The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon's Missing Stories

by Don Bradley

On a summer day in 1828, Book of Mormon scribe and witness Martin Harris was emptying drawers, upending furniture, and ripping apart mattresses as he desperately looked for a stack of papers he had sworn to God to protect. Those pages containing the only copy of the first three months of the Joseph Smith’s translation of the golden plates were forever lost, and the detailed stories they held forgotten over the ensuing years—until now.

In this highly anticipated work, author Don Bradley presents over a decade of historical and scriptural research to not only tell the story of the lost pages but to reconstruct many of the detailed stories written on them. Questions explored and answered include:

Was the lost manuscript actually 116 pages?
How did Mormon’s abridgment of this period differ from the accounts in Nephi’s small plates?
Where did the brass plates and Laban’s sword come from?
How did Lehi’s family and their descendants live the Law of Moses without the temple and Aaronic priesthood?
How did the Liahona operate?
Why is Joseph of Egypt emphasized so much in the Book of Mormon?
How were the first Nephites similar to the very last?
What message did God write on the temple wall for Aminadi to translate?
How did the Jaredite interpreters come into the hands of the Nephite kings?
Why was King Benjamin so beloved by his people?
Despite the likely demise of those pages to the sands of time, the answers to these questions and many more are now available for the first time in nearly two centuries in The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon’s Missing Stories.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, History, Mormonism, Church, Historical

338 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2016

Reviews

[Bryan Sebesta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Bradley has done the world, both LDS and non-believer, a tremendous service with this book, which accomplishes two incredible things: first, he’s brought together all of the available data on the nature of the “lost 116 pages” that constituted the original beginning to the Book of Mormon; second, he’s offered a wonderful interpretation of that data, piecing together a story of a remarkable beginning to Mormon’s book.

The first half, constituting five chapters, chronicle the story of the lost pages, telling a familiar story in a novel way: Joseph’s experience getting the plates, translating the “sealed book,” and using the interpreters and seer stones; and then the tragic story of the pages lost, rendered all the more tragic (to me) by personal details of Martin Harris’ life and the fact that the “lost 116 pages” was probably closer to 200 or even 300 pages, constituting in length at least a third (and maybe more) of the Book of Mormon we have today. He also dives more deeply into the identity of the thief, acting to exonerate Lucy Harris (the traditional thief) and identifying several other more prime suspects.

The second half, made up of ten chapters, works to reconstruct “the missing stories”–using both clues from our existing Book of Mormon, and quotes from those familiar with the contents of the lost pages. Some of the chapter titles give away the key ideas: “A passover setting for Lehi’s exodus,” “Lehi’s tabernacle in the wilderness,” “the seven tribes of Lehi,” “The Mosian reform,” “The Book of Benjamin,” etc. In each of them, detective work ensues. And I should say Don Bradley is the closest thing to a “Latter-day Saint detective” that I know: reading Bradley reconstruct these narratives felt like reading a Sherlock Holmes story–in the best way possible–piecing together small bits of data in ways I’d never have dreamed of, but felt “obvious” after the fact. A good example is in his chapter on “The Lost Middle Period,” where he draws from little details about how Mormon normally introduces geography, and how Mormon puts together timelines, to reconstruct the centuries between Jacob and Mosiah. He’s also very adept at noticing intertextual clues. A good example of this is in noting connections between the story of Nephi and Laban and the biblical story of David and Goliath, an insight that will forever change the way I read that oft-told tale that begins our published Book of Mormon.

What comes together in these pages is a vision of a “more biblical” Book of Mormon: one even more tied to the Bible than I thought. AndI was left with three distinct impressions: first, I was left convinced that Lehi and Nephi were more conscious of forming a “new Israel” than I’d ever imagined, with their own passover and exodus, tabernacle, conquest, and monarchy. Second, I left with a newfound appreciation for the “Mormon” behind Mormon’s book: the powerful verbal and typological “hyperlinks” in the book that link tales both to Israel’s scripture and other parts of Lehite history. And third, given that the lost manuscript was the first “revelation” received by Joseph Smith, I left with a better grasp of how this early revelation shaped Joseph Smith’s project, the restoration.

I’m not necessarily qualified to weigh in on all the data. Bradley would be the first to tell you that some of his insights are more certain than others, and that others will build on his work, adding more data and/or drawing new conclusions. But this cannot be disputed: the book is remarkable. And it helps to cap off a remarkable ten years in Book of Mormon studies, belonging alongside Grant Hardy’s “Understanding the Book of Mormon” and “Study Edition” of the Book of Mormon, Royal Skousen’s “The Earliest Text,” Joseph Spencer’s “A Vision of All,” Bradley Kramer’s “Beholding the Tree of Life” and “Gathered in One,” and Brant Gardner’s impressive “Second Witness” commentary. I can’t recommend this book enough.

[Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was admittedly a bit skeptical when I first learned of this project, but now I'm a believe. This is easily the most insightful reading of the Book of Mormon I have ever read.

[Tyler Critchfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was awesome and very well researched. I highly recommend it to fellow Latter-day Saints. In an interesting way, reading this study of the lost manuscript of the Book of Mormon strengthened my understanding of and testimony in the existing Book of Mormon text we have today. My perspective of the Book of Mormon is more complete after reading this book. 

Some random tidbits to get you interested:
- The manuscript was likely more than 116 pages. In fact, it was more likely 200-300 manuscript pages, which would translate to about half of the current Book of Mormon's length. That's a ton of scripture lost!
- These insights show me the Book of Mormon as much more in line with the Old Testament than I previously gave thought to. There are very interesting themes and symbolism that stretch between the two books just from simple detail additions that the lost pages give us, such as Lehi's family leaving during a Jewish feast, which was likely the Passover (introducing many parallels with Moses' exodus). Other themes compare prophets across the books, such as Nephi and David, Mosiah and Josiah, and Aminadi and Daniel. It shows me even further that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- The lost pages contained more than just the Book of Lehi. It likely covered Lehi's exodus from Jerusalem and establishment of a new Israel in the Americas (including their use of a tabernacle), the story of Aminadi briefly referenced in Alma 10, eventual Nephite decline to destruction in the time of the first Mosiah, Mosiah's escape with a remnant to the land of Zarahemla, the contentions during the time of King Benjamin mentioned at the start of our current book of Mosiah, and then everything in between. 

While reading this, I often thought to myself, "If only we had those pages today!" But then I realized that had those pages not been lost, Joseph Smith may not have been directed to translate Nephi's account on the smaller plates. So for now I'm content to learn from these scholarly insights, appreciate and seek to learn even more of the scripture we do have, and wait with patience for more scripture to be revealed in due time.

"My greatest hope in presenting this book to the world is that better understanding the lost manuscript will enable us to better comprehend, appreciate, delve into, and live out this other testament of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon." - Don Bradley

[Cory Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this thought provoking book. In the first part, the author fleshes out the story of the lost pages in greater detail than I have heard before. He also includes many interesting details concerning the translation process. This part of the book alone makes it a worthwhile read. Starting part two, I had some trepidation that it would be very speculative and not as good as the first part. However, I couldn't have been more wrong. Don Bradley has carefully researched all available sources and examines several possible topics that may have been covered in the lost pages in greater detail. Whether or not the author is completely accurate in this reconstruction, his observations added greatly to my understanding of the current Book of Mormon text that we do have. His notes and questions on our current text picked up on things I have missed in many, many readings of the Book of Mormon. We need more excellent scholarship like this book, and I applaud and am grateful for Don Bradley's efforts. Highly recommended.

[Christopher Angulo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. The first half was illuminating. The latter half was like reading a madman's text on someone who has pored over the text and this subject for decades.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book. There is a lot more that we actually know about what's in the 116 pages than we actually realize. Here are some interesting points the author raises:
1-Are the 116 pages actually LONGER than 116 pages? Maybe!
2-Does the lost manuscript include MORE than the Book of Lehi? Probably!
3-Was it Lucy Harris' fault that the manuscript got lost? Probably not! It didn't get lost until Martin Harris broke the lock on her dresser where it was stored and left her care. Martin was eager to show it to a curious stranger.
4-Who did steal the manuscript? Maybe a relative of Martin Harris', like a son-in-law.

There is also a lot of information on how events related to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon coincide with various Jewish feast days.

[Brady Turpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book on a bookstore shelf years ago and was pretty skeptical of it. However, I have come to respect the work published by Greg Kofford Books and gave this a go. Simply put: I was stunned. The scholarship presented here is incredible. Bradley has clearly spend years of his life crafting this project, for which I am grateful. There is a lot to be learned from reading this work and also learning to read The Book of Mormon the way Bradley does.

My biggest takeaway was the strong Jewish foundations in the Book of Mormon and by extension Mormonism. There is much more work to be done on that front. I highly recommend this book.

[Allie Basilius · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely not.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first learned about this book sometime in 2018, and so was excited to get it when it finally came out. Initially my excitement was driven by curiosity. I enjoy learning more about the mysteries of history.

This book is significantly more than just an opportunity to satisfy curiosity, however. I can honestly say that out of all the articles, books, church manuals (including manuals for Institute and BYU Religion courses), lessons, talks, etc. that I have read and listened to about the Book of Mormon, I have never had my mind opened to a fuller understanding of the content of the Book of Mormon (not just the lost pages!) like I did while reading this book. There were multiple times while reading that I just sat back in awe with a completely new perspective on passages I have read hundreds of times. And this new perspective fits and makes sense and strengthens the Book of Mormon and its relationship with the Bible.

I emphatically recommend this book to any and all of my friends that are interested in a deeper understanding of the Book of Mormon.

A few of the things that are discussed in the book: the Book of Mormon is a very Jewish book. There is reason to believe it opens during Passover season and many of the events in 1 Nephi mirror and echo the Exodus of the Israelites in a multitude of ways. Prominent is the emphasis on the Lamb of God, a Redeemer. Temple worship is a significant and early piece of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is a book about restoration (of Israel) and it provided a template for Joseph Smith's Restoration. The New Covenant of the Book of Mormon likely mirrors new covenants established after the Nephites broke their original covenant and were destroyed. Etc, etc. (Note: the details are much more interesting and cohesive than just a high level summary like this.)

Finally, my review is for the content of the book only. I do want to mention that I noticed several typos near the beginning and end of the book (nothing in the middle). Also, the quality of the paper seems to be lower than another book I ordered from Kofford Books in the past. In particular the cover has curled up and seems to be more easily bent and creased.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I rounded up for this rating — I’d probably give it a 3 3/4 stars if I could, but only because it took me a while to get through it and it was a bit slow and slightly repetitive in parts. BUT. It was truly fascinating. The author gives a thorough background on the events surrounding the lost pages and makes some really awesome connections and interesting speculations. He has clearly done a lot of deep thinking and research on this topic. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the topic of the lost manuscript pages.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just fun. I couldn't help but smile as I watched Bradley sleuth his way through.

[Sariah Hartley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun to read, although none of it was necessary to my testimony. Fun fact book.

[Wesley Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by the lost portion of the Book of Mormon, and I am grateful that Don Bradley has done such thorough research. Bradley began this study as he was leaving the Church, but over 15 years of writing, he chose to return. Therefore, I think this book will appeal to any who are interested in an academic history of the Book of Mormon, believer or skeptic, since it is undeniable that the lost manuscript existed, and there are plenty of clues as to its contents.

This book is divided into two large sections. The first part discusses the history of Joseph Smith finding and translating the first part of the Book of Mormon. The second half is more speculative. Bradley tries to determine what was likely to be in the “lost 116 pages” using connections to the Bible, as well as statements from early Church leaders, or those who interviewed them, especially Fayette Lapham, who interviewed Joseph Smith Sr., and Frances Gladden Bishop, an associate of Martin Harris. I’ll write a summary of each chapter in both halves of the book. I will note that Bradley often repeats the same ideas several times across chapters (part of why the book is so long), so my paragraphs may not match his divisions perfectly.

Part 1: Translating the lost pages

Bradley begins with the account of Joseph Smith finding the plates in what had been called an “ark.” This is an appropriate comparison, since the ark of the covenant was a gold box containing stone tablets with the word of God, and Joseph found a stone box containing “golden” plates with the word of God (with writing described as being both etched and stained). Another connection is the fact that Joseph came to the hill once a year to receive heavenly instruction, precisely at the time of year the biblical High Priest would access the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.

In fact, the most interesting thing I learned from this book was the timing of it all. Joseph finally removed the plates on September 22, 1827, the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, which is meant to commemorate Moses receiving the Law. Joseph left the plates hidden in a hollow log for 10 days until bringing them home. According to the Jewish calendar, after 10 days of repentance came the Day of Atonement, the actual day for the High Priest to enter the Holy of Holies. Then for 40 days, he and his family worked hard to keep the plates from adversaries, until they finally left for Pennsylvania. Moses similarly fasted for 40 days in order to receive the stone tablets.

Some accounts say that the last plate contained an alphabet. This is not the “Caractors” document, which does not match any of the early descriptions and was produced decades later. Martin Harris described it as having a large sun with 24 circles and other moon or star symbols, somewhat similar to the round Aztec calendar we have seen.

There are discrepancies as to what happened when Martin Harris brought these symbols to Charles Anthon. The two men disagreed in their account as to whether he approved of the translation and the ancient nature of the symbols. Regardless, it is clear that this was meant to fulfill prophecy from Isaiah 29. It also seems that the “sealing up” of the book was important to prove, as other ancient documents, that it had not been tampered or corrupted (as the manuscript would be shortly).

Joseph began to translate the Book of Mormon with Emma (and her brothers) as scribes. He used a seer stone in a hat as well as a set of spectacles that had been sealed up with the plates. Lucy Smith, who handled the spectacles under a cloth, describes them as being “old-fashioned,” possibly meaning they were like two magnifying glasses connected at the handle, which could spread to 90 degrees and rest on the attached rod. She said that each lens was triangular, so they could have represented the masonic symbols Compass and Square when open, and overlapped to make a Star of David, an ancient Jewish seal. She describes the spectacles and breastplate as being meant for a very large man. According to the accounts, Joseph saw letters appear in English on these stones, but Bradley believes that Joseph’s own mind played an important part in the interpretation.

Bradley then discusses the mystery of who stole the manuscript. While Lucy Harris has always been the chief suspect, due to her husband Martin’s initial accusation, there is a possibility it was someone else. Lucy was originally a supporter of the translation, the manuscript disappeared after Martin got it back from her possession, and she always denied being the thief, even on her deathbed. Martin came to believe that an angel took them to punish him for disobedience.

Another suspect was Flanders Dyke, who had married Martin’s daughter while he was working on translating the plates. He and his brothers were later arrested for several robberies. It is also possible that one of the money diggers that worked with Joseph, who felt they had a right to a share of the plates, stole the manuscript. The most likely of these is Samuel Lawrence, who also claimed to be a seer and to know where the stone box was.

Bradley ends the section on the modern history of the manuscript by explaining that the colloquial titles used are both incorrect. Joseph initially called it the “Book of Lehi” to differentiate it from the other plates of Nephi, but he stopped using this inaccurate title, since manuscript covered much more than Lehi’s life. The “116 pages” comes from the fact that the printer’s manuscript of the replacement “small plates of Nephi” ended up being 116 pages. It is unlikely that these were exactly the same length. In fact, Bradley uses other records, such as the time of translation and amount of material covered, to estimate that it may have been closer to 300 pages!

Part 2: The stories we might be missing

To reconstruct what may have been in these lost pages, Bradley notices the many parallels between Book of Mormon and Bible stories. The beginning of Zedekiah’s reign, Laban’s feast, and Fayette Lapham’s interview all point to the Book beginning at Passover. This also matches the many symbols in Lehi’s prophecy, which point to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God at a later Passover (which also occurs at the beginning of the Nephite year), and the actual exodus his family experiences. These stories may be meant to push back against Josiah’s law-centric Passover and return the focus to the Messiah.

The language used when Nephi kills Laban is similar to David killing Goliath, showing Nephi’s ascension to king of their branch of Israel. However, there is quite a bit of evidence that Nephi is meant to take over as heir to the tribe of Joseph. Laban must have been an important descendant of Joseph in order to possess the plates that contained his genealogy, and prophecies from Zenos and Zenoch (also Josephites). In fact, Bradley makes the case that the Brass Plates AND the “sword of Laban” may have been made by the original Joseph! I didn’t realize that the biblical Joshua was a descendant of Joseph, and he also had a famous sword to defend his people. One modern account claims that by the time Joseph Smith found this sword with the plates, only the hilt remained and the rest had rusted away.

The most well-documented fact from the missing pages is that Ishmael was of the tribe of Ephraim, which is important for their inheritance of the promised land. The Nephites’ “conquest” of the New World has many shadows of Joshua’s conquest. The land had previously been inhabited by giants (Jaredites). The Lamanites, like the Canaanites were cursed for disobedience, though the Nephites were never commanded to attack, only defend against them.

One of Bradley’s main points is that we are missing many details about temple worship from the original manuscript. Lehi likely built a tabernacle in the wilderness, which contained sacred relics that paralleled those in the Ark of the Covenant--the Liahona is similar to Aaron’s divining rod and the pot of manna. Nephi does mention building a temple patterned after Solomon’s. However, their priesthood is modeled after Melchizedek, where the king was also the high priest and caretaker of the sacred relics.

Bradley mentions two other clues that casual readers may not know about. One is from Joseph Smith, who said that sacred burial places were incredibly important to the Nephites, which is not mentioned in our current Book of Mormon. The other hint is to look at the places that are mentioned in the Book of Mormon, but with no introduction. For example, if Mormon mentions “The City of Zarahemla” in the later pages without explaining exactly where it is (as he usually does for new places), it means it was present in the earlier pages.

Unfortunately, we have very few clues as to the middle period between Nephi and Mosiah. Bradley does note that both the original Lehite settlers and the unified civilization after Christ’s visit follow a 200 year ascent and 200 year decline. Both also seem to have the year 320 as the moment where destruction became assured. It is likely that Aminadi, identified as an ancestor of Amulek, prophesied this in the temple, which may have been defiled by a wicked king. His story is obviously a parallel of Daniel’s, however both stories are originally based on Joseph in Egypt. Bradley also makes connections to the sacred experiences of Abinadi, Moses, and the brother of Jared.

Mosiah, whose name can be connected to “Messiah”, “Moses”, and “Josiah”, has connections to all three archetypes, as well as Lehi (whose story is also patterned on Moses’ exodus). Interestingly, Mosiah is not named “Nephi” as the other kings in the dynasty were supposed to be, and Omni says he was “made king” at some point. According to a modern account, after the Liahona was no longer working, Mosiah had a vision similar to our modern temple ceremony where he received the ancient Jaredite seer stones. After Mosiah’s exodus, he may have been able to unite his kingdom with the idolatrous people of Muloch (Mulek) based on his possession of all the kingly relics that had been passed down.

Mosiah may have been referenced in early sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, taking over the kingship (D&C 3:4) and reforming Nephite worship. D&C 5 originally discussed a “reformation” of the Church, which was likely removed to avoid confusion with the Protestant Reformation, since the text of Mosiah’s reformation is no longer extant.

Finally, we are probably missing the first two “chapters” (much longer than our current chapters) of the Book of “Mosiah”, which should probably be called the “Book of Benjamin” (Oliver Cowdery wrote “Mosiah” into the manuscript). We know that Mosiah’s son Benjamin dealt with attacks from the Lamanites, eventually expanding into Lamanite territory, as well as spiritual contention among his own people. Bradley mentions the transition of the books of Omni and Words of Mormon into the book of Mosiah, which he will offer his own explanations of “in future work.” As that is something I have wondered about, I am looking forward to it.

[Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind. Blown. This book plausibly and convincingly recreates the stories in the lost manuscript and gives us a glimpse of what Mormon's book should have been.

[Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Joseph Smith was writing the Book of Mormon, approximately 116 pages were lost. Don Bradley attempts to reconstruct what was in the lost pages by examining the accounts of those familiar with what was in the lost pages.

Interestingly, Joseph Smith's father said there were Masonic symbols on the cover of the golden plates. (I didn't realize until reading this book that the beehive was a Masonic symbol.)

Smith's mother described the Urim and Thummim as three-cornered diamonds framed in silver, connected like a pair of spectacles. (They may have been triangular in shape to match the Masonic compass and square.) Joseph apparently used the Urim and Thummim to translate the lost portion, but used the stone in the hat to translate the Book of Mormon we have today.

Apparently, Martis Harris's visit to Charles Anthon is alluded to in 2 Nephi 27:6-26, 2 Nephi 9:28, and 2 Nephi 28:15. Joseph refers to his seer stone in Alma 37:23.

Joseph Smith's scribe Martin Harris asked if he could show the pages to his family and Joseph agreed. Martin's cousin/wife Lucy Harris is often blamed for the disappearance of the lost pages. At the time Martin was scribing for Joseph, he avoided working his own farm for months, gave Joseph Smith money, and also missed his daughter's wedding. Martin believed the Book of Mormon would make him rich, but Lucy thought it was foolishness and began preparing to separate from him.

Martin had Lucy lock the manuscript in her bureau. Wanting to show it to a friend while she was out, he picked the lock, damaging the bureau in the process. Lucy had been pleased with the manuscript, but was mad that Martin had damaged her bureau. Martin then locked the manuscript in his own bureau. He would often get the manuscript out to read to friends and family, always returning it to his locked bureau in his locked parlor. However, after returning from a trip, he found the manuscript was gone.

He wore the key around his neck, but the lock hadn't been tampered with. When Martin resumed being Joseph's scribe, Lucy accused Joseph of defrauding Martin of his money and ended up divorcing Martin. Lucy denied having anything to do with the theft of the manuscript to her dying day. Martin at first suspected Lucy of the theft, but later came to believe the angel Nephi had taken the pages.

Bradley doesn't think Lucy stole the pages because D&C 10 says they were stolen by wicked men. He therefore offers alternate suspects like Martin's son-in-law Flanders Dyke. Dyke was a known thief and swindler and once stole the Anthon transcript to make a copy of it. He lived on Martin's property for free until the theft occurred, at which point Martin started to charge him, indicating they'd had a falling out. Another known thief, Samuel Lawrence, was one of Joseph Smith's former treasure digging friends and was also friends with Martin Harris. Either of these men, or others like them, could have taken the manuscript.

The lost manuscript was written on 13x17 inch lined blue foolscap writing paper. Although Joseph Smith referred to the lost manuscript as The Book of Lehi, it actually contained the first half of the Book of Mormon up to Mosiah. The first two chapters of Mosiah were also part of the missing pages. The current Mosiah Chapter 1 was originally Mosiah Chapter 3. The missing two chapters are summarized at the end of Omni and again at the end of Words of Mormon.

The replacement text Joseph wrote totaled 116 pages, so that's why he guessed there were 116 missing pages, even though there were likely more than this. After all, the replacement text was called a small account (Words of Mormon 1:3), indicating it was shorter than the original manuscript. 116 manuscript pages would be equivalent to 133 printed pages in today's Book of Mormon. Martin Harris's brother said Martin scribed nearly 200 pages (equivalent to 230 printed pages). This makes sense since Joseph ran out of paper when he let Martin borrow the manuscript. Back then, paper was sold in quires of 48 pages each. Four quires would be 192 pages.

However, Martin Harris wasn't the only scribe. If he wrote 192 or more of the missing pages, we still need to add the pages written by the other scribes (Joseph's wife Emma, his brother Samuel, and Emma's brothers Alva and Reuben). Bradley calculates that Joseph wrote 6-7 pages a day on average. Taking the number of days he worked on the Book of Mormon with various scribes, the lost manuscript could have been over 300 pages long. This is also how long it would need to be to cover the events of the first half of the Book of Mormon with the same level of detail as the second half.

The lost manuscript was originally written in third person by Mormon abridging the large plates of Nephi. The replacement text (the current first half of the Book of Mormon) is written in first person by Nephi, Jacob, and their descendents on the small plates of Nephi.

Doctrine and Covenants 10 says the lost manuscript contained an abridgement of the large plates of Nephi. 1 Nephi 9:2-4 tells us the large plates focus on the reign of kings and war, while the small plates are concerned with ministry and prophecies. Jacob 1:2-4 says the large plates are for history, the small plates for sacred things. However, 2 Nephi 4:14 says the large plates also contain his and his father's teachings, 1 Nephi 19:1-2 says the large plates also contain prophecies, Lehi's genealogy, and more of Lehi's wilderness exodus, and 1 Nephi 19:6 says everything written on the large plates is sacred, so there's not really much distinction between the two after all. It seems the large plates are just longer.

The lost Book of Lehi likely included things Nephi says he didn't include in his record: Lehi's earliest dreams and visions (1 Nephi 1:16) his genealogy (1 Nephi 6:1), and details of his exodus (1 Nephi 6:3).

Words of Mormon 1:4 tells us Mormon included the duplicate small plates because they mentioned Christ, which implies the lost manuscript didn't. Joseph Smith originally saw his mission as bringing in the Jews rather than restoring the Church of Christ, so it makes sense for the missing pages to not mention Christ. A friend of Martin Harris described the text being a history of the lost tribes of Israel, confirming the Old Testament. The current Book of Mormon is filled with New Testament material and numerous references to Christ which wouldn't have been in the original manuscript. Lehi is a second Moses leading his people through the wilderness to a new promised land where they divide into tribes and build a new temple.

Palmyra resident Fayette Lapham was given a summary of the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith Sr. Lapham gets a lot of details wrong in his retelling, but his garbled memory may contain hints to what was in the lost manuscript. One added detail is that a feast was occurring when Nephi killed Laban and everyone in town was drunk. Bradley guesses this feast is Passover. After all, 1 Nephi begins during the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, which would have been during Nisan, the same month in which Passover was celebrated.

Bradley thinks Lehi's vision included a vision of Christ in the large plates because this is mentioned in the small plates (1 Nephi 1:19), but I thought the large plates didn't mention Christ (Words of Mormon 1:4). Hmm.

Lehi's exodus parallels the Exodus of Moses in many ways including a dream warning, a pillar of fire, people seeking to kill him, and the journey taking him near the Red Sea.

The "It's better that one man perish than that a nation dwindle and perish in unbelief" saying in 1 Nephi 4:13 echoes John 11:50, making the wicked Laban a Christ stand in!

In addition to the large plates and small plates, we have Laban's brass plates which were passed down and updated by the Old Testament Joseph and his descendants (1 Nephi 5:14-16) and contained their geneology (1 Nephi 3:3). They include prophets not mentioned in the Bible such as Zenos and Zenock (3 Nephi 10:16-17). There are additional details about Joseph of Egypt which aren't found in the Bible (2 Nephi 3, Alma 46:23-24). Strangely, the brass plates were written in Egyptian (Mosiah 1:4, 1 Nephi 1:2)!

A friend of Martin Harris named Francis Gladden Bishop claimed the sword of Laban was originally made by Joseph in Egypt under the direction of God and used by Joshua during the genocide of the Canaanites. This detail may have been in the lost pages. The Nephites keep the sword as a relic, like the sword of Goliath was kept in the Tabernacle (1 Samuel 21:8-9).

Lapham's account adds another detail not found in the current Book of Mormon, that Lehi and his family erected a tabernacle (a portable temple) where they could inquire when they didn't know what to do, a further parallel to the Exodus story.

Bishop adds detail regarding the Liahona, a brass compass shaped like a ball that the Nephites used to guide them. In the surviving Book of Mormon, the Liahona had two spindles. One spindle pointed in the direction they should go, but the Book of Mormon doesn't say what the second spindle did.

In his telling, Bishop says the Liahona had 24 pictures of various things found on earth (animals, vegetables, rivers, etc.) that the two spindles would point to (each spindle could point to only 12 of the 24 pictures). (This brings to mind the titular Golden Compass from the Philip Pullman novel!) Lapham's version of the Liahona has one spindle pointing where they should go and the second spindle pointing out where to get provisions.

It took Moses forty years to cross a desert. Lehi and his family made better time, but still proceeded remarkably slowly, taking eight years to go from Jerusalem to the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula, a pace of about 5 miles per week. Mosiah 1:16-17 and Alma 37:38-42 tell us the slow pace was due to the family being smitten with famine and afflictions and being driven backwards when unfaithful. The extant Book of Mormon touches only lightly on this journey. The lost portion would have gone into more detail.

Lehi's family is descended from Joseph's son Manasseh (Alma 10:3), but we aren't told the genealogy of Ishmael or Zoram, two non-related individuals who traveled with them. According to Franklin D. Richards (as well as Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow), Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon fulfilled the stick of Ephraim prophecy in Ezekiel 37:16-19 since Ishmael's family was descended from Ephraim. (Charles B. Thompson adds that Zoram was also of this tribe.) Joseph Smith said this was included in the lost pages. 2 Nephi 3:12 echoes Ezekiel 37, even though Ezekiel would have been writing after Lehi left Jerusalem and so Lehi shouldn't have known about it.

Just as Jacob divided his family into twelve tribes upon his death bed, Lehi likewise divides his party into seven tribes on his deathbed (2 Nephi 1-4): Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites. Strangely, Nephi's brother Sam doesn't get his own tribe (being lumped in with Nephi) and the sons of Ishmael are likewise lumped together into a single tribe, probably because the number seven has more spiritual significance than the number nine. In the small plates, these seven groups are lumped together into just two: Nephites and Lamanites, but Jacob 1:13-14 indicates that the missing large plates made more of a distinction between the seven tribes.

Just as Moses died before arriving at the promised land, Lehi dies shortly after arriving. After the death of Moses, Joshua sends in spies and leads the Israelites to wage war against the native inhabitants of the promised land, including some giants (Numbers 13:33). The existing Book of Mormon doesn't parallel this. According to Lapham, Lehi does send out spies in the lost pages who find the native inhabitants had been a "very large race of men". The previous giant inhabitants of America were already gone, so a war of conquest wasn't necessary for the Nephites.

The group which settled America before the Nephites are known as the Jaredites, and they are described as being exceptionally large in the extant Book of Mormon (Ether 1:34, Ether 15:26, Mosiah 8:10).

Just as the Israelites battle the Canaanites who were descendants of the cursed son of Noah, the Nephites battle the cursed Lamanites. Nephi uses the sword of Laban against them (Jacob 1:10) which was also the same sword Joshua used against the Canaanites. Like the Canaanites, the Lamanites practiced idolatry (Enos 1:20, Alma 17:15, Mormon 4:14,21). As the Israelites were forbidden from mixing with the Canaanites, the Nephites are forbidden from mixing with the Lamanites. The boundary between the Lamanites and Nephites is called Sidon (Alma 22:27-29) just as the boundary between Israelites and Canaanites is also called Sidon (Genesis 10:15-19).

The current Book of Mormon has a large gap of over two centuries between Jacob and Omni which the lost pages would have covered in more detail. Just like there was 200 years of ascent after Jesus appears in the new world (4 Nephi 1:22-26) followed by 200 years of decline (Mormon 8:6-7), there were 200 years of ascent after Lehi (Jarom 1:5-13) followed by 200 years of decline with the low point being Mosiah's exodus to Zarahemla.

Mormon provides introductions for geographic locations the first time he mentions them in the text. We can infer from this that places he introduces likely didn't appear in the lost pages. Surprisingly, the River Sidon, the narrow neck of land, distinctions between the land northward and the land southward, and the land of Bountiful are not introduced until the Book of Alma, so they probably didn't appear in the lost pages.

When Mormon mentions a place without first introducing it, that means it likely did appear in the lost pages. The land and city of Zarahemla, the land and city of Lehi-Nephi, Shilom and the hill north of Shilom, the hill Manti, the land of Sidom, the land of Midian, the hill Onidah, and the hill Riplah are all mentioned without introduction, implying they were introduced in the lost pages.

Jarom 1:10 refers to the people of Nephi receiving a warning of coming destruction a hundred years before 320, but doesn't give specifics. A likely candidate to have given this warning is Aminadi, forefather of Amulek mentioned in Alma 10:2-3 who interpreted writing written by the finger of God upon the temple wall. He's mentioned like everyone should know who he is, so he probably appeared in the lost pages.

Since the Book of Mormon often parallels the Bible, Aminadi's story likely paralleled that of Daniel in the Bible who interpreted writing that appeared on the wall in Daniel 5.

Mosiah (which is how Joseph Smith spelled and pronounced Messiah) is a significant figure in the Book of Mormon. His grandfather, also named Mosiah, was a significant figure as well, but his story has mostly been lost. He led the Nephites to Zarahemla, established the temple of Mosiah, initiated a new dynastic monarchy, founded a new nation, and received revelation through the Jaredite interpreters (later called the Urim and Thummim) instead of using the Liahona.

Mosiah 11:13 references a hill north of Shilom the Nephites used as a refuge as if it had been mentioned before. Shilom was located between the land of Nephi and Zarahemla, so Mosiah may have stopped here during his exodus.

Fayette Lapham refers to an event not in the Book of Mormon in which the Nephites find an item they aren't familiar with, go to the tabernacle to ask what it does, and are answered by a voice telling them to put it on their face and put their face in a skin (like Joseph Smith putting a rock in his beaver-skin top hat), and they will see what it is. They do so and can see everything past, present, and future. The item is the spectacles Joseph Smith found with the Golden Plates. The gold ball (the Liahona) stopped working at this point. This event likely took place during Mosiah's exodus.

In the Bible, the Tabernacle and the Urim and Thummim were kept at Shiloh before the Temple of Solomon was built. Since the hill Shilom has a similar name, it would make sense for Mosiah to have found the interpreters here. The brother of Jared went to similarly-named Mount Shelem to have God create the interpreters in the first place in Ether 3.

When Mosiah arrives in Zarahemla, he encounters a group of people called the Mulochites who left Jerusalem and came to America the same time Lehi and his family did (Omni 1:14-16). They're descended from Mulek/Muloch, the son of the Biblical King Zedekiah (Mosiah 25:2, Helaman 8:21). The Book of Mormon doesn't say much more about these people, but the lost pages did.

Martin Harris's brother Emer Harris gave a sermon on April 6, 1856. According to him, while Zedekiah's children were killed in front of him (2 Kings 25:7), Mulek and three other males of the royal family hid themselves. When they emerged from their hiding place, they found four females of the royal family who had also hid themselves. They married and went to the new world and became a tribe where Mosiah found them. This information likely originated in the lost pages.

In the introduction, Bradley assures the reader he'll reconstruct what was on the missing 116 pages using only evidence compelling for both believers and non-believers alike. However, most of the book is clearly written for a believing Latter-day Saint audience. It seems like he immediately forgot about the existence of non-LDS people after writing his introduction. I appreciate how much work he put into this book, however, he jumps to a lot of conclusions based on tenuous connections and parallelomania that only believers will find convincing. That said, I did learn a lot of interesting things.

[Daniel Evensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great work of scholarship - a book I would highly recommend to anybody with even a passing interest in Mormon Studies.

Far from being a speculative guess as to the possible contents of the famous lost original Book of Mormon manuscript, this is a deep dive into the temple-centered world of both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Bradley weaves through a variety of scriptural references, scholarly citations and statements from contemporaries of Joseph Smith, investigating topics as disparate as the reliquies of ancient Israel, the significance of certain names (both of people and holy mountains), multiple exoduses by multiple ancient scriptural leaders, and the translation of the Book of Mormon itself.

I strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in the subject, whether believer or skeptic. This is a powerful book with fascinating theological and historical connotations. It is bound to make a lasting impact on the world of Mormon Studies for years to come.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and thought out. It has given me a lot to ponder. This books showed me that God really is the same, yesterday, today and forever. The way he interacts with humanity is the same across all time. Don pointed out that Nephi was a lot like David. They each slayed their Goliaths and went on to lead their people.

[Kevin Folkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a subtle twist to Independent historian Don Bradley’s deliberately provocative title for “The Lost 116 Pages.” That title pulls you in with promises of insights into a mystery that has intrigued him (and most of the rest of us!) since first hearing the story of the “Lost Pages” as a child in Primary. While he delivers on aspects of that promise, Bradley also uses the missing pages to reveal new insights into our understanding of the parts of the Book of Mormon that we already have.

Bradley’s methodology is straightforward, drawing his conclusions from two major sources. First, there are clues in the Book of Mormon text itself, references to the contents of the “large plates of Nephi” as recorded in other books of our existing Book of Mormon. The account in 1st and 2nd Nephi points to some of the differences by naming the things that Nephi includes in his own account as opposed to those in the longer record that was kept on “the large plates.” Further references are included from the “small plates of Nephi” that were substituted for the missing pages. Jarom, the son of Enos, gives a brief account of wars with the Lamanites and of the preaching of prophets to his people, but notes that “…ye can go to the other plates of Nephi: for behold, upon them the records of our wars are engraven, according to the writings of the kings…” (Jarom 1:11) These are just a handful of the pointers found within the text of the Book of Mormon itself.

Similarly, when Amulek begins preaching with Alma to the citizens of the city of Ammonihah, he references his lineage from “…that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was on the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God.” (Alma 10:2) Bradley points out that Amulek (and Mormon in his abridgement) relates the story of Aminadi without preamble or explanation, anticipating that it is a well know narrative even among the non-believers in Ammonihah, and the readers of Mormon’s abridgement. This is evidence, Bradley writes, that Aminadi’s story was familiar among the Nephites, and that Mormon’s abridgement almost certainly included a full account.

Second, there are contemporaneous accounts by individuals that had either read the manuscript Martin Harris borrowed, or were told of its contents by Harris, Joseph Smith, or others with firsthand knowledge. A key account is one written by Fayette Lapham, based on interviews he conducted in 1830 with Joseph Smith, Sr. Lapham, a non-believer, gives a description of the plates, and relates stories about the contents of the missing transcript. Taken together with other clues, there is a remarkable amount of agreement as to the nature of the lost narratives. Bradley never tries to recreate the missing pages, but merely indicates the most probable inclusions, and what they might mean.

Bradley’s careful research includes some new thoughts on the translation process, the role of the Urim and Thummim, and Joseph’s seerstone. He concludes that the “lost 116” pages were more likely closer to 300 in number, based on clues such as the type of “foolscap” paper available to Martin Harris in upstate New York at the time, the amount of time that Harris served as scribe, and other factors. Bradley argues that the missing pages probably resembled books like Mosiah and Helaman in their treatments of history and the work of prophets prior to King Benjamin, and that the lost account was of nearly equal length to the rest of Mormon’s abridgement of Mosiah through Ether.

Bradley also attempts to identify the most likely suspect in the theft of the missing pages (spoiler: it probably was NOT Lucy Harris, despite her ambivalence towards the work). He names the lineage of Ishmael and his family, and shares interesting clues concerning the origins of the Sword of Laban. Bradley is more than willing to admit the speculative nature of some of his conclusions, but makes clear the probability of his ideas, and how he arrived at each.

Bradley’s best arguments are well-substantiated hypotheses with compelling arguments. A few, however, do seem to stretch beyond the available evidence. In other cases, some exclusions are noticeable. I found it surprising that nowhere does Bradley speculate on the presence of indigenous populations in the area settled by Lehi and his family. Brandt Gardner and others have postulated on the topic, using as one example Jacob’s condemnation of the second generation of Lehi’s descendants for their “many wives,” and the search for gold and silver, precious commodities that had little value outside of trade in an otherwise agrarian economy (Jacob 2). These are the trappings of a more populous community, probably made up of a mix of Nephites and assimilated native peoples, with the ability to trade with other communities that did not include the Lamanites. The parallels Bradley suggests between the Lehite exodus and the Old Testament Exodus would seem to argue for native peoples in the lands occupied by Lehi’s descendants, just as the Canaanites occupied Moses’s promised lands.

But it is the relationship of the lost pages to the rest of the Book of Mormon that is the fortunate byproduct of Bradley’s work. He admits that his initial childhood curiosity led him to seek a greater understanding of “…the part of the Book of Mormon that we do have.” (Introduction, page x) As a result, he explores the parallels between the exodus of Lehi and Nephi from Jerusalem and the Exodus account of the Old Testament. He draws relationships between the Jewish calendar of feasts and festivals to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, to Nephite and Old Testament tabernacles and temples, and the Book of Mormon as the account of the tribe of Joseph as a complement to the account of tribe of Judah in the Old Testament.

I referred to this book in my opening paragraph as “a subtle twist.” In no sense did I mean to imply any kind of a bait-and-switch or deception on the part of the author. Some of what I learned about the missing pages was there to be seen had I been looking carefully in the first place, but it is the overall concept of the Book of Mormon itself that is most benefited by this work. Bradley reaffirms the value of continued study and close reading of the text of the Book of Mormon that we do have. In this sense, “The Lost 116 Pages” should be a valuable study companion for anyone interested in better understanding the Book of Mormon.

[Liz Busby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. The first section brought up a lot of details that were new and interesting about the history of the lost pages. I really enjoyed learning more about what we do know for sure.

The speculative sections were a little disappointing to me. Some of the conclusions were warranted, some a stretch, and some seemed pulled out of nothing. And the author went on and on about the parallels to certain portions of biblical history that didn't really have any relevance to trying to understand what was in the lost pages. They were interesting literary analysis, but they seemed out of place in this book.

Overall, not a must read, but fun if it's a topic you are intregued by.

[Barnard Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional scholarship

Don Bradley has performed a great service to Latter-day Saints from his careful research and analysis. I learned more about the Book of Mormon in a larger context than from reading any other book.

[Riley Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book totally changed the way I think about the Book of Mormon and the Lost pages. Joseph remembered them, spoke about them and they were probably longer than anticipated. A lot of these Desert style books make outrageous claims initially and then offer very small payoffs. This book is not that at all, it does a good job noting that most of this is just the author's best guess based off of clues that he is reading into. Below is a summary from AI of key points. Worth the read for any member of the church.

**Summary of *The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon’s Missing Stories* by Don Bradley**

In *The Lost 116 Pages*, Don Bradley attempts to reconstruct the content and significance of the portion of the Book of Mormon that was lost early in its translation—116 manuscript pages primarily from the Book of Lehi, which Martin Harris lost in 1828. Drawing on historical records, internal textual evidence, early revelations, and statements by Joseph Smith and others, Bradley presents a compelling picture of what may have been contained in that missing section.

### Key Themes and Findings:

1. **Narrative Structure and Content**:

* The Book of Lehi likely included more detailed accounts of key early events, such as Lehi’s exodus from Jerusalem, the travels in the wilderness, and the voyage to the Americas.
* It elaborated on Lehi’s visions, particularly the Tree of Life vision, providing greater context and theological depth than what is preserved in Nephi’s later retelling.
* The lost pages probably emphasized the founding of the Nephite nation, including the roles of Lehi, Sariah, and their sons in establishing governance and religious practices.

2. **Sacred Objects and Themes**:

* The text likely discussed the origins and significance of the **Sword of Laban**, the **Brass Plates**, and the **Liahona**, showing how these sacred artifacts played a role in Nephite culture and prophecy.
* Bradley proposes that the lost pages addressed the **Urim and Thummim** and the translation process itself, offering insights into how Joseph Smith might have perceived his role as a seer.

3. **Focus on the Lost Tribes and Gentiles**:

* The manuscript likely emphasized the covenant relationship between God and the House of Israel, including prophecies about the scattering and gathering of Israel and the role of Gentiles in this process.
* This section might have laid the theological groundwork for the Book of Mormon’s later focus on America as a promised land and on the destiny of Native American peoples.

4. **Theological and Christological Insights**:

* Bradley argues the lost pages contained more explicit teachings about Christ, possibly including a Christophany (a pre-mortal appearance of Christ) to Lehi.
* The text may have introduced temple themes and concepts of divine sonship earlier than the extant Book of Mormon does.

5. **Historical and Cultural Context**:

* Bradley draws on comparative research and early Latter-day Saint teachings to suggest that the lost material aligned with ancient Semitic literary structures and patterns, making it more than just an introductory segment—it was foundational.

### Overall Contribution:

Bradley's work is both a historical and devotional effort. While speculative in nature, it is rooted in substantial evidence and offers a richer understanding of what may have been lost. It deepens appreciation for the Book of Mormon’s narrative and theological complexity, and underscores the significance of the missing pages in the Restoration narrative.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I was initially introduced to Don Bradley on the Come Back Podcast and was so moved by his story and spiritual journey, that I looked for other podcasts, videos, and books to learn more. This was one of the books I found that had great reviews, so I bought it for my husband for Christmas (I had to let him finish it before I could dive in, so he wouldn’t suspect anything). First off, Don Bradley is a great historian and I look forward to reading more of his books (some listed below). Not only did I learn more about the potential contents of and circumstances surrounding the Lost 116 Pages (like, it was likely closer to 200-300 pages), I gained a greater understanding of the translation process and insights into the Book of Mormon and its many parallels with the Old Testament (Passover, exodus, tabernacle, conquest, and monarchy) and Judaism (temples, covenants, gathering Israel). I would recommend to anyone interested in this topic.

Notes and Quotes:

-“The accounts of Joseph’s translation practices suggest that he could perceive and focus on the spiritual light more easily in the absence of distracting physical light.” p. 43 – He needed a dark room as a translator, while the scribe needed light to write, hence the compromise of a well-lit room and using a hat to shield the seer stone from light. I had never thought about why the hat was needed; “The book of Mormon hieroglyphs…were set out in black against a bright background of gold. Conversely, the translated images or words that appeared as Joseph looked at the seer stone occluded in his hat were light against darkness.” p. 44 “Behold I am the light which shineth in darkness and by my power I give these words unto thee” (D&C 11:10-11)—connection between the medium of revelation and the divine author

-I liked the explanation of how the translation space acted as makeshift tabernacle, including a dividing veil (see page 56 for more information)

-Many scriptural parallels, including Moses/Joshua and Lehi/Nephi; Twelve Tribes of Israel and Seven tribes of Nephites/Lamanites (Seven, the most sacred number to the Hebrews, symbolizing fullness, completeness, or perfection); sacred artifacts of old and new exodus (Ark of the Covenant/stone tablets/sword of Goliath and Brass plates/sword of Laban; David/Goliath and Nephi/Laban

-The interaction between the brother of Jared and the Lord on Mt. Shelem – “The experience of the Brother of Jared on Shelem—with its elements of divine testing, communication through the veil, the granting of greater light in return for obedience, and entering God’s presence—can readily be identified by Latter-day Saints as temple endowment worship.” p. 236

-Books for those interested in his personal journey: “The Rest is History: How a Mormon Scholar Turned Doubter, then Believer” (Peggy Fletcher Stack); “Pillars of My Faith” (Don Bradley); “Joseph Smith’s First Vision as Endowment and Epitome of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (or Why I Came Back to the Church; Don Bradley)

[Sergio Barrios · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best source about the lost 116 pages.


When we hear about the 116 lost pages of the Book of Mormon, our mind easily flies to the fantastic and unbelievable stories that Church folklore has transmitted to us for many years. It is here that Don Bradley appears, one of the most fascinating and prepared scholars of the new generation, with mastery but simplicity, Bradley guides us through history, theology, analysis and all the details related to this lost manuscript. We learn about the real historical facts about the manuscript, Martin Harris, Joseph Smith, the Harris family and how they all converge on the result we know. Then he guides us through the narrative contexts of the text, the Passover, the need for authority, the details of the Book of Lehi, the transmission of the Nephite relics as a symbol of God's presence, the Temple of the Americas, the importance of Mosiah and his descendants, but, above all, the center of Christ as the source, objective and author of this lost text.
Excellent resource that despite all the information reads as a simple teacher who guides us with ideas, concepts, assumptions and theories each better than the previous one. Definitely an excellent resource for serious study on The Book of Mormon.

[Joseph Cosgriff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Bradley has written a remarkably solid account of the Book of Mormon and its history. I would say, this work is on par with some of the work of B. H. Roberts, or of Hugh Nibley--although the approach, given his lack of actual access to the lost manuscript, is thus limited in scope, it is uniquely valuable in its combination of close reading of historical and scriptural sources, scholarship and faith. Even if the most speculative of his theses (each chapter presents a number of possibilities, while then defending at least one self-standing thesis), may prove incorrect, the bigger ideas, expanding on important but often overlooked elements of the Hebrew Bible and the diaspora of Israel in the earth are beyond dispute. All available evidence points to the confirmation of his conclusions. How valuable it is to consider the connections to the more than 116 pages that are certainly clear in the extant text, as well as in the early historical records of the rise of the Church. While it may be possible to argue with any individual claim that is made in Bradley’s book, one cannot argue with his scholarship or faith in the Book of Mormon. I recommend this book for anyone who believes in scripture, particularly, the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Mormon, but wants to ponder even more connections among them, the restored gospel, and the temple.

[Isabell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part 1 of this book was well-researched and told the story of how the "116" (spoiler: it's probably more) pages were lost in fascinating new ways. 5 stars for this bit.

Part 2 was too speculative for my taste, although I nevertheless enjoyed gleaning new insights about the Book of Mormon story from these chapters, such as Mosiah as a reformer, Nephi as a temple-builder, etc. Overall, I enjoyed reconstructions that were directly taken from the BoM, and disliked the ones taken from 3-rd person accounts. Some of the latter simply ventured too close to the occult for an academic book.

Which is not to say that the history of the church isn't steeped in supernaturalism, only that I'd prefer it if we didn't start new mystical rumors such as the sword of Laban actually being the sword of Joseph (of Egypt) or the Urim and Thummim actually being in the shape of the square and the compass.

Instead, I would have welcomed a critical reading of those early-day accounts and of any mysticism left in our religion till this day.

Nevertheless, this is a commendable work and a comprehensive collection of everything there is to know on the topic, with some good insights about the narrative inside the Book of Mormon itself.

3.5 stars.

[Brandon Burrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible. I purchased it originally simply from curiosity, I mean who hasn't wondered what was in the lost manuscript before? What I left with was a deeper understanding of many of the events and details surrounding the writing, translating and loss of the manuscript. Also a deeper understanding of the patterns and parallels that God has used throughout the Old Testament and in the founding of the New Jerusalem in the Americas. A deeper appreciation for the story of Joseph of Egypt and his lineage. And a better understanding of what was in the lost manuscript. A few of the mind explosion moments for me: the lost manuscript was NOT 116 pages but likely consisted of at least 300 pages of translated scripture, the lost manuscript covers more than simply the life of Lehi, but was essentially a "Book of Nephite Kings" up to the time of King Benjamin, the Liahona had so much more to it that is described in First Nephi, the Sword of Laban was almost certainly the sword of Joseph which was wielded by Joshua against the Canaanites. There's so much more. I highly recommend this book, it truly expanded my mind on The Book of Mormon, The Old Testament, and modern church history.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm amazed at what can be found when we dig a little deeper. There were many amazing things Bradley brought to light, but the discussion of Aminadab and the writing on the temple wall and the discussion of Mosiah the First's exodous with the state of the Nephite peoples during these time periods were jaw dropping. This book is bitter-sweet for me. Sweet because of the deeper information in the stolen pages (and the number of pages stolen) mentioned by the current Book of Mormon, D&C and remembrances of what certain people were told by Martin Harris or Joseph Smith, which brought me a little closer to an understanding of the motivation of these ancient record keepers. Bitter because it brought to home the huge amount that we have missed by not having these pages and I have now started to yearn to read those pages. It's my great hope that the original papers were shoved in a box and stored in the thief's attic, handed down from generation to generation and that sometime in the near future, a picker is going to find it, realize what it is and donate or sell it to the Church. Maybe wishful thinking, but I have to hope...

[Daniel Evensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great work of scholarship - a book I would highly recommend to anybody with even a passing interest in Mormon Studies.

Far from being a speculative guess as to the possible contents of the famous lost original Book of Mormon manuscript, this is a deep dive into the temple-centered world of both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Bradley weaves through a variety of scriptural references, scholarly citations and statements from contemporaries of Joseph Smith, investigating topics as disparate as the reliquies of ancient Israel, the significance of certain names (both of people and holy mountains), multiple exoduses by multiple ancient scriptural leaders, and the translation of the Book of Mormon itself.

I strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in the subject, whether believer or skeptic. This is a powerful book with fascinating theological and historical connotations. It is bound to make a lasting impact on the world of Mormon Studies for years to come.

[T.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book had some problems (the absurd price being one of them), he does make some fascinating assertions, most of which are well supported. His research of second and third hand accounts of the lost pages as well as his extrapolations based on references within the Book of Mormon to missing parts are great. It's when he speculates based on patterns and parallels with the Bible that I started enjoying it less. When he gets to math and fractals, he lost me completely, but that's near the end, so it was easy to push through. I appreciate him sharing that he was losing his faith when he began this research, and that it ultimately renewed it; it helped me understand the intellectual rather than spiritual approach that he took with the writing. It's very worth reading, especially if you don't have to drop $30 for it.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who wants to understand the Book of Mormon better needs to read this book. The first part of the book covers the story of the lost 116 pages, who the potential thieves of the pages were, and how many pages (hint: much more than 116) the lost pages actually consisted of. The second part of the book reconstructs what the 116 pages would have covered. This reconstruction is based on textual clues within the Book of Mormon itself, and references from church history to Book of Mormon details that aren't found within the current book and must therefore be found within the lost pages. In the process we learn more about the current Book of Mormon, including just how Judaic and temple-centric the text actually is.