SMITH, JOSEPH [trans.]
The Book of Mormon. Nauvoo, Ill: Printed by Robinson and Smith. Stereotyped by Shepard and Stearns, West 3rd St. Cincinnati, Ohio, 1840. Third edition of the Book of Mormon, first state with unbroken text on page 9 and without the index leaves issued in 1841. Modern buckram, the spine gilt lettered. 5 5/8 x 3 3/8 inches (14.8 x 9 cm); without front blank, 571 [3] pp., retains testimony leaves at end, but textually imperfect: signature 2 lacks four leaves (without pages 13/14, 15/16, 21/22, 23/24 but with a duplicate leaf 27/28), signature 13 lacks four leaves (without pages 145/146, 147/148, 153/154, 155/156 but with four duplicate leaves from signature 11 in its place). Foxing, some faint stains at end, the final leaf nearly detached, lacking leaves as noted, stamps to modern endleaves.
The third edition of the Book of Mormon is a considerable rarity as the first state was printed in an edition of only 2000 copies by Ebenezer Robinson and Don Carlos Smith, younger brother of Joseph Smith. The edition also provides readings not found in the first two editions. While the work is imprinted from the Mormon's outpost at Nauvoo, Illinois (they had arrived there in 1839 and Smith had chosen the name from the Hebrew word meaning "to be beautiful"), the book was actually printed in Cincinnati, Illinois under the supervision of the firm of Shepard and Stearns. The misimposed leaves in this copy appear to be contemporary to publication and, perhaps coincidentally, a copy of this edition sold at Swann in 2014 lacked leaves 149/150 and 151/152 which are the only leaves present in signature 13 in this copy. Flake 597; Sabin 83040; Howes S623.