The Book of Mormon1830Copies, condition & value
A price belongs to an individual book. Its binding, completeness, repairs, and history deserve the same attention as its title page.
First identify the copy.
The first edition’s printed text is only the beginning of a description. Two surviving copies can carry very different bindings, inscriptions, repairs, and histories of use. A photograph of the spine alone cannot establish everything a collector needs to know.
For comparison, the Joseph Smith Papers describes one institutional copy in detail: gatherings, calf binding, gilt spine decoration, ownership marks, clippings, and flyleaves. Those particulars describe that copy; they should not be transferred indiscriminately to another.
When discussing value, distinguish an asking price from a completed sale. Then ask whether the comparison concerns a substantially similar copy, and whether its condition and restoration were disclosed.
Open the examination notes.
Completeness
Account for the title page, preliminary leaves, printed text, witness statements, and blank leaves. Identify supplied leaves and facsimiles separately from original printing.
Binding and repair
Photograph both covers, the spine, the joints, and the inside hinges. Record later rebinding, rebacking, recasing, paper repairs, washing, and other work without concealing its extent.
Ownership and provenance
Preserve inscriptions, bookplates, old descriptions, correspondence, and purchase records. An attribution should follow the evidence linking the named owner to the particular volume.
Photographs for an enquiry
Begin with the closed book, spine, title page, first and last printed leaves, interior hinges, and every inscription. Include close views of damage or repairs and keep the original image files.
A collector’s eye; a bibliographer’s description.
John Hajicek began collecting rare books in 1980. Historical research and collecting became his full-time work in 1990, and original Mormon books remain a central part of his library, archive, and museum in Independence, Missouri. His work concerns the evidence a particular copy preserves: its materials, printing, binding, ownership, and alterations.
His interests in economic history and finance accompany the practical experience of acquiring and examining rare material. He approaches a proposed valuation through the object and the transaction, rather than treating every copy of an edition as interchangeable.
A useful comparison: Joseph Smith Papers: the 1830 Book of Mormon and its copy-specific source note.