The Book of Mormon (1869)

Transcription | 𐐓𐑉𐐰𐑌𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐑇𐐲𐑌

We provide a periodically-updated transcription of the Deseret Alphabet Book of Mormon (1869) in two formats. Choose your preferred version below:

SAMPA 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻

About the Book of Mormon (1869) | 𐐈𐐺𐐵𐐻 𐑄 𐐒𐐳𐐿 𐐱𐑂 𐐣𐐫𐑉𐑋𐐲𐑌 (1869)

In 1869, a complete edition of the Book of Mormon was printed in the Deseret Alphabet, marking the most ambitious publication effort in the history of the alphabet project. This monumental edition followed the Deseret First Book and Deseret Second Book (1868) and reflected the church’s determination to promulgate the new alphabet through scripture. The complete edition (Flake-Draper 607; 443 pp.) was printed in the same season as a partial edition of the Book of Mormon (Flake-Draper 608; 116 pp.), containing 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon. The partial edition was evidently considered part of the series of Deseret Alphabet readers for children, though the text was by no means simplified to this end.

Scans of the complete edition are made available by the Library of Congress here.

Historical Context | 𐐐𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐱𐑉𐐨𐐿𐑊 𐐗𐐱𐑌𐐻𐐯𐐿𐑅𐐻

The Deseret Alphabet edition of the Book of Mormon was published in 1869 by Russell Bros. of New York City, whose proprietors included Joseph Russell. The project was overseen by LDS apostle Orson Pratt, who ordered Russell Bros. to manufacture new type for the publication. Pratt read every page of proofs as many as five times.

Only 500 copies of the complete edition were ever printed. Few sold when the book came to market; the remainder were given away as gifts and some were destroyed. Of the partial edition, eight thousand copies were printed. Although the church intended to print additional works in the Deseret, the Book of Mormon was ultimately its last major publication in the new alphabet.