Once all of the printing of The Book of Mormon was completed the next step was to bind the pages and add a cover. This was done in the bindery. The first job in the binding process was to fold the signatures (a set of 16 pages on one sheet). This was done using a bone knife and folding the sheets 3 times.
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Next, all 37 signatures were collated, to complete one book. Several of these "books" were placed in the standing book press and left overnight. The pressure compacted the folds that had been made by hand.
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At this point the signatures were ready to be sewn together. With a needle and thread, the binder carefully stitched through the center of the folded signature and back out again. This was repeated for each signature and the signatures were stitched to each other too.
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When the sewing was complete a thin layer of glue was brushed across the spine. This is also the point at which the blank end sheets were added.
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Then the book was trimmed. All three unsewn edges were trimmed to open up the pages.
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The next to last step was attaching the cover. First the binder cut a piece of leather just larger than the book.
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After spreading glue onto the entire piece of leather, the hide was carefully wrapped around the boards and the blank end pages of the book were glued to the boards. As a final step, another end paper was glued to the board, covering up the uneven edges of the leather.
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Now the newly made volume needed a name. A piece of gold leaf wast tacked down on the spine of the book. Then embossing dies were heated on the stove, one for each letter, and pressed one-by-one into the gold leaf. When the title was completed the excess gold leaf was brushed away and the volume was complete.
The process of printing and binding the Book of Mormon is interesting and miraculous, but the real miracle is the message of Jesus Christ contained within the book. Many artists have been touched by this message and have painted some of the stories from the book. In the art gallery, here on the second floor, we can see original works of several artists, along with a photographic reproduction.
Lehi was a prophet in Jerusalem around 600 BC. Here he calls repentance to the people of Jerusalem. God then inspired Lehi to take his family and leave Jerusalem before it was destroyed because of wickedness.
Below right: Nephi Prepares for the Journey to the Promised Land:
With divine inspiration, Nephi constructed a ship for the journey to the new land, the Americas. His family took seeds, livestock, and other provisions for their new life. Essential among their possessions were the scriptures, engraved on brass plates.
Below left: Father Lehi Blesses His Posterity:
Shortly after arriving in the new land, Lehi pronounced blessings upon his descendants.
Below: Nephi's Vision of Christ's Earthly Ministry: Lehi's son, Nephi, received a vision of God's plan of salvation. Christ's birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection were central events of this eternal plan.
Below: Baptisms in the Waters of Mormon: Nephits organized a church and taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. Converts to the church were baptized by immersion as a sign of their acceptance of Christ's atonement and willingness to live by His teachings. The artist for this painting is Arnold Friberg and here in the art gallery we have a photographic print of the original oil painting.
Below: Christ's Ministry in the Promised Land - John Scott:
This is an original acrylic on canvas.
Christ taught His gospel among the people of the America. They all became converted and lived together in complete peace, unity, and righteousness for nearly two centuries. He came shortly after His resurrection and blessed the children, healed the sick, and established His Church.
Below: Both paintings are original and were created by artist Tom Lovell in 1968
Left: Mormon Abridges the Record of the Nephites
Following two centuries of righteousness after Christ's ministry among the Nephites, they turned completely to wickedness and were destroyed by civil war. The prophet Mormon obeyed a commandment from God to abridge the records of their thousand-year history in the Promised Land.
Right: Moroni Buries the Golden Plates
Mormon's son Moroni finished the Nephite record and buried it consistent with Mormon's instructions. According to prophecy, record would be the means of restoring to earth in the last days Christ's gospel and God's covenants of salvation.
This concludes our tour of the Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site. We hope you enjoyed your tour. To receive your free copy of the Book of Mormon call the phone number listed on this blog or go
to mormon.org. We promise you this book will bless your lives.
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