Only 500 Left: Interesting Facts About This 1st Edition Book of Mormon

Duration: 5:33 822 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

The video centers on the rarity and historical significance of an original first edition Book of Mormon, noting that while 5,000 copies were initially printed by E.B. Grandin in 1830, only approximately 500 to 700 have survived to the present day. The narrator shares his personal copy, which he acquired with the help of a friend named Reid Moon from Moon's Rare Books, specifically so that Elder Miller could fulfill his dream of owning one. This particular edition is unique not just because it is an original first printing, but due to specific physical characteristics and provenance details that distinguish it from other surviving copies in existence today. Upon examining the book closely, several distinctive features are highlighted that reflect early 19th-century binding practices and copyright laws of the time. The front cover bears a nameplate for George Perrin Davis of Bloomington, Illinois, dated 1899, offering an opportunity to potentially connect with his descendants to learn more about its history. Inside, there is a diamond-shaped indentation on blank pages near the title page caused by tension during binding, and the text lists Joseph Smith as both author and proprietor rather than translator, which was required for copyright registration at that time. Additionally, unlike modern editions where witness testimonies appear early in the book, this first edition places them at the very back, separating the testimony of three witnesses from the eight witnesses found on subsequent pages. The physical condition and aesthetic qualities of this specific copy also set it apart from others, particularly regarding its coloration and page edges. While most surviving copies tend to be quite dark, this one possesses a lighter "honey" hue that the narrator finds especially beautiful. Another fascinating detail revealed is the absence of chapters three or four in Nephi; instead, they are titled differently based on which son of Nephi was being referenced at the time—either Helaman's son or Jesus Christ's disciple—which differs from current standard editions. Furthermore, unlike many books that have lost their original decoration over time, this copy retains traces of its initial robin's egg blue paint along the page edges, though it now appears somewhat like mildew due to age and wear. Ultimately, the video serves as both a showcase for these unique physical attributes and a reflection on the profound history embedded within such an artifact. The narrator emphasizes that every book from this era is essentially a fingerprint unto itself, with no two copies being exactly alike in terms of margins, binding tension marks, or color variations. Holding this specific volume allows one to connect with centuries of readers whose lives were touched by its message, making it far more than just an old book but a tangible piece of religious and publishing history that continues to inspire awe and appreciation for the people who preserved it through time.

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There were 5,000 copies originally printed of the Book of Mormon by E.B. Grandin and only 500 to 700-ish have survived or still exist. And in this clamshell is my own copy that I just got. And here she is. Look at that beautiful copy of the Book of Mormon first edition. Two videos ago on my page I explained exactly how I was able to get my hands on this copy. Huge thanks to my friend Reid Moon at Moon's Rare Books in Provo, which is literally the rare book store in the US and beyond. I couldn't be happier to help a young man named Elder Miller accomplish his dreams of finally owning one of these beautiful copies. But I wanted to show you a couple of cool things about my copy cuz no copy is the same. So, if you open the front cover you can see that there was a name there. I believe it says George Perrin Davis, Bloomington, Illinois 1899. So, if any of you can help me figure out how to get in contact with one of his descendants to see if we can figure out a little bit more about this copy, I would love that. There's also just one of these blank pages right in front of the title page which is original to this copy. And when me and my wife first got our hands on it, we kind of asked, "What is that kind of diamond shape in the book?" And that just has to do with how these books were bound back in the early 19th century and just tension on the pages. So, almost every first edition copy and a lot of books from that time period have that kind of diamond shape on the pages. A lot of you probably already know this, but in the first edition it says that Joseph was the author and proprietor. And the only reason that that's what is put in there is because that was like the copyright laws or whatever. You had to do that to be able to get a contract to print a book. And obviously in later copies it was changed or updated correctly to translator. And you may have noticed that the witness pages weren't in the front. They are actually in the very back. So, there's the testimony of the three witnesses. And then you turn the page and there is the testimony of the eight witnesses. And then there's a couple more blank pages still in here at the end. And I didn't know this, but most copies are actually pretty dark. And this one, my lighting's not super great, but it's kind of like a nice Reed called it a honey color or hue. And it's a little bit lighter. But isn't that just beautiful? Isn't that gorgeous? Another cool thing that I didn't know that Reed showed me was there's no third or fourth Nephi in the Book of Mormon. So, this is what would be third Nephi. It just says the Book of Nephi, the son of Nephi, which was the son of Helaman. And then fourth Nephi or what we know today as fourth Nephi says the Book of Nephi which was the son of Nephi one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. So I thought that was really cool. And you can kind of notice too and this is something that I asked Reed about there's basically no margin in this part of the book and he just said every every book it's just like a fingerprint. There's no two books that are alike. And so that's just one unique thing about mine is there's like a whole section in third fourth Nephi that there's no kind of margin but it's just so cool to get your hands on one of these and just think about the history and the people that have read this and the hearts that this book has touched. And it's just so dang cool. I just love having it. Oh and the other thing that I didn't know was that they were all like painted this Robin's eggs blue. I don't know if you can see very good or not. It just looks like a bunch of blue specs. It almost looks like mildew and that's just the original uh blue you know paint or whatever it's called that they would put over the edge of the pages there on the book. But thanks for watching me show you like pretty much the coolest thing that I've ever owned in my entire life. And let me know if you have any questions about it or if you can help me figure out who George Perrin Davis was uh or help me get in contact with one of his descendants so we can maybe get a little bit more info about this book. God bless.