1830

So I am super excited. I got an 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon today, and I can't wait to read it. Does that make sense? I mean, it's the same book as the one in my Quad, right? Yes and no. It has the same content (excepting a preface by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the 1830 edition we don't have today), but what makes the difference here is the format.

You see, the 1830 version has no footnotes, index, chapter headings, or verse numbers. Even the chapters are split up differently, so that 1 Nephi has 7 chapters instead of 22 and Alma has 30 instead of 63. That means each chapter is more of a complete story (1 Nephi 1 covers the whole leaving into the wilderness and going back for the plates story. Chapter 2 starts with them going back for Ishmael's family, etc). The double column thing doesn't exist either, and paragraphs are longer. Even without all the current stuff added in, the 1830 edition is about 50 pages longer, even though the font and page size is about the same.

In the end, what the 1830 edition is is less of a canonized study aid and more of a hardback novel. You open it up and that's that format. For me at least, it really increases readability, and though I'm going to defer to my current version with footnotes and index when I'm looking for some hardcore scripture research, I'm really excited about reading the Book of Mormon as a novel, reading it for the sake of enjoying it.

An ordinary book you can breeze through chapter after chapter, no problem. The scriptures, however, seem to have this something that makes you feel like you've read soooo much, tiring your poor, spiritual little self out after, what, three pages? The 1830 edition, however, I feel like I'll be able to read as other books, for the content, story, and principles, getting things out of it in a new way. Call me crazy, but the format of the book really changes it up for me. The difference makes it easier for me to read it as a leisure book, not just a study aid.

I can't wait to start. This is going to be good.