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Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 2 September 1842

Source Note

, Letter, , Lancashire, England, to JS, , and , [, Hancock Co., IL], 2 Sept. 1842; handwriting of ; three pages; Brigham Young Office Files, CHL. Includes docket.
Bifolium measuring 8⅞ × 7⅜ inches (23 × 19 cm) when folded. The document was folded in half horizontally and then in half vertically. It was then docketed by on the bottom left corner of the third page.
The document was presumably included among the papers accumulated in Brigham Young’s office between 1844 and 1877, suggesting continuous institutional custody.

Historical Introduction

On 2 September 1842, wrote from , England, to JS, , and in , Illinois, updating them on the sales and inventory of the edition of the Book of Mormon that the had published in in 1841. Aware that many Latter-day Saints were waiting for copies of the Book of Mormon and the other scriptures, Pratt had petitioned JS for permission to print additional copies prior to his departure for England in 1840. Even before JS gave his formal permission, Young, Kimball, and Pratt formed a committee appointed by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to arrange for the printing of the new edition.
In June 1840, the publication committee contracted with J. Tompkins & Co., a printing establishment, to print five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon. Thereafter, the committee contracted with bookbinder Thomas Fazakerley to bind the printed volumes. By early February 1841, a few copies of the book had been completed, five of which and deposited at Stationer’s Hall in , where they received a British copyright “in the name of Joseph Smith jr.” Following the publication of the 1841 edition, , Kimball, and other members of their quorum returned to , while remained in Liverpool to oversee the church in Great Britain and to manage its publication efforts.
In this September 1842 communication, provided JS, , and with an account statement for the bound copies of the 1841 edition of the Book of Mormon. The statement describes the various bound copies of the book received from Fazakerley, showing that in September 1842, the British mission had a total of 1,129 volumes bound in sheepskin that were paid for and available for purchase at a cost of four shillings sixpence per book. Up to this time, missionaries and others had sold 473 copies of the book. Although the publication committee had contracted for 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, only 4,050 copies were actually printed. The numbers reported in this letter account for only 2,137 copies of the book. It is not entirely clear why the sheet does not account for the remaining 1,913 volumes, though it may have reflected only the number of books then on hand or that had been bound by September 1842.
As with two other letters that addressed to during September 1842, evidence suggests that this letter was hand delivered rather than mailed to Nauvoo. Although the letter was initially dated 2 September 1842, a notation at the bottom of the letter indicates that the document was still in Pratt’s possession on 15 October 1842, rather than having been sent to Nauvoo with one of the three emigrating companies that sailed from during September 1842. Moreover, the lack of addressing and postage and the inclusion of Pratt’s own docket suggest that he kept the letter with his own papers for some time and that he brought this letter and account back to Nauvoo himself and delivered it to JS, , and sometime after his arrival in the city on 7 February 1843.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 22 Nov. 1839. JS had taken steps to secure the original copyright for the Book of Mormon in upstate New York in June 1829. In making the request for permission to print more books, Pratt suggested that JS also consider “that the publication of the Book of Mormon in Europe, in English, French, German, and other languages be committed to the ‘Twelve,[’]” who were to “secure to you [JS] the Copy rights in the several goverments.” (Copyright for Book of Mormon, 11 June 1829; Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 22 Nov. 1839.)

  2. [2]

    On 16 April 1840, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met in Preston, England, to discuss the quorum’s missionary efforts in Great Britain. In addition to making decisions regarding a hymnbook and a newspaper—the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star—the Twelve appointed Young, Kimball, and Pratt to secure British copyrights for the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon. On 7 May 1840, Young wrote to JS to ask his thoughts regarding their efforts, noting that Saints were “calling for them [the books] for every quarter.” In July 1840, JS sent a letter (no longer extant) to Young that “gave them permission to publish the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Hymn Books” in England. In a 15 December 1840 letter to the Quorum of the Twelve, JS reiterated his satisfaction with their publishing efforts. (Woodruff, Journal, 16 Apr. 1840; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 16 Apr. 1840; Letter from Brigham Young, 7 May 1840; Note, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 153; Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

  3. [3]

    John Tompkins, Estimate, 7 June 1840, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL; Brigham Young, Manchester, England, to Willard Richards, Ledbury, England, 17 June 1840, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL; Woodruff, Journal, 7 July 1840; J. Tompkins & Co., Liverpool, England, to Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Parley P. Pratt, Manchester, England, 8 Apr. 1841, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.

    Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  4. [4]

    “Death of Mr. Thomas Fazakerley,” Millennial Star, 27 May 1889, 51:333–334.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  5. [5]

    Woodruff, Journal, 8 Feb. 1841, underlining in original; Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Minutes, 2 Apr. 1841; “From England,” Times and Seasons, June 1840, 1:121; see also Carter, “British Copyright Registrations,” 71–94.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Minutes, 1840–1844. CHL.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

    Carter, Edward L. “‘Entered at Stationers’ Hall’: The British Copyright Registrations for the Book of Mormon in 1841 and the Doctrine and Covenants in 1845.” BYU Studies 50, no. 2 (2011): 71–94.

  6. [6]

    Woodruff, Journal, 20 Apr. 1841.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  7. [7]

    Some of the men listed in Pratt’s letter may have been among the financiers of the Book of Mormon. Brigham Young’s history explains that between 25 and 27 March 1841, Young and Richards were “engaged packing and sending off books of Mormon to pay those who had loaned us money to carry forward the printing and binding.” (Historian’s Office, Brigham Young History Drafts, 48.)

    Historian’s Office. Brigham Young History Drafts, 1856–1858. CHL. CR 100 475, box 1, fd. 5.

  8. [8]

    Joseph F. Smith Jr., “The Library of the Church Historian’s Office,” Deseret Evening News (Salt Lake City), 23 Jan. 1904, 25; “Book of Mormon,” Millennial Star, Feb. 1841, 1:263–264.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  9. [9]

    Historical Introduction to Letter from Parley P. Pratt, between 23 and 27 Sept. 1842; “Emigration,” Millennial Star, Oct. 1842, 3:112.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  10. [10]

    Clayton, Journal, 7 Feb. 1843; JS, Journal, 8 Feb. 1843. Pratt sailed for New Orleans from Liverpool on the Emerald on 29 October 1842. (News Items, Millennial Star, Feb. 1843, 3:175.)

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

Page [3]

To Mr. Joseph Smith holder of the copyrights of the Book of Mormon— and to Messrs & of the publishing Commitee—
Dear Brethren
You will perceive by carefully examining the foregoing, that we have now on hand clear of debt 1129 vols. in sheep of the Book of Mormon, and 5 £. 10. s 0 d in cash— for which I am debtor.
These Books and this money are subject to your order and direction——
Although they will not sell in this very soon, as I have many on hand yet, which I have charged to myself— in the foregoing account—
Yours truly
.
Sep. 2nd. 1842
<​Oct 15th​> Cr[edit] on the Above ac[count], 50 Books of Mormon in Sheep Returnd on settlmnt
[p. [3]]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 2 September 1842
ID #
12561
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:41–45
Handwriting on This Page
  • Parley P. Pratt

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