There were two editions of the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith revised in Nauvoo. Both of them contain the cover page that states:
Translated by Joseph Smith
and
Carefully revised by the translator
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These statements refute the claims by SITH sayers (proponents of the "stone-in-the-hat" narrative that was published in Mormonism Unvailed in 1834 and revived in recent years by certain LDS scholars). The SITH sayers insist that Joseph did not really translate the engravings on the plates as he was commanded to do.
"you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi..."
(Doctrine and Covenants 10:41)
Yet here Joseph not only identifies himself as the translator, he also explains that he "carefully revised" the text. If the text actually came from the "stone in the hat" instead, Joseph would not have any basis for "revising" the text.
Nevertheless, prominent LDS scholars continue to claim that Joseph (and Oliver) deliberately misled everyone about the translation process.
See, e.g., https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2026/04/thank-you-royal-skousen.html
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John Hajicek displayed originals of the two editions:
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Grok explains:
The 1840 and 1842 printings are not fully separate editions but closely related impressions of the same third major American edition of the Book of Mormon.
Background
- The 1840 edition (third edition overall) was printed in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Shepard and Stearns for Ebenezer Robinson and Don Carlos Smith. Joseph Smith personally reviewed and revised the text (building on his 1837 work), making grammatical improvements, restorations from the printer’s manuscript, and some clarifications. Stereotype plates (metal printing plates) were created from this typesetting.
- These plates were shipped to Nauvoo, Illinois, where further impressions (print runs) were made in 1840–1842 using the same plates.
Key Differences
The 1842 printing (sometimes called the fourth impression or Nauvoo 1842 issue) was a small run (around 640 copies) from the same stereotype plates as the 1840 edition, so the core text is virtually identical. The main differences are limited to the title page and minor production details:
- Title page updates:
- Date changed from 1840 to 1842.
- "Joseph Smith, Junior" changed to "Joseph Smith" (dropping "Jr.") because Joseph Smith Sr. had died in 1840, and it was no longer necessary to distinguish father from son. (This change was later reversed in subsequent editions for clarity regarding the Eight Witnesses statement.)
- Print quantity and rarity: The 1842 run was much smaller and is considered quite rare today.
- Possible minor corrections: Joseph Smith continued light revisions into early 1842 (e.g., reading and correcting plates for errors that "escaped notice"). Any such changes would appear only in the 1842 impression, but they were limited and not extensive.
Summary Table
| Aspect | 1840 Edition (Cincinnati/Nauvoo) | 1842 Impression (Nauvoo) |
|---|---|---|
| Text/Content | Joseph Smith's revisions (e.g., "white" → "pure" in 2 Nephi 30:6) | Same as 1840 (same plates) |
| Title Page Date | 1840 | 1842 |
| Joseph Smith Attribution | "Joseph Smith, Junior" | "Joseph Smith" (Jr. dropped) |
| Print Run | Larger (thousands across impressions) | Small (~640 copies) |
| Significance | Last major revision supervised by Joseph Smith | Final Nauvoo-era printing from 1840 plates |
In short, if you compare the interiors side-by-side, they are essentially the same book. The 1842 version is best understood as a reprint/impression with a refreshed title page rather than a new edited edition. Later LDS editions followed other lineages (e.g., the 1841 British edition followed the 1837 text more closely), which is why some 1840 changes were temporarily "lost" until the 1981 edition restored them.
These details come from historical scholarship on Book of Mormon printing (BYU Studies, Joseph Smith Papers project, etc.). Rare original copies are collector items today.
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