The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition [Paperback]

Grant Hardy (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 2005

Regarded as sacred scripture by millions, the "Book of Mormon" - first published in 1830 - is one of the most significant documents in American religious history. Now available in paperback, Grant Hardy's new "Reader's Edition" has reformatted the complete, unchanged 1920 text in the manner of modern translations of the Bible, with paragraphs, quotation marks, poetic forms, topical headings, multichapter headings, indention of quoted documents, italicized reworkings of biblical prophecies, and minimized verse numbers. He has also provided a hypothetical map based on internal references, an essay on "Book of Mormon" poetry, a full glossary of names, genealogical charts, a basic bibliography of Mormon and non-Mormon scholarship, a chronology of the translation, eyewitness accounts of the Gold Plates, and information regarding the lost 116 pages, and significant changes in the text. The editorial aids and footnotes in this edition provide readers with a clear guide through this complicated text. New readers will find the story accessible and intelligible; Mormons will gain fresh insights from familiar verses seen in a broader narrative context.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a necessary and useful presentation of this key foundational text. Hardy's helpful edition should go a long way toward making the Book of Mormon approachable not only for Mormons themselves but also for religion scholars whose familiarity with LDS traditions may outweigh their knowledge of the scripture itself."

Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (November 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025207341X
• ISBN-13: 978-0252073410
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible format for reading the Book of Mormon, October 2, 2006

By 

Bobby Boylan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition (Paperback)

I read the Book of Mormon for the first time in mid-2002 at age 15. Since then, I have read it almost 9 times (as of this review). Moreover, I have read a heck of a lot of material critical of the text itself (e.g. The Tanners, Evans, Vogel, Metcalfe) Notwithstanding, most, if not all, the attacks are usually based on fraud and/or popular though errant assumptions about the Book of Mormon text that actually do not jive with the text itself. In additoin, what Hardy has done with the 1920 text is make it more accessible to those approaching the Book of Mormon, following modern editions of the Bible, by indenting, for example, prose, not too dissimilar to the NRSV rendition of Deuteronomy 32, and leaving introductions to chapters to a bare minimum, alongside adding a number of appendixes, such as one on poetry in the Book of Mormon (e.g, chiasmus).

I urge any one interested in the truth to read the Book of Mormon to discover for themselves that it is indeed another testament of Jesus Christ, and to learn of its truthfulness by study and by prayer to God, after "testing all things" (Acts 17:11).

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book of Mormon - as credible as any other religious scriptures, March 20, 2009

By 

Mark Twain "Sam" (Florida, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition (Paperback)

I find the Book of Mormon to be as credible as any other religious scriptures I have read. Whether the words were divine inspiration, copied from mysterious "plates", or even the work of an incredibly intelligent human mind - how does this differ from any other religous writings? And how does this affect your personal interpretation of your reading of the Book of the Mormon? Do you let other peoples opinions affect YOUR beliefs and your interest; your aspiration towards spiritual truth and knowledge? I certainly hope not!

For every thing affirmed in our world there is another who will deny it - even the most basic of truths - put it up for discussion in a group and see how few actually agree on anything. The Prophets warned of this condition in the world, as well as the Hindus - who call the current period we are living in "The Age of Quarrel" - that men will talk but will not listen; no one will agree on anything and people will be too proud to compromise or attempt to understand the viewpoint of others; greed, corruption and dishonesty will rule the day - gosh, sound familiar?

All religious masters and leaders teach that Faith is one of the major requirements for religious belief; from Moses to Jesus to Buddha to Martin Luther King. Is Faith based on fact? If one had to have proof for those ideals and beliefs then most would abandon Faith altogether. Even the Buddha, who told his followers not to trust anyone, but to investigate the truth for themselves, also instructed them to have Faith!

The whole basis of the Torah (The Law) is the 10 commandments which were also at one time written on stone tablets and "revealed" to Moses - does the fact that we can't find these tablets make those commandments any less imperative to the foundation of Judaism or Christianity? Do/did Smith's plates exist? Who cares? Jesus gave new teachings based on these Old Testament scriptures and The Law. Did Jesus have faith that the commandments were revealed to Moses?

Can you imagine if those plates did exist today - believers would say "See we told you so.." and skeptics would say "Oh, they are not real..." It would be akin to finding the lost Ark of the Covenant which by the way millions of Jews believe existed with no proof.

The Hindus have volumes and volumes of ancient scriptures - many of them handed down orally through thousands of years - how are we to trust the origins and the current inerpretation of these scriptures? Yet, billions of Hindus seem to have no problem putting their faith in them.

There is no denying that the basis of Mormonism is The Old and New Testament and I find it both inspiring and interesting. In truth, I don't really care about the origin - just as I can't question the origin of any religious scriptures and get satisifactory answers. Do you really think Joseph Smith - I am sure he was a great man in many respects - at his young age and limited education hatched a "scheme" to get rich by instituting a phony religion? Can you imagine the scope of such a project if you, personally, were to attempt to undertake a job like this today? Give it a try, write up some "phony" scriptures, pass them around on the internet and invite people to join up - I would be interested to hear how it goes for you and then whether or not your followers still believed in your message 75 years from now.

I read the Book of Mormon for what it is, the same way I read the Bible, the Torah, the Bhagavad Gita or Buddha Sakyamuni's foundational precepts -for inspirational knowledge. I then put that knowledge into my greater subconcious mind to mull over and work with God to determine its value. Man can not do this work alone, nor do I rely on the judgement of man - who is in absolutely no position to judge anything. Intellectual reasoning is more or less a trick of the mind and denial the work of the ego.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my views of the book, July 10, 2010

By 

Brent G. Wilson (Louisville Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition (Paperback)

I'm a lifelong Mormon who over time has tried to keep seeing the divine in the Book of Mormon, in the face of growing evidence of 19th century influences. Reading Hardy's companion text on a trip to the Middle East, I was overwhelmed with a new-found respect for the Book of Mormon's richness and complexity.

My wife and I just began last night re-reading the Book of Mormon for family study, using Hardy's The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition, and already we're thrilled to return to the text. It'll be an adventure. It's been a long time since I've really wanted to read the Book of Mormon - and this is due to Hardy's critique and analysis.

I have never met Grant Hardy, but to me he's an icon of careful, compassionate scholarship of the highest standard. He is the kind of person who could bring together believers, non-believers, and indifferent people toward a common appreciation of an amazing book. Thank you Grant Hardy!