The librarians at the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth College are used to one frequent request from visitors. The most requested book in the library’s collection is the first edition of the Book of Mormon from 1830. The demand has been so high over the years that the members of the preservation team crafted a custom box that easily transforms into a book cradle to prevent the strain on the book’s spine. For quick access, the librarians keep the copy on the hold shelf behind the reference desk.
When I visited the library recently, a librarian brought out the leather-bound copy within minutes and splayed it on a book cradle on a wooden table in a brightly lit room. Most of the visitors seeking the book are not students or faculty, according to librarians, but out-of-state visitors who may be combining their visit to Rauner with a trip to the birthplace of Joseph Smith in Sharon, Vermont, a 30-minute drive from Dartmouth.
The Rauner at Dartmouth is not the only library where the first edition of the Book of Mormon is a popular book. At the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., which has two first editions of the Book of Mormon, it is the most requested book. In fact, it’s so popular that one of the copies was put in a glass display case to prevent wear and tear.
“We couldn’t keep showing it at the rate that we were and expecting it to survive,” said Eric Frazier, a reference specialist at the Rare Books and Special Collections at the Library of Congress.
Learn more about first editions of the Book of Mormon at Deseret News.
For more about Church history and the Book of Mormon, check out the articles below.
▶ A quick look (with photos) at the historical treasures acquired with the Kirtland Temple
▶ The Book of Mormon chapter Pres. Nelson reads with visiting diplomats, religious leaders
▶ What’s in a (temple) name? The origin stories of ‘St. George,’ ‘Cardston,’ and more