Doctrine and Covenants Stories
The Book of Mormon translation was now finished. Joseph gave the gold plates back to the angel Moroni. Now it was time to print copies of the book so everyone could read it and learn more about Jesus Christ. (Saints, 1:75–76)
It cost a lot of money to print the Book of Mormon. Martin Harris gave up part of his farm to pay for it. He did this because he knew the Book of Mormon is true. Every copy of the book has the testimony of Martin and the other witnesses for all to read. The witnesses never denied their testimony. (Saints, 1:76–78)
God’s blessings are greater than the treasures of the earth.
Doctrine and Covenants 19:26, 34–35, 38
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 2025 “D&C 19”
- You and your children could take turns holding a copy of the Book of Mormon and sharing what you love about it. Briefly talk about Martin Harris’s sacrifice so the Book of Mormon could be printed (see Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 33). What did the Lord say to Martin in Doctrine and Covenants 19:38 that might have helped him be faithful and obedient? Help your children think of something they can sacrifice to obey God or help in His work.
Friend January 2017 “The Next Level” Max takes a week off from playing games and he learns new things, spends time with his family, serves, and feels the Spirit.
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 10: The Book of Mormon Is Published”
When the translation of the gold plates was almost finished, Joseph Smith began looking for someone to publish the translation as a book. He talked to a printer in Palmyra, Egbert B. Grandin, and asked him to give an estimate of the cost of printing the book. Grandin did not want to print the “golden Bible,” as he called it, because he knew that people were against the book, and he was afraid he would not be paid. Joseph went to Rochester, New York, to see if he could find someone else to do it. One printer refused to print the book because he did not believe Joseph’s account of where he got it; another agreed to print it, but his price was very high. Finally Joseph returned to Palmyra and convinced Grandin to print the book. Grandin agreed only after Martin Harris pledged his farm to guarantee the printing costs.
People in Palmyra who opposed the Book of Mormon held a meeting and resolved not to buy the book when it was published. Grandin again became worried that he would not be paid. Martin Harris was afraid he would lose his farm, and he wondered what he should do. Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord, and the Lord told Martin not to “covet” his own property but to “impart it freely” to cover the costs of printing the Book of Mormon (see D&C 19:26). Martin Harris eventually sold 151 acres of his farm to pay Grandin for publishing the Book of Mormon.
Martin and Lucy Harris had one of the finest farms in Palmyra, New York. It had taken them years to acquire, had enabled them to raise a family, and had given them good standing in the community. But in 1829 it became clear that the Book of Mormon could be published only if Martin mortgaged his farm to pay the printer. Martin had a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but Lucy did not. If Martin went forward with the mortgage and the Book of Mormon did not sell well, he would lose his farm and jeopardize his marriage. At some time or another, we all face questions similar to those that Martin may have been facing: What is the gospel of Jesus Christ worth to me? What am I willing to sacrifice to help build God’s kingdom? It may help us to remember that no one has ever paid a higher price to bless God’s children than Jesus Christ, “the greatest of all” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18).
Martin made the decision to mortgage his farm. His sacrifice paid for the printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. And now, more than 190 million copies later, millions of souls around the world have been blessed.
Friend January 2009 “The Publication of the Book of Mormon”
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 10: The Book of Mormon Is Published” See more stories, activities, and question ideas at the link.
Display the sack or container of letters and tell the children what the letters are supposed to spell. Ask the children to arrange the letters in the proper order, setting aside any unnecessary letters. (You may want to write the phrase on the chalkboard so the children can look at it as they arrange the letters.)
As the children arrange the letters, explain that when the Book of Mormon was first published, books were set by hand in metal type. The printer had to select and place each letter individually. Point out that this was a very time-consuming process, as the children can see from putting the letters together in the short phrase you gave them.
Friend March 2017 “Find It!”
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 10: The Book of Mormon Is Published” See more stories, activities, and question ideas at the link.
Show the picture of the printing of the Book of Mormon. Point out the sheets that are printed and stacked, ready to be bound into books. Explain that several pages were typeset, one letter at a time, and then printed on one large sheet (see enrichment activity 3). The printer made one copy of the sheet and looked for errors on it. When the sheet was correct, five thousand copies were printed. This process was repeated until five thousand copies of the entire Book of Mormon were printed. Then the printed pages were sent to the bindery, where they were folded, cut, and bound into books. The first five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon were completed in the spring of 1830 and cost $3,000 to print. Satan had tried hard to stop the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon, but he was unsuccessful.
3. Have each child fold a piece of paper into eight sections (see illustration). Then have the children unfold their papers and write numbers on each side as illustrated:
Make sure the children write 15 on the back of 16 and 10 on the back of 9. Have the children refold their papers: first so that 14 and 15 touch; then so that 12 and 13 touch; and finally so that 8 and 9 touch. Each paper should look like a small book, with 1 on the front and 16 on the back. With scissors or a paper knife, cut the top and right edges of the pages so that they open like a book. Have the children turn the pages so they can see that the numbers are in the right order. (Practice this activity before class so you can show the children how to do it.)Explain to the children that this is the way the pages of the Book of Mormon were printed: pages were arranged in a certain order and then printed on one large piece of paper. The large piece of paper was then folded and trimmed so that all the pages were in the right order. Many of these small “books” were then combined to make the Book of Mormon. Some books are still printed today using this process.
Doctrine and Covenants Stories “Witnesses See the Gold Plates”
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 10: The Book of Mormon Is Published” See more stories, activities, and question ideas at the link.
For the safety of the manuscript of the translation, the Lord commanded Joseph
Smith to have Oliver Cowdery make a complete copy of the manuscript. Joseph
assigned Oliver Cowdery and Hyrum Smith to oversee the printing. Only a few
pages of the manuscript were taken to the printer at a time, and for several
months Oliver and Hyrum frequently visited the printing office. Oliver Cowdery
learned about printing during these visits and hand-set some of the type for the
book himself. The original manuscript had no paragraphs or punctuation, so
Grandin’s typesetter, John H. Gilbert, added punctuation and paragraphing. The
published book was called the Book of Mormon because the prophet Mormon
wrote or edited most of the ancient record.
“On the Trail: Where the Book of Mormon Was Published”(March 2013 Liahona and Friend)
A photo story about the Grandin Building in Palmyra, New York.
Liahona February 2021 “Printing the Book of Mormon”
Church History Topics “Printing and Publishing the Book of Mormon”
Additional Resources
For more information about the publication of the Book of Mormon, see Saints, 1:76–84.
Church History Topics “Printing and Publishing the Book of Mormon”
- Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources: Martin Harris
- Martin Harris Farm
- Grandin Building: Book of Mormon Publication Site
“Publishing the Book of Mormon” (March 2013 Friend)
Find the copies of the Book of Mormon hidden in this picture.
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