Customer Reviews

Book of Mormon: 1830 Replica Edition

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I bought this replica for inclusion in a university display about the printing of the Book of Mormon, although the binding isn't period (a good thing since it wouldn't hold together long if it was!), I'm very happy with what it adds to the display. This book was obviously crafted with great attention to detail.

The binding: This is an original size reproduction of the 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon. The binding is beautiful and first-rate, something one doesn't usually see in books anymore. The pages are folded and sewn and the binding is in a traditional manner with open space between the back of the sewn-together pages and the inside spine of the cover - just like real hardcovers used to have. The cover itself is a very nice high-quality grain leather with gold trim. From the outside, this book is probably nicer to have than an original would be. It is a joy to hold and a delight to read.

The inside: This is a photo-reproduction of a first edition, so there is some loss of quality. There is also some curvature distortion to the text, as if the pages were not completely flattened when they were reproduced. The blotch on page 226 that another reviewer mentioned is present, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book (also see this product's "customer images" section for a photo of this). The inside is not perfect, but it is probably the best that could be created without damaging the spine of an original first edition.

The content: This is the original version of the Book of Mormon, as it was intended to be seen, without any of the editorial changes, passage rewrites, or other adjustments that have been made over the course of the last 150 years. I prefer reading the original versions of things like "Pilgrim's Progress," "The Song of Hiawatha," and other older works; so I really appreciated this aspect of the book.

Also, in this version of the BOM, there were not yet any chapter summaries, no verse numbers nor verse spacings, and no footnotes. The book is arranged in the traditional style of a novel and the original 1800s spellings are also present.

This is the next-best thing to a "real" first edition, complete with all of the 1830 indicia and a preface by "The Author" explaining about the loss of the Book of Lehi.

While I am not Mormon, I did like this edition of the Book of Mormon as it represents a part of American history. The pages are nice and thick, the binding has the orginal rings underneath so as to prolong the life of the spine, and even the pages are sometimes faded or the text is smuged just like what you would expect to find from a 19th century ink press. I think anyone, both the faithful and the book collector will be pleased by the presentation of this fine book.

This is a great addition to anyone's collection. it is nice to see the book of Mormon like the early saints did. AND to read it and put to rest all the critics saying there are thousands of changes from the original. Those "thousands" of changes are clearly when they number versus, and separated the chapters.

Your opening statement in the front fly-leaf reads, "See for yourself how this sacred book appeared when early converts read it.",then in the beginning of the next paragraph, "The pages for this special edition have been photomechanically reproduced at actual size from press sheets...run at E. B. Grandin...." Both my first copy, which I was going to send back when you sent the second copy, and the second copy have an ink "glitch" at the bottom of page 226, at the beginning of the last five lines. The photoreprint that the Church produced in 1980, I don't believe had these "glitches." What is Stratford Books' comment about these glitches?
Sincerely,
Kenneth V. Roe

ALTHOUGH NOT MORMONS, MY WIFE AND I GOT CURIOUS ABOUT THE MORMON TYPE OF SPIRITUAL MYSTICISM WHILE READING THE WONDERFUL ORSON SCOTT CARD.