The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition by Grant Hardy (Editor)

From the Publisher

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. For this new reader's edition, Grant Hardy has reformatted the complete, unchanged 1920 text in the manner of modern translations of the Bible, with paragraphs, quotation marks, poetic forms, topical headings, multichapter headings, indention of quoted documents, italicized reworkings of biblical prophecies, and minimized verse numbers. He has also provided 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.

Library Journal

No serious historian of Jacksonian America would deny the importance of the Book of Mormon, first published in 1830, though few have probably read it. Hardy (history, Univ. of North Carolina, Asheville) here intends "to help non-Mormons understand what it is that Mormons see in this sometimes obscure text." He presents the complete text in an attractive format (with paragraphs rather than the verse form), along with a glossary, genealogical charts, footnotes, a chronology, and history of the text's evolution. Since he is a believing Latter-day Saint, he also presents the books on its own terms as scripture. Unfortunately, Hardy does not offer a balanced view, discussing only the standard believer's version of the book's origin and citing only materials that support these beliefs in his bibliography. Further, his intended audience would require more scholarly apparatus to understand this important book. To a large degree, then, this edition defeats its own purpose; but because of its high production value and the helpful appendixes, which clarify the book's structure and narrative, it will appeal to Mormon audiences looking for a deeper understanding of the scripture.-David S. Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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Table of Contents