The reviews are coming in…

Sherry Ann Miller is a reviewer for the Association for Mormon Letters. Her detailed review of the Annotated Book of Mormon was posted recently on the AML site. A few excerpts are captured below:

A small quotation at the bottom of page 125, reveals with crystal clarity the intent of the compiler and editors of the Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon, by declaring what the Lord expects us to do, in regards to the words of the prophets and apostles in ancient times as well as those since the Restoration first began in 1820. Quoting from President Russell M. Nelson shortly before his call to the Apostleship, he said, “My philosophy is to stop putting question marks behind the Prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead.” (A Study in Obedience, Ensign, August, 1982). When the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr., revealed that the Hill Cumorah near Palmyra, New York, was the same area where the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed, the Prophet Joseph Smith, deserved an exclamation point. The Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon declares the truth of that exclamation point admirably.

. . .

I found the Annotated Book of Mormon enlightening, particularly the changing of colors within the text. Red is the color of choice for the words of the Lord, God, Father and Son. Blue is the color for the words of Angels and Heavenly Messengers, while blue italics represent the words of the Old Testament, both scripture and Prophets. Of course, black text represents the narrative. At first, I was a little surprised each time red or blue made their appearance, but I soon learned to look forward to them with pleasure. I found it quite interesting to have the Lord’s words in red, bringing them immediately to my attention, as did the blue words. I’m certain readers will find a much greater ease in the location of phrases or passages. For me, reading the red words was like saying hello to my dearest friend.

The Isaiah chapters have underlined words in them that show the differences from the King James Version Bible, so there is no need to compare, back-and-forth, between Bible and Book of Mormon. I really like that feature!

. . .

On page 105, a reference to a phrase in Jacob 4:14 about “looking beyond the mark” was emphasized, needed and appropriate, and then tied to remarks of Elder Quentin L. Cook, who said, “Today there is a tendency among some of us to ‘look beyond the mark,’ rather than to maintain a testimony of gospel basics. We do this when we substitute the philosophies of men for gospel truths, engage in gospel extremism, seek heroic gestures at the expense of daily consecration, or elevate rules over doctrine. Avoiding these behaviors will help us avoid the theological blindness and stumbling that Jacob described.” I found this a perfect way to bring ancient scripture into modern focus.

. . . 

“And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me, for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me, that I am; and he that will not believe me, will not believe the Father who sent me, for behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.” I believe the compiler and editors are striving to follow this counsel, as found in Ether 4:12, in publishing the Annotated Book of Mormon, and I am sold on acquiring my own copy. I am even considering it for gift giving this Christmas.

All the above is definitely praiseworthy, and as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are taught to seek after the praiseworthy. I am convinced that the Annotated Book of Mormon will find a prominent place in most Latter-day homes. I can even picture fathers and mothers gathering their children around their copies to teach some of the eternal truths and principles found therein.”

Sherry Ann Miller

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Here is a brief review of the Annotated Book of Mormon by

Dr. Richard D. Rust 

Richard Dilworth Rust is a Professor Emeritus of English and an Adjunct Professor Emeritus of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was also a visiting professor at Indiana University, Brigham Young University, the University of Heidelberg, and Berne University. His Ph.D. (1966) is from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Rust was the General Editor of the thirty-volume Complete Works of Washington Irving and has published mainly on nineteenth-century American authors such as Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, Melville, Longfellow, Mark Twain, and Henry James as well as on the American Civil War and the Revolutionary War. Besides his book on literary aspects of the Book of Mormon, he has published in the Ensign, New Era, BYU Studies, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, Literature of Belief: Sacred Scripture and Religious Experience, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Colloquium: Essays in Literature and Belief, Book of Mormon Reference Companion, and two FARMS collections, Warfare in the Book of Mormon and Rediscovering the Book of Mormon.

David Hocking’s beautifully designed Annotated Edition of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a treasure for bibliophiles.  It is handsomely bound with gilt edges (reminiscent of the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated), and is richly illustrated with high quality pictures.  Hocking designed the pages with illustrations very carefully, and the high quality 8½ x 12-inch pages lie flat—with the large print making for easy reading.

Those interested in the Book of Mormon will at long last have a red-letter edition of it.  Along with other helpful formatting, David Hocking has highlighted the words of Deity in red and those for quoted scripture in blue.  While retaining original chapter and verse numbers, Hocking minimizes these and instead sets forth topic headings with natural paragraphs.  Shaded words are used to point to insights in footnotes or separate pages.  These annotations provide information about matters such as symbols of the tree of life, previously published insights, House of Israel feasts, and the Law of Moses.

Commentary, maps, and pictures, provided in good measure by Rod Meldrum, argue in favor of a North American model for the location of places and activities depicted in the Book of Mormon.  Meldrum is quoted as saying that “an interesting exercise is to insert the words ‘United States’ into prophetic passages from the Book of Mormon regarding the latter-day promised land.”

Capping off its attractiveness, readability, and interesting insights, the Annotated Edition of The Book of Mormon invites people of various faiths to come more completely unto Christ.  An embossed picture of the Savior is on the cover, and the last page features the picture by Clark Kelley Price, “Truly This Man Was the Son of God,” together with the prophet Abinadi’s testimony of Christ’s redemption.  In addition to providing relevant quotations by general authorities, David Hocking has connected highlighted words and phrases in the text to quotations by persons such as Pope St. John Paul II, C. S. Lewis, Norman Vincent Peale, and Billy Graham.

In sum, this formatted Book of Mormon is a wonderful work of love!

Richard D. Rust

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The Annotated BoM is a TREASURE!

It is such a scholarly work! I love how it picked out a few of the key sources (usually listed at the end of the chapter, or at the bottom of the page) and inserts them strategically among the pages of the text, with explanations . . . so enlightening to the reader. The scholarly organization of the BoM text is also exceptional.

I also appreciate the editors’ courage to include facts of truth, some of which which override long-standing traditions. Their “appeal to authority” is not toward the scholars so much as the Prophets. For example, Only One Hill Cumorah (statements by modern LDS Apostles and First Presidency), Zarahemla site, Manti, explanations of the Hebrew word for “sea,” great swamps at the Southern tips of Lake Erie & Michigan, distinction in terms, Narrow Neck, Narrow Pass, Small Neck; “sea divides the land” vs. the erroneous reinterpretation of modern scholars to make the sentence read “where the land divides seas” to fit their model;  Zelph, “head” of Sidon, this promised land, Letter VII,  “up” and “down” geographic terms,  bison migrations, endless scientifically and astronomically-lunar-based Midwest mound structures,  Yeshua Hebrew ID marking on thousands of Great Lakes artifacts, comments by USA natives re: their historic origins, origin and use of various “seer stones,”  the many Great Lakes fortification remains, etc. the incredible archeology that no one ever learns about in high school or college, I wonder why?

Bob Webster

PG, UT. 84062

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Thank you so much for the Annotated Book of Mormon.  It is a genuine treasure on so many counts.  I am actually grateful for the stroke I suffered three weeks ago and so have a reduced work load as the vehicle coordinator here in the Mission where I serve in the office.  I thus have additional time to spend with that amazing work!

Again, my thanks for your great work on that already, most marvelous book!

Elder P. M.