Description
Royal Skousen (Editor), Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies (FARMS) and Brigham Young University, 2001, 2 hardbound volumes, 979 pages. ISBN: 0934893063
A stray ink drop and a quirk of nineteenth-century script make the difference between “retain that wrong” and “repair that wrong”. More than a decade of meticulous research revealed such insights as Royal Skousen prepared transcripts of the original and printer’s manuscripts of the Book of Mormon for publication.
Now published for the first time ever, the manuscripts help you discover the original phrasing of the Book of Mormon (including Hebrew-like expressions), provide surprising evidence on the process by which Joseph Smith translated, and show how editors and printers have modified the wording to make it conform to the expectations of contemporary English readers.
The original manuscript is the text written down by scribes as Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. Most of this manuscript was destroyed by mold and water seepage. Only 28 percent of the original is extant. The printer’s manuscript is the handwritten copy that was made to take to the printer for typesetting. It is virtually 100 percent extant.
The books feature:
* Typographic facsimiles of each manuscript (an exact reproduction of the text in typescript)
* A fragment showing what is considered the oldest existing sample of Joseph Smith’s handwriting
* Color and ultraviolet photographs of select parts of the manuscripts
* A history and physical description of the manuscript’s writing
* Color and ultraviolet photographs of select parts of the manuscripts
* A history and physical description of the manuscripts
