The Plates of Mormon: A Book of Mormon Study Edition Based on Textual and Narrative Structures in the English Translation

This fully annotated and reformatted edition of the Book of Mormon includes:

• New punctuation, paragraphing, formatting, chapter structures, and corrections based on the Printer's and Original Manuscript as well as textual and narrative structures within the text.
• Annotations highlighting differences between manuscripts, editorial decisions, and insights into the text.
• A restructuring of the individual books to reflect how the Book of Mormon was originally intended by it's ancient authors.

For nearly two centuries, Latter-day Saints have been reading the Book of Mormon through multiple changes in its punctuation, formatting, and versification. The Plates of Mormon: A Book of Mormon Study Edition Based on Textual and Narrative Structures in the English Translation offers a new perspective on this book of scripture by seeking to align its English translation with the inaccessible golden plates from which that translation was made. Originally punctuated and formatted by the 1830 first edition’s compositor, John H. Gilbert, who had to add punctuation and paragraphs to the text to make it more reader-friendly, this study edition meticulously returns to this issue by reexamining punctuation and paragraphs to enhance readability while maintaining faithfulness to the source material. Utilizing insights explored in his companion volume, Engraven Upon Plates, Printed Upon Paper: Textual and Narrative Structures of the Book of Mormon, editor Brant A. Gardner also addresses issues of spelling, grammar, alterations, deletions, and paratextual information, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the Book of Mormon's composition and the principles guiding this edition's editorial decisions.

Additionally, this edition examines narrative and literary structures in its translation to best represent how Mormon’s ancient writings were recorded on his golden plates. It does so not only by removing modern summaries and versification formatting, but also by returning the text to its original chapters and relocating the small plates section outside of Mormon’s intended record. It also highlights the logic behind punctuation, paragraphing, chapters, and headers, helping readers gain a more profound appreciation for the text's nuances. If you're interested in the Book of Mormon's origins, textual structure, and the thoughtful decisions made in presenting it, this edition provides valuable insights and a fresh perspective on this sacred text. It is a must-read for those seeking to explore the Book of Mormon anew.

Praise for The Plates of Mormon:

"Brant Gardner’s The Plates of Mormon: A Book of Mormon Study Edition is highly recommended to any and all readers who want to more deeply engage the text of the Book of Mormon. In this book, Gardner takes readers back to the early stages of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. He expertly works through the book’s transmission, bringing to life the words of Mormon, Nephi, and others. Gardner skillfully integrates the earliest manuscripts of the Book of Mormon while also highlighting the hundreds of places where the Book of Mormon interacts with the Bible. A remarkable achievement." — Nicholas J. Frederick, Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University, and author of The Bible, Mormon Scripture, and the “Rhetoric of Allusivity”

Brant A. Gardner earned his M.S. in anthropology (specializing in Mesoamerican ethnohistory) from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the author of the six-volume Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, The Gift and Power: Translating the Book of Mormon, and Traditions of the Fathers: The Book of Mormon as History. He has presented papers at the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), the Book of Mormon Archaeological Symposium, and Sunstone. His other published works include chapters in Estudios de Cultura Nahuatl and Symbol and Meaning beyond the Closed Community: Essays in Mesoamerican Ideas, and articles in the FARMS Review, Sunstone, The Interpreter, and Meridian Magazine.