Jeffrey S. Evans & Assoc., Inc.
Live Auction

November 19, 2022: Premier Americana - Day Three

Sat, Nov 19, 2022 09:00AM EST
Lot 2126

NEWLY DISCOVERED, RARE BOOK OF MORMON TRUE FIRST EDITION

Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
Sold for

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$3,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$30,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
NEWLY DISCOVERED, RARE BOOK OF MORMON TRUE FIRST EDITION, Joseph Smith, Junior, Author and Proprietor, The Book of Mormon. An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon, Upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi. Palmyra, [New York]: E. B. Grandin, for the Author, 1830. True first edition with Smith listed as "author and Proprietor" on title page, author's preface page and final testimony page both present. 588pp plus unpaginated leaf with two sets of testimonials at end. Original leather binding. Reserve.
Provenance: Recently purchased from a box lot of books at an Ohio auction.
Catalogue Note: This copy of Smith's original work is a fresh-to-the-market, previously unrecorded example. Very seldom does a volume of this importance and stature appear at auction literally pulled out of a box lot of in a barn in rural America. Its offering here presents a rare opportunity to not only acquire the founding document of a church that now has millions of adherents worldwide, but also to obtain one of the most influential pieces of American literature ever published.

Condition

About good, as-found condition, collated and complete but shaken, lacking any front free endpapers, noticeable water discoloration to most pages, some browning to pages, occasional moisture-related mold discoloration, split at hinges, two small losses to title page only touching one printed letter, losses and shrinkage to boards and spine.
NOTE: All condition reports are based on general observations only, and are not meant to serve as a detailed analysis of condition. Please contact the department with your specific condition questions.