understand better the various religious cultures that flourish throughout the world and affect regional and world politics so profoundly.

Reading the Book of Mormon, the Earliest Text, has been an enlightening experience for me. The thing that I have enjoyed the most is the sense-lines. I have read the Book of Mormon many times, but after reading a couple of chapters I was always ready to quit. With the Earliest Text, I started to read it at the beginning -- and before I knew it, I was at Chapter 4. I realized the reason for this was the sense-lines. I didn't feel stress in my reading which I usually feel while reading the double-column version in the standard edition. Because I am a voracious reader, I have always felt guilty that I could read another book all day long, but I couldn't read the Book of Mormon for more than a couple of chapters. With the Earliest Text, I am able to read many chapters without having the desire to quit.

Not only do the sense lines create an easier, more enjoyable read, but I have noticed that the Isaiah chapters in both 1 and 2 Nephi are easier to understand. I have always enjoyed reading Isaiah, but this time I have seen things I have never noticed before. It made reading Isaiah a completely new experience. Because my reading has been so enjoyable, I plan to always use the Earliest Text for my daily reading.

My husband bought this and we've been reading from it as a family (along with standard-issue BOMs) in the evenings.

I love the formatting and the obvious scholarship that went into this.

Just wish I had a pocket or kindle version to take with me, as it is a chunk to lug around.

Having read many (many, many) early journals, I love hearing the authentic rustic accent that comes through in this version. Aside from the accent, it is a delight to note the editorial and typographical differences between this scholarly work and the standard-issue version. As Skousen asserts, none of the differences change doctrine, but reading this version feels like sitting down with Joseph on a beautiful spring day versus huddling at winter quarters with the memory of Joseph fading into hagiography.

Last but not (to us) least - this format makes my autistic daughter feel like she is reading shorter verses. She'll read huge chunks, as long as they are composed of "short verses."

This book is a triumph and an extremely valuable resource for anyone interested in getting back to what Joseph Smith dictated to his scribes. For those of us who regard the Book of Mormon as scripture, this book is a treasure. Not because the present edition published by the Church is defective or lesser in any way. It is not. But because, as Grant Hardy notes in his introduction, it allows us to stand a bit closer to the actual moment of revelation as Joseph translated the ancient text into English. Remember, this translation combined strenuous mental effort by Joseph and revelation from the Spirit. When one of Joseph's Scribes, Oliver Cowdery, was allowed to try and translate he failed because, the Lord explained, Oliver had taken no thought but to ask for the revelation.

Grant Hardy has his doctorate from Yale and teaches history at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His introduction is very helpful in approaching all that Royal Skousen has done for us in his decades long effort to bring us as close to the original text as we can get.

Why not just use the original manuscript as it was written by the scribes? Because it was placed in the cornerstone of a building in Nauvoo for a period of time and about three quarters of it was destroyed by moisture and mold. So, Skousen used as much of it as he could, including the use of modern techniques to make the text readable. He also used the printer's manuscript, which was a hand written copy of the original manuscript. It, too, has various kinds of changes and is incomplete because the process of printing proceeded so quickly that they had to use the original manuscript. So, for those parts of the Book of Mormon where the original manuscript is missing, but was used by the printer of the 1830 edition, the first edition is as close as we can get to the original text.

Skousen provides a wonderful preface explaining his editorial processes, reasoning behind his choices, and why he chose to lay out the text as he has in this volume. He uses verse numbers because that is how we use the Book of Mormon today, but they are set to the left of the actual text. He also added some punctuation because the original had none and would be very hard for modern readers to use. Otherwise, the text itself has no editorial markings, notes, or variants. Reading it is a wonderful experience and I found the lay of the text enriched my reading.

The appendix includes variants of significant textual changes. Skousen also explains his editorial notation, and helps us understand the various editions of the Book of Mormon that have been printed since 1830 by both the LDS church and the Reorganized Church. He even provides a diagram (he calls it a stemma) showing how the editions are related. From pages 745 to 789 you get to see the variants of the text available and which Skousen chose to include in the text. A very few are conjecture on Skousen's part and noted as such. For example, Moroni 10:34 in our current edition, in the printer's copy, and in the first edition says, "to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah". But Skousen believes it was originally, "to meet you before the pleading bar of the great Jehovah." He may explain why he believes this elsewhere, but here it is just noted. I can accept either, but I have to admit I have always liked the idea of the final judgment being pleasing to those who prepared to stand before God because of the efficacy of the atonement in their lives. Changing pleasing to pleading makes it somehow a bit more desperate even if, in the end, the difference is very small. You lose the state of the just standing before God in favor of a richer description of the bar you stand at to be judged.

I treasure this book and encourage you to get your own copy and read it carefully. I hope it enriches your life as it has mine.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I am not a scholar.. I don't know that much about the different versions that have come out to "improve" what fell from the Prophet's mouth.

I bought the book because I wanted to read it just like the people in 1830 would have read it. Only I got a surprise! It is even better! I knew they would be taking away the double columns, and all the footnotes and would be adding all the "and it came to pass" back in there. I expected it to be in a normal book form but what I got was so awesome.. it changes the whole way I view the Book of Mormon. It has also helped me in my thinking process as I read it. Let me give a short example.. here is the way the text looks in the book: (taken from 1 Ne 3:30 - 4:5)

Please note that the .....'s before the numbers are not in the book. There are here in this writing because without them, I could not show you the formatting of how the numbers and the verses actually look.

...30 And after that the angel had spake unto us, he departed.

...31 And after that the angel had departed,
.......Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying:
.......How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?
.......Behold, he is a mighty man and he can command fifty.
.......Yea, even he can slay fifty, then why not us?
4 | 1 And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying:
.......Let us go up again unto Jerusalem,
.......and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord.
.......For behold, he is mightier than all the earth.
.......Then why no mightier than Laban and his fifty?
.......Yea, or even than his tens of thousands?
....2 Therefore let us go up.

.......Let us be strong like unto Moses,
.......for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea
.......and they divided hither and thither,
.......and our fathers came through out of captivity on dry ground,
.......and he armies of Pharaoh did follow
.......and were drownded in the waters of the Red Seas.
....3 Now behold, ye know that this is true
.......And ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you.
.......Wherefore can ye doubt?
.......Let us go up.
.......The Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers,
.......and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.

....4 Now when I had spoken these words,
.......They was yet wroth and did follow me up
.......until we came without the walls of Jerusalem.
....5 And it was by night,
.......and I caused that they should hide themselves without the wall.

As you can see.. verse 31, verse 1 and the first sentence in verse 2.. all belong in a "thought" together. The remainder of verse 2 and verse 3 are in another "thought" together. Then verse 4 and 5 are in a "thought" together, so the spacing between the numbered verses is accurately depicted.

What has been frustrating when reading the double column scriptures is that when a chapter ends and a new one begins, we assume that it is a new topic. What this book does is keeps all the thoughts together whether or not it goes from one chapter to the next. The ease of reading the book makes it so enjoyable that I can read many chapters without even realizing it. It is a pure joy!

(No, I do not know the author nor have I ever met him)

Latter-Day Saints often assert that The Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth. Professor Skousen, in "The Earliest Text," has done a remarkable thing by improving that same book. He has improved the book in the following ways:

1. Skousen provides a very useful history of the manuscripts and editions of the Book of Mormon.

2. Given that most every textual change in what claims to be the word of God, is significant, even changes of conjunctions, articles, and pronouns, it is particularly valuable that in the appendix, Professor Skousen has provided the reader with an exhaustive list of significant textual changes, proceeding verse by verse from beginning to end. The juxtaposition of these changes makes it easy to compare semantic differences, emendations, etc., and this portion of the book is particularly instructive.

3. Dr. Skousen has reformatted the sentence and paragraph divisions in the body of the text according to the natural sense of the phrases. This may seem like a small change but it most certainly is not. It enables the reader to understand the text in new and remarkable ways. Reformatting encourages the reader to read and interpret the text outside his or her own "ruts and ditches" of reading, that is, habitual reading habits which obscure fresh interpretations. Regular readers of The Book of Mormon may be, therefore, in this new edition inclined to read against habitual interpretations, and by doing so, they may discover new and important insights. In this respect, this critical edition is ideal for both specialists and non-specialists.

4. The Introduction and the Editor's Preface both contain a wealth of information about the printing and production of The Book of Mormon, what is means to call The Book of Mormon "scripture," the rationale behind the sentence and paragraph divisions, recovering the original sense of the text, diacritical marks, and more.

5. The design of the text--the font, the paper color, the page width, the page length, etc.--is beautiful.

In sum, this new, inexpensive edition of the earliest text is an extra-ordinarily valuable book, a marvelous addition to any library, particularly those who regard The Book of Mormon as a sacred text.

Royal Skousen has created a master piece that will be a part of my collection forever. He has taken the earliest available manuscripts from the translation and printing of the Book of Mormon, and has created a collection of what he considers the earliest edition of the Book of Mormon. It flows, and reads as it was meant to be read. I have learned innumerable insights into what was originally translated. This edition makes previously hard to understand verses and events more readable for me and maybe for you. I sound like a book hawker but I love this book. I am on my 3rd reading of this 750 page book. PS: The introduction alone is worth the price of the book.