Doubleday Book of Mormon is on the way

Cast in a partially gold cover reminiscent of the plates from which millions believe it was translated, the first secular printing of "The Book of Mormon" will line bookstore shelves beginning next week, marking what many within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will no doubt see as a milestone in the mainstreaming of their faith.

Produced by Doubleday, the 573-page volume is true to the text that, until now, has always been printed and distributed solely by the LDS Church. Latter-day Saints revere the book as scripture on par with the Bible, and tens of thousands of full-time LDS missionaries use it as a foundation for sharing what they believe is the fullness of Christ's original gospel restored to Earth through church founder Joseph Smith.

The hardcover copy is set for release Nov. 16, priced at $24.95. Doubleday Religion Division Vice President Michelle Rapkin said Wednesday the publisher had originally set its sights on 25,000 copies for the initial print run but has boosted that number to more than 100,000.

"Our sales people have all been very, very receptive," and initial estimates were doubled, then redoubled as orders came in. As far as marketing goes, "to be honest, we're getting a lot of publicity along with" the initial release next week. She said Doubleday plans to place advertising in USA Today and other media "in areas where there are the greatest concentrations of Mormons, just because we do think that a good portion of the first buyers of this edition may well be people giving them as Christmas gifts."

Some Latter-day Saints may wonder who would pay $25 for a book they know can be had free for the asking from LDS missionaries. Yet both Rapkin and Deseret Book chief Sheri Dew — who served as the agent between the LDS Church and Doubleday — believe there's a market for a hardbound copy that has no strings of proselytism attached.

"Frankly, from a purely commercial standpoint, how many books do you know of that have been around for over 100 years that you can't get in Barnes and Noble or on Amazon?" Rapkin said. "As much as I would like to claim some credit, it just doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that maybe you want to do this."

First published in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1830, more than 100 million copies of the book have since been printed, more than 5 million of those in 2002 alone. This edition contains none of the footnotes that are standard in LDS editions and is typeset at two columns per page, with book and chapter headings and numbering consistent with the current volumes.

The title page, introduction and a brief explanation precede the written text, as do the testimony of the three and eight witnesses to the golden plates from which Smith said he translated the ancient record. Smith's own testimony regarding the book's origin also precedes the text, as does a contents page listing page numbers for its various divisions.

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