The 1830 Book of Mormon

Thank you for singing. One of the most reliable ways of feeling the Spirit comes from your effort with singing, no matter your skill level. Let’s call this effort a miracle of rolled-up sleeves. Your effort yields spiritual results. Last week, Sister Amy A. Wright made a very good point in her devotional about learning how the Holy Ghost speaks to you. I reiterate her questions. How do you hear the voice of the Lord? How does the Holy Ghost speak to you? Her advice is priceless and well worth study and reflection.

My topic today is the publication of the 1830 Book of Mormon.

In the 1450s,

Johannes Gutenberg ‘invents’ moveable type and press and ink. Unfortunately, we know little detail here other than it took much development time and that its utility rapidly became evident and spread throughout Europe. Let’s examine this through two quotes, one lightly attributed to Gutenberg. He says, speaking of the press:

God suffers in the great multitudes whom his sacred word cannot reach. Religious truth is captive in a small number of manuscript books, which guard the common treasure, instead of diffusing it. Let us break the seal which holds the holy things: give wings to the truth, that by means of speech, no longer written at great expense by the hand that wearies itself, but multiplied as the air by an unwearied machine, it may fly to seek every soul born into the world!1

A very ambitious thought. What did this invention of printing do for us? A study looking at book production in Europe from 500 to 1800 A.D. says that during the first 50 years of printing, more copies of books were produced than in the thousand years preceding.2 That is an explosion of information for the good of man.

1803:

Charles Mahon, Third Earl of Stanhope, invents the all-iron press. This iron press allows the printing of larger sheets of paper, so a machine that prints more and faster. You can see the difference here. Ulzii holds the smaller paper, the size used for printing Gutenberg Bible. I am holding the size used for the Book of Mormon.

1822/1823:

Peter Smith patents a press, and it is offered for sale by the Robert Hoe Company. Some accounts list the Smith Press as being the most popular press during the 1820s and 1830s.

October 26, 1825:

Erie Canal opens and runs along the north side of Palmyra. The canal was 363 miles in length, and it linked the Hudson River with Lake Erie.5 The canal was busy. Two packet boats came and went daily.

A history of Palmyra in its 175^th year says this:

1827:

E.B. Grandin purchased the print shop and Wayne Sentinel newspaper and in 1828, E. B. Grandin publishes his first book. I had wondered whether the Book of Mormon was Grandin’s first book. So far identifiable, Grandin published about 6 books/editions between 1828 and 1832.8 Most of these were 100-200 pages long, so the Book of Mormon was not his first attempt.

Early 1829:

It is thought that Grandin purchased his Smith Press in New York City and that it was delivered on the Erie Canal. The press could print 21x30 inches in size and weighed in the neighborhood of 1,500 pounds. Grandin now advertised his business as book and job printing.

June 11, 1829:

Joseph Smith filed for copyright on the Book of Mormon. Copyright law required the deposit of a title page and that an author be listed. I doubt that they would have accepted ‘God’ as the author for legal purposes, so Joseph Smith Jr. appears as the author. The title page here is somewhat different than what actually appears in the book.

Joseph Smith and company had applied to Grandin to print the book and he refused. They went to Rochester, perhaps on the Erie Canal, and approached Thurlow Weed and Elihu F. Marshall. Weed refused it and Marshall agreed to print the book. The price was deemed too high, and the cost of keeping someone in Rochester to shepherd the manuscript through the process would have been exorbitant. Meanwhile, Grandin was convinced by his friends that he should print the book.

August 1829:

The printing commences. The contracted price for these 5,000 copies was $3,000. Today, that would be about $95,000. Imagine your bishop asking you for such a donation!

The security was tight. If you remember the lost 116 pages, you know the heartbreak and stress that caused, so they would be careful with this manuscript. Gilbert says this:

They were to print every day except Sunday.¹1

There were questions of grammar, punctuation, and so forth. Gilbert was told to set the text as is, but he was allowed to punctuate the manuscript, create paragraphs and chapters. Gilbert mentions that Joseph Smith was present “but once in the office during the printing of the Bible (Book of Mormon), and then not over fifteen or twenty minutes.”¹2 In fact, Joseph left Palmyra for Harmony, Pennsylvania in October of 1829.

The Prophet left Palmyra during the printing? Who would he choose to leave in charge? In answer, I have two thoughts: the prophet had business elsewhere—so, delegation. Hyrum held the manuscript. “Oliver acted as companion and bodyguard to Hyrum in delivering to the printer a daily supply of copy. Peter Whitmer Jr. was stationed on guard at Hyrum’s home to protect the manuscript.”¹3 The second, E.B. Grandin allowed others to use his shop to print their newspapers. On one Sunday in January of 1830, Hyrum Smith became very uneasy about the situation and requested that Oliver Cowdery go with him to see. Hyrum says:

They went to Grandin’s shop and found Abner Cole ‘lifting’ text from the Book of Mormon project and putting it in his newspaper, The Reflector. He was trying to print the gist of it so his readers would not need to buy a copy of the book. Joseph Smith Sr. went and retrieved Joseph Smith Jr. from Harmony, Pennsylvania, a distance of some 278 miles, to help resolve the dispute. Mr. Cole was willing to fist-fight Joseph over it, but Joseph refused.¹6

Hyrum Smith was likely in charge of the printing, the shepherd, if you will. Who else would have authority to receive such inspiration for the project?

Another instance of worry: Oliver Cowdery and Rollin Robinson, a printer’s devil, or apprentice, overheard a small religious group of Palmyra townspeople plotting to destroy the manuscript and Oliver reported this to Lucy Mack Smith, who, being warned, could prevent it. Their plan was to trick her into showing them the manuscript, draw her attention elsewhere, then grab it from her hands and throw it into the fire. Mother Smith never showed them the pages and attempted to teach them its purpose, and at one point she said to them:

If you should stick my flesh full of [firebrands] and even burn me at the stake, I would declare, as long as God should give me breath, that Joseph has got that record and that I know it to be true.¹7

John Gilbert and J. H. Bortles worked faithfully on the printing until December 1829 when it was decided the printing was going too slow. So, Grandin hired “Whistlin’” Tom McAuley to help print along with Bortles. John H. Gilbert then did mostly typesetting, and additional type was purchased. The additional type and pressman helped the process move faster.

January 1830:

Another group of Palmyra townspeople drew up a resolution stating that they would not purchase copies of the “Mormon Bible” and convinced a worried Grandin to stop printing. Joseph Smith came from Harmony a second time and with Martin Harris, they convinced Grandin to continue printing.¹8

Now, a print run of 5,000 copies is a large production. To give you a sense of the scale, an 1830 census of Palmyra shows it had about 3,400 people. As a business model, Grandin selling 5,000 copies to 3,400 people seems a bit skewed. But I think our Heavenly Father’s business model is a bit more informed.

This project required 92,500 sheets of paper, 22 x 32 inches, assuming no mistakes were made. I estimate that much paper would be about 31 feet tall. I am 6 feet tall. This stack of paper would be 5 times my height. This paper had a “wove” surface quality, which was a relatively new thing in the U.S. during the late 1820s, so a ready paper supply had to be nearby. The paper was likely made and delivered by the Case & Brown Mill in Shortsville, New York, about 8 miles south of Palmyra.¹9

No copy of the book could be bound until the last forme was printed. The folded sheets were stored awaiting binding. Luther Howard, the bookbinder, bound the books as needed for sale. Daniel Hendrix says this:

Incidentally, a cord of wood is 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet, or 128 cubic feet. This cord of ‘bibles’ actually would be about one and a half cords, or 180 cubic feet.

March 26, 1830:

On this day, a Friday, copies of the Book of Mormon were advertised for sale in Grandin’s newspaper, the Wayne Sentinel.²1 One could buy a copy originally for $1.75, but it was later reduced to $1.25.

April 6, 1830:

Within about 10 days of the Book of Mormon being available for purchase, the Church was officially and formally instituted. I don’t think that is a coincidence. The Book of Mormon needed to be there. I still ponder that idea.

I believe the publication of the Book of Mormon to be a miracle. I think there were ‘traditional’ miracles in the publication, perhaps with some angelic beings and appearances that we simply do not know about. But, as it is, I like to think of these miracles as that of rolled-up sleeves. I believe the miracle is in the people. They were the right people in the right place at the right time with the right skills and the righteous sensibility to do the work. I believe that our Heavenly Father placed the circumstances in favor of these people doing the work. They did their jobs as they were expected to do.

In a previous devotional, Brother Lane Williams relates an interview with Gilbert who talks about the origins of the content of the Book of Mormon. Gilbert says this: “The parties here then never could have been the authors of it, certainly. I have been for the last 45 or 50 years trying to get the key to that thing.”²2 Brother Williams says: “Sadly, the interview records Mr. Gilbert casting around for some alternative explanation of the book’s origin, not an earnest seeking of the truth of Joseph’s saving story.”²3

But where are you on this? Have you prayed about the Book of Mormon, about the content, story, and truth of it? The book, after all, represents the many thousands or millions of early inhabitants of this continent who gave us their history, their lives. And it represents the Word of God, Jesus Christ, and His momentous visit to the new world. You have in your hand that text.

I am overwhelmed from your responses on the devotional discussion board. Thank you for participating. Listen to these benefits your fellow students list. April says it “helps me to answer my personal questions about life.” Rocksann says, “I feel more confident with my day . . . [and] protection from the temptations of the world and the anxiety that it brings.” Elena says, “I find more joy in my life.” And Sherri says it “helps me to be more patient, kind, and positive throughout my day.”

This Book of Mormon journey continues. As of October 2020, 192 million copies of the Book of Mormon have been published in 112 different languages.²4 I believe that figure does not include e-downloads for devices. I suspect that most of you have paper copies as well as digital ones.

More on this miracle of the rolled-up sleeves. An individual can affect much with their work. Take the case of a bishop or a stake president. They would direct the ward or the stake by the Spirit. Neither of them can do the entire work alone. That is where you and I come into this equation. Our directed work helps the ward or stake function, and thereby further the work of the Lord Jesus Christ here on earth.

In 2002, President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke to the students here and said this in reference to the transition from Ricks College to BYU-I under then President David A. Bednar:

Much of that is a miracle of the rolled-up sleeves. Many, many people on this campus went to work and affected that miracle and continue to do so. President Hinckley continues and speaks to you directly:

He continues his advice:

Your efforts will present your miracle, as President Hinckley says, in an extraordinary way. You cannot underestimate your own value!

In Moroni 7, Mormon says this:

And the thing to DO comes in Moroni 10. You all know the verses. First you put forth the effort of reading the Book of Mormon:

And then comes this promise and miracle:

I leave this promise of a miracle with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes

1. Emily C. Pearson, Gutenberg, and the Art of Printing, Boston: Noyes, Holmes, 1871.
2. Eltjo Buringh & Jan Zanden, 2009, Charting the “Rise of the West”: Manuscripts and Printed Books in Europe, A Long-Term Perspective from the Sixth through Eighteenth Centuries, The Journal of Economic History, 69, 409-445. 10.1017/S0022050709000837.) Numbers adapted below:

1. Frank E Sadowski Jr., “Erie Canal Chronology,” 2012. https://www.eriecanal.org/chron.html
2. Alice E. Benjamin & James Alsdorf, Palmyra, New York, 1789-1964: 175^th Year.
3. Of course the book we are talking about today, theBook of Mormon, in 1830. (A curiosity: Grandin lists the 3^rd edition of Ostrander in 1830. Perhaps this is the third printing? But it is listed as revised. Wayne Sentinel, Feb. 26, 1830, p1)

1. Gilbert, Memorandum written for the Chicago World’s Fair
2. R. Vernon Ingleton, comp. History of Joseph Smith by his Mother Lucy Mack Smith: The Unabridged Original Version, Arlington, VA: Stratford Books, 2005, Chapter 33.
3. Gilbert, Memorandum, written for the Chicago World’s Fair.
4. Pearson H. Corbett, Hyrum Smith Patriarch, Deseret Book, 1963.
5. R. Vernon Ingleton, comp. History of Joseph Smith by his Mother Lucy Mack Smith: The Unabridged Original Version, Arlington, VA: Stratford Books, 2005, Chapter 33.
6. R. Vernon Ingleton, comp. History of Joseph Smith by his Mother Lucy Mack Smith: The Unabridged Original Version, Arlington, VA: Stratford Books, 2005, Chapter 33.; Jeffrey S. O’Driscoll, Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity, Deseret Book, 2003.; Doctrine and Covenants 11:19.
7. R. Vernon Ingleton, comp. History of Joseph Smith by his Mother Lucy Mack Smith: The Unabridged Original Version, Arlington, VA: Stratford Books, 2005, Chapter 32.
8. R. Vernon Ingleton, comp. History of Joseph Smith by his Mother Lucy Mack Smith: The Unabridged Original Version, Arlington, VA: Stratford Books, 2005, Chapter 33.
9. Known earlier as Abby & Co. and later, Case & Brown.; “The Mormon Bible,” Auburn Daily Bulletin, Apr. 12, 1877.; “A Pioneer Paper Maker,” Syracuse Daily Journal, Jun. 16, 1887.; “Shortsville Founded By Theophilus Short,” Daily Messenger (Canandaigua, NY), Apr. 28, 1972.; Daily Messenger (Canandaigua, NY), Jul. 8, 1976.
10. “Smith’s Mormon Bible,” New York Times, Jul. 15, 1895.
11. Wayne Sentinel, Mar. 26, 1830.
12. Larry E. Morris, “1.29 William H. Kelley’s Interviews,” A Documentary History of the Book of Mormon.
13. Lane Williams, “A Book of Steadfast Love,” BYU-I Devotional, May 31, 2022.
14. Trent Toone, “‘Tremendous Achievement’: Why the Church Publishes Photographic Record of Original Book of Mormon Manuscript,” Jan. 25, 2022. https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/1/25/22891923/latter-day-saints -publish-photographic-record-of-original-book-of-mormon-manuscript
15. Gordon B. Hinckley, Dedication of Gordon B. Hinckley Building, BYU-I, Oct. 22, 2002.