First Edition BOOK OF MORMON: Ten copies are now for sale in Provo, Utah!

The first edition BOOK OF MORMON was printed in 1830.  Martin Harris, a friend of Joseph Smith, mortgaged his farm for $3,000 to finance the printing of 5,000 copies.   The printing was done by E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York.  Now, 185 years later, as few as 500 of the original 5,000 copies have survived.  The first edition Book of Mormon is highly sought after.  The price has continued to increase.  When the book first came out in  1830 copies sold for $1.25 - $1.50.  In the 1950s you could buy a copy for $50-100.  By the 1970s the price had increased to over $1,000.  In 1989 the price was $5,000.  However, ten years later, copies were selling for $75,000!  In 2007, the first edition Book of Mormon first sold for over $100,000.  With the world-wide economic collapse, the price dropped in 2008-09 to around $50-60,000.  Now, in 2015, the price has rebounded to around $100,000.  In the attached photo, you will see TEN copies currently for sale--ranging in price from $85,000-$300,000.  By way of comparison, the first edition KING JAMES BIBLE [1611] in the photo sells for $150,000. www.moonsrarebooks.com

www.moonsrarebooks.com

First Edition BOOK OF MORMON: Why are some copies thinner than others?

I recently acquired a first edition copy of the Book of Mormon [1830] that was about 1/4" thinner than most copies that I acquire.  In fact, of the over 175 copies that I've either seen or acquired, only about five or six have been these extra-thin copies. So, here's the question, "What accounts for the difference in thickness?"  Well, fortunately I have friends and experts that I can go to for answers.  In this case I went to Joseph Adams (http://eidolonhouse.com), who has a degree in "printmaking" about this phenomenon.  That's when he told me about "rolling machines".  These rolling machines were used to  flatten and consolidate the sections of a book before sewing.  At the time of the printing of the first edition Book of Mormon by E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York, these rolling machines were mostly in use in England--they had just been invented in 1827.

Now, the big question is, "Does this 'thinness' affect the value?".  Well, it depends--for the following reason: The first edition Book of Mormon has a well-known look (see http://www.pinterest.com/moonsrarebooks/first-edition-book-of-mormon-1830-pinterest/).  So, when a person is looking for a first edition Book of Mormon, they usually don't want to explain why their book "doesn't look like a first edition". Having said this, I actually like finding these "thin" copies.  They are typically very clean on the inside.  The text in these books is usually almost always free from the brown splotches (foxing) normally seen in first editions.  This leads me to believe that the leather binding--or more specifically, the chemicals used in tanning the leather--were partly, or mostly to blame for the foxing--but that's the subject of another blog.  In a way, it's a trade off.  So, if you would like a first edition copy of the Book of Mormon, that has a nice, clean white interior, look for one of the thin copies.  The "thin" copy shown is one of ten first edition copies of the Book of Mormon currently for sale at Moon's Rare Books in Provo, Utah.  These books are shown by appointment only.  www.moonsrarebooks.com

First Edition BOOK OF MORMON [1830]: What are the two most important factors in determining value?

There are several factors that influence the value of a first edition Book of Mormon [1830].  However, the two most important factors are condition and provenance. Almost everyone understands the importance of condition, however, the added value of the "provenance" is often underestimated.  Provenance is the history of ownership.  The history of "who" owned the book can make a big difference in its value.  

I was recently contacted by a television station back East.  They were doing a story on a woman who found a 150 year-old Bible in her attic that was supposedly worth over $100,000.  I was asked for my opinion before the story aired on TV.  My first question to the reporter was, "What's its provenance? Who owned the Bible?"  The reporter then responded, "Why do you ask?".  I told the reporter that there were over 100 million Bibles printed in the 1800s--that most Bibles printed in the 1800s sell for a few hundred dollars--except those with exceptional provenance.  I asked the reporter if it was Abraham Lincoln's copy.  When he said, "no".  I told him that the Bible he was inquiring about--without important provenance--would not be worth over $1,000.  I recommended he do a quick check of prices on eBay.  Long story short, the news story was cancelled.  Without any significant provenance, that particular Bible did not have much value.

I recently acquired a first edition Book of Mormon that belonged to Emily Partridge--one of Joseph Smith's plural wives and later a wife of Brigham Young.  This book, with Emily's name in ink, also has the very interesting notation that was later made by Emily's son, "Mother brought this book from Nauvoo and left her own behind as it was not so good".  A book like this--with its close association to the man who translated the Book of Mormon (Joseph Smith), and later the man who led the Mormons West (Brigham Young); which was also owned by the daughter of the first Mormon bishop  (Edward Partridge) has excellent provenance.  This provenance increases the value of this book substantially.

How much does a first edition BOOK OF MORMON cost in today's market?

The first edition BOOK OF MORMON was printed in 1830 in Palmyra, New York.  As few as 500 copies ( out of the original 5,000)  have survived.  In today's market, nice--above average-- copies of the first edition  Book of Mormon sell for around $100,000.  There were also four other editions of the Book of Mormon printed during the life of Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet [1805-1844].  The second edition, which is more scarce than the first edition,  was printed in Kirtland, Ohio in 1837.  The third edition was printed in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1840.  The first European edition was printed in Liverpool in 1841.  And finally, there was another edition ( of a little over 600 copies)  printed in Nauvoo in 1842.  In 2014, a complete set, as shown in the attached photo, would sell for over $250,000.

The first edition BOOK OF MORMON has a unique characteristic--a "diamond-shaped" imprint on the title page.  This appears to have happened at some stage during the bookbinding process at the E. B. Grandin press in Palmyra, New York.  The indention made by this imprint is so strong that it often passes through the first hundred or so pages the book.   This "diamond" shape varies slightly in size, shape and position on the title page.  In fact, the positioning of the diamond on the title page was one of the clues that helped me identify a stolen first edition Book of Mormon title page two years ago. http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2012/06/dallas_book_dealer_cracks_case.php

The first edition BOOK OF MORMON was printed in 1830.  It is interesting to note that after 1830, for the next 58 years, all subsequent editions of the Book of Mormon would be printed in a smaller size and font. I recently acquired Helen Mar Kimball's 1841 copy of the Book of Mormon--which was given to her when she was thirteen years old by "uncle" Brigham Young.  Helen is the daughter of Mormon apostle Heber C. Kimball.

In her journal she made reference to the smaller-sized print, "There is but one fault I find with it--the print is so fine that many times I have been forced to stop reading it; and this, I believe, prevents many from reading it who otherwise would, as some who are not of our faith but are friendly to this people, have mentioned this to me, and said it was the only reason why they did not read it.  This I think is a great pity.".

In the photograph I show several editions, side by side, with the first edition Book of Mormon on the left, and the 1888 pulpit edition on the right. From left to right, these copies of the Book of Mormon were printed in 1830, 1840, 1841, 1852, 1885 and 1888.  The photo below is from Helen Mar Kimball's own Book of Mormon.

Brigham Young gave this First Edition [European] BOOK OF MORMON to Helen Mar Kimball when she was 13 years old.

First European Edition of the Book of Mormon [1841]. The story behind my new acquisition. 

This past weekend I enjoyed reading Holzapfel's "A Woman's View: Helen Mar [Kimball] Whitney's Reminiscences of Early Church History". In this book, Helen recounts, "The Prophet Joseph Smith and two or three brethren called at our house to hear a letter read from father [Heber C. Kimball]. Joseph, who stood by the bureau, where a couple of china dolls were standing on two large salt cellars (which had been sent from England to my mother [Vilate]) picked one of the dolls up to look at, but in replacing it sat it upon one side--and it fell, breaking the doll's head off. He then merely remarked: "As that has fallen, so shall the heathen gods fall." I stood there a silent observer, unable to understand or appreciate the prophetic words, but thought them a rather weak apology for breaking my doll's head off. My mother afterwards mended it, and though like most of us it shows signs of age, and that it has passed through many ordeals, yet I have kept it, with two or three other little tokens which I received from England....Including a Book of Mormon. My brother William and I received each a beautifully bound BOOK OF MORMON from "Uncle" Brigham Young, with our names printed upon the back in gilt letters...I have read mine through by course more times than any other book I ever saw, and each time it has proved more interesting; I was never more deeply fascinated by a novel than I have been with the Book of Mormon. I've attached two photographs of Helen Mar Kimball's 1841 copy of the Book of Mormon. Earlier this week I got a phone call asking if I was interested in acquiring it....Well, needless to say, I was on a plane 12 hours later. I now own this beautiful book--along
with it's enlightening story.....http://www.pinterest.com/pin/164662930100586877/