A description of the book in the gallery's online catalogue says it was signed 4 December 1830 by Pratt, who "entered the church in September 1830 and was ordained an elder just a few days before signing this copy. ... The inscription presumably written in Root's hand reads: This Book is the Property of Denison Root Presented to him By Hyrum Smith."

The description notes that a later inscription by Charles Hatch details when he received the book from Root. "While Joseph and Hyrum Smith gave away many copies of the first edition Book of Mormon, few such 'association' copies have surfaced for sale, let alone one signed by an original apostle," it says.

The items will be put on public exhibition at the New York gallery for four days beginning March 17, including the day of the auction from 10 a.m. to noon. During that time, "many interested and knowledgeable people will undoubtedly closely examine the items, and further information may come to bear on the question of authenticity," she said.

Bidding will take place online the day of the sale and via phone. Bidding information and additional detail about the items is available on the gallery Web site, www.swanngalleries.com.

Several other LDS items have also been appraised and will also be sold at the auction, she said, including:

• A third edition Book of Mormon, $800-$1,200.

• Three letters to the New York Herald by J.M. Grant, first mayor of Salt Lake City, explaining "Mormon doctrine and recount(ing) the murder of Joseph Smith and the expulsion from Missouri," $600-$900.

• A year's run of The Deseret News, March 1857 to March 1858, "covering the Utah War and the Mountain Meadows Massacre," $4,000-$6,000.

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com