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. This new reader-friendly version reformats the complete, unchanged 1920 text in the manner of modern translations of the Bible, with paragraphs, quotations marks, poetic forms, topical headings, multichapter headings, indention of quoted documents, italicized reworkings of biblical prophecies, and minimized verse numbers. It also features 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 Book of Mormon claims to be the product of three historical interactions: the writings of the original ancient American authors, the editing of the fourth-century prophet Mormon, and the translation of Joseph Smith. The editorial aids and footnotes in this edition integrate all three perspectives and 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. This is the first time the Book of Mormon has been published with quotation marks, select variant readings, and the testimonies of women involved in the translation process. It is also the first return to a paragraphed format since versification was added in 1879. | Title Page Copyright Page Contents Introduction The Small Plates of Nephi The First Book of Nephi The Second Book of Nephi The Book of Jacob The Book of Enos The Book of Jarom The Book of Omni Mormon's Explanatory Comments The Words of Mormon Mormon's Abridgment of the Large Plates of Nephi The Book of Mosiah The Book of Alma The Book of Helaman Third Nephi Fourth Nephi The Book of Mormon (Chapters 1–7) Moroni's Additions to His Father's Record The Book of Mormon (Chapters 8-9) The Book of Ether The Book of Moroni Testimonies of Joseph Smith and Other Witnesses Chronology of the Translation The Lost Manuscript: Two Documents Book of Mormon Plates and Records Book of Mormon Poetry Significant Changes in the Text Charts and Maps Glossary of Names Suggestions for Further Reading | "Hardy's thoughtful 'reader's edition' eliminates the current official text's knotty versification, clarifies the cast of characters, includes a useful introduction and provides signposts through the sometimes dense prose. . . . Essential for the full comprehension of Mormonism."—Wall Street Journal, Samuel Morris Brown
"Grant Hardy has provided the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a remarkable new version of their founding text. Although Hardy gears his book to a broad readership, those who truly love the Book of Mormon, seek to be serious students of it, or both, will find A Reader's Edition well worth owning."—Louis Midgley in Insights
"This edition . . . makes the book especially helpful and intelligible to new readers and provides refreshing insights to Latter-day Saints."—BYU Magazine
| Grant Hardy is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and chair of the history department at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He is the author of Worlds of Bronze and Bamboo: Sima Qian's Conquest of History.