Book of Mormon Challenge

The Book of Mormon was first published in 1830 by E.B. Grandin in Palmyra, NY. Read how the original was published and then you can create a small version of an original signature (Multiple pages printed on one large sheet, folded and cut)

HOW WAS IT PRINTED?
Setting type, printing, and binding was arduous labor. Each character or spacer was picked by hand from the type case and set in forms which held eight pages. The type was inked, and large sheets of paper were placed in a frame and positioned over the type. Pulling on a lever lowered the heavy iron platen onto the paper and type.
This process was repeated five thousand times, and each sheet was hung up to dry. Then eight more pages of type were set. The reverse side of the page was then printed. The resulting sixteen pages were folded and sewed into the book and trimmed to size when it was bound. This sixteen page unit is called a signature.   It took approximately thirty-five signatures to complete the Book of Mormon.
The signatures were folded in half three times and stacked. When the printing was complete the signatures were collated, sewn, pressed, glued, and trimmed before the binding was added. For binding, pieces of "cover-board" were covered with white paper and attached to the book. Then leather was glued on the outside and thin gold letters tooled onto it.
(Church History in the Fullness of Times, 1989)

 

 

 

  

MAKE YOUR OWN 1830s SIGNATURE

Although there were 16 pages printed on one sheet for the original Book of Mormon signatures, here's one you can make at home with 8 pages.

First download the FRONT (PrintersPage01.pdf or jpg), and the BACK (PrintersPage02.pdf or jpg).

Print the FRONT and then flip the paper to print the BACK keeping the same end coming out of the printer as you did for the FRONT. This should ensure that they are lined up correctly.

Now, simply fold along the dotted lines (even if the edges of the paper don't match up) so that pages 14 and 15 touch.

Then fold along the dotted lines so that 12 and 13 touch.

And lastly, fold so that 8 and 9 touch. It should look like this.
Trim the excess paper around the signature and cut the top and right edges of the pages so they open like a book.

 
Events Associated with the Publication of the Book of Mormon

11 June 1829. Copyright for the Book of Mormon was obtained.

1 July 1829. Translation of the Book of Mormon was completed.

July 1829. Oliver Cowdery began making the printer's manuscript of the Book of Mormon.

17 August 1829. Joseph Smith and Martin Harris contracted with Egbert Grandin to publish five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon.

August 1829. Oliver Cowdery delivered the first pages of manuscript to the printer. Typesetting commenced and the first uncut sheets came off the press. Stephen Harding was given the first title page.

25 August 1829. Martin Harris mortgaged his farm for three thousand dollars to pay for the printing.

October 1829. Joseph Smith returned to Harmony, Pennsylvania.

 

6 November 1829. Oliver wrote to Joseph explaining that the printing was delayed because of sickness and because Grandin was waiting for additional type. Oliver was up to Alma 36 in the printer's manuscript.

2 January 1830. Abner Cole illegally published extracts of the Book of Mormon in his Reflector newspaper.

16 January 1830. Joseph Smith, Sr., and Martin Harris entered an agreement that they would have equal privilege in selling the Book of Mormon until Grandin was paid.

January 1830. Grandin stopped printing because of a threatened boycott of the Book of Mormon. Joseph returned to Palmyra from Harmony to deal with Cole and to convince Grandin to complete the printing.

19 March 1830. Wayne Sentinel advertised that the Book of Mormon would be ready for sale in a week.

26 March 1830. Wayne Sentinel advertised that the Book of Mormon was for sale.
(Church History in the Fullness of Times, 1989)