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Manuscript Found: The Complete Original
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
125 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 14, 2008
Interesting story but it would be a big stretch to say it had anything to do with the Book of Mormon
May 21, 2019
Unfinished manuscript only published by the Mormon Church to proof it is no way like the Book of Mormon. The novel is about a Roman who happens to arrive at pre-discovery America and tells a tale of two native American empires Kentuck and Scotian who life in peaceful coexistence until a princess and a prince of each civilisation decide they want to marriage each other.
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April 26, 2021Some of the Goodreads ratings for Manuscript Found are based on its quality as a novel, while others are based on its historical interest. For this reason I'll dispense with the star rating and just review the book along both lines.
As a publication, Kent Jackson's edition serves its purpose of debunking the Spaulding theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon. Jackson's thorough introduction covers the history of the manuscript and the Spaulding theory, with enough dates and other sources to show that Joseph Smith could not have had access to Spaulding's manuscript. The text of the novel speaks for itself on this point. There are some familiar elements, such as a stone box containing a lost history of the Americas, trans-oceanic contact, a bloody war, and even the brief mention of a peep-stone. However, the actual events, names, and outlook of the book (not to mention the prose) are in no way similar enough to suggest that Joseph Smith plagiarized it. If one insists on a 19th-century origin for the Book of Mormon (I don't), the most one could say is that Spaulding and Smith may have both been inspired by similar currents of thought and curiosity about Native American origins. Even that theory fails to explain away the Book of Mormon in my opinion, but of course that larger discussion is beyond the scope of this review.
As a novel, Manuscript Found is unfinished, somewhat derivative, and might not have survived as literature had it not been appropriated by anti-Mormon critics. The frame tale is a set of manuscripts in Latin, written by a Roman whose shipwrecked crewmates met the inhabitants of North America (tribes with transparent names such as Delawan and Kentuck). The Romans become invisible after a few chapters - in a Herodotean turn, their story gives way to several chapters about the culture and history of the Kentuck whom they meet while exploring the land. In this history, two star-crossed royal lovers elope and spark a war of vengeance. Commanders give impassioned speeches and suffer graphic deaths that evoke western European epic poems. The Kentuck war as a whole could have been transplanted to a European setting; there wasn't anything inherently Native American about it, unlike the wars in the Book of Mormon which are inextricably tied to Nephite history and religion. The novel ends rather abruptly when the war concludes; it is possible that Spaulding meant to resume the story of the lost Romans after finishing his history of Kentuck but left the novel unfinished.
There's not much else to say. Probably those most interested will be students of Mormon history and apologetics. General students of literature might be interested in the American author's importation of tropes from European epic poetry to a Native American setting.
As a publication, Kent Jackson's edition serves its purpose of debunking the Spaulding theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon. Jackson's thorough introduction covers the history of the manuscript and the Spaulding theory, with enough dates and other sources to show that Joseph Smith could not have had access to Spaulding's manuscript. The text of the novel speaks for itself on this point. There are some familiar elements, such as a stone box containing a lost history of the Americas, trans-oceanic contact, a bloody war, and even the brief mention of a peep-stone. However, the actual events, names, and outlook of the book (not to mention the prose) are in no way similar enough to suggest that Joseph Smith plagiarized it. If one insists on a 19th-century origin for the Book of Mormon (I don't), the most one could say is that Spaulding and Smith may have both been inspired by similar currents of thought and curiosity about Native American origins. Even that theory fails to explain away the Book of Mormon in my opinion, but of course that larger discussion is beyond the scope of this review.
As a novel, Manuscript Found is unfinished, somewhat derivative, and might not have survived as literature had it not been appropriated by anti-Mormon critics. The frame tale is a set of manuscripts in Latin, written by a Roman whose shipwrecked crewmates met the inhabitants of North America (tribes with transparent names such as Delawan and Kentuck). The Romans become invisible after a few chapters - in a Herodotean turn, their story gives way to several chapters about the culture and history of the Kentuck whom they meet while exploring the land. In this history, two star-crossed royal lovers elope and spark a war of vengeance. Commanders give impassioned speeches and suffer graphic deaths that evoke western European epic poems. The Kentuck war as a whole could have been transplanted to a European setting; there wasn't anything inherently Native American about it, unlike the wars in the Book of Mormon which are inextricably tied to Nephite history and religion. The novel ends rather abruptly when the war concludes; it is possible that Spaulding meant to resume the story of the lost Romans after finishing his history of Kentuck but left the novel unfinished.
There's not much else to say. Probably those most interested will be students of Mormon history and apologetics. General students of literature might be interested in the American author's importation of tropes from European epic poetry to a Native American setting.
March 31, 2023
This book by Solomon Spaulding was a first draft of a story. As many have eluded it likely wouldn't even survive today if not for the book "Mormonism Unvailed" written by E.D. Howe published in 1834.
Howe published several affidavits from people that knew Solomon Spaulding stating that they remembered a manuscript written by Spaulding that told a similar story as "The Book of Mormon". This was given by Howe as a suggested origin of "The Book of Mormon" published by Joseph Smith in 1830. The book is called "Manuscript Found" because it was not published along with "Mormonism Unvailed" and was thought to be lost to history. Till it was found and published in 1885. It was actually published to disprove the claims of Howe's book.
According to Wikipedia Spaulding's story was written from 1809 to 1812. Twenty years before "The Book of Mormon". There are some striking thematic similarities.
- A "history book" supposedly found in a stone box in the ground.
- A group of people that traveled across the ocean to ancient America. (Romans for Manuscript Found, Hebrews for The Book of Mormon)
- Descriptions of Christian-like religion amongst the native Americans.
- Massive wars that destroy the native American populations.
However, having read both books the thematic similarities are only superficial.
As a book of fiction. I personally enjoyed Manuscript Found more than the Book of Mormon. It is rough. The book is almost broken into two separate stories. The story of the Romans coming to America and establishing themselves. Then changes to the story about the Native Americans and their war. The story ends very abruptly at the tale end of a massive war. The book is either incomplete or was intended to be multiple books.
There are too many characters introduced without any back story they are just there for one important battle then that is it. A few of the characters are better developed. The two lovers and the evil king. The book has some very racist comments, about the Native Americans, that were likely common when it was written but don't sit well today.
With some editing and lots of cleanup, it is possible this could have been a good book. As it stands a draft of an unpublished book. It is not a good story or book. Having now read the book I think it very unlikely Spaulding's work was used for The Book of Mormon. Spaulding's writing was not filled with "and it came to pass" on every other page.
What I do think is that it shows a general idea that was in the area. That the ideas in The Book of Mormon are likely in part a product of the time a place it was written.
I enjoyed the story and kinda wish it were completed. Still, I would not recommend reading this book unless you are interested in Mormon history.
Howe published several affidavits from people that knew Solomon Spaulding stating that they remembered a manuscript written by Spaulding that told a similar story as "The Book of Mormon". This was given by Howe as a suggested origin of "The Book of Mormon" published by Joseph Smith in 1830. The book is called "Manuscript Found" because it was not published along with "Mormonism Unvailed" and was thought to be lost to history. Till it was found and published in 1885. It was actually published to disprove the claims of Howe's book.
According to Wikipedia Spaulding's story was written from 1809 to 1812. Twenty years before "The Book of Mormon". There are some striking thematic similarities.
- A "history book" supposedly found in a stone box in the ground.
- A group of people that traveled across the ocean to ancient America. (Romans for Manuscript Found, Hebrews for The Book of Mormon)
- Descriptions of Christian-like religion amongst the native Americans.
- Massive wars that destroy the native American populations.
However, having read both books the thematic similarities are only superficial.
As a book of fiction. I personally enjoyed Manuscript Found more than the Book of Mormon. It is rough. The book is almost broken into two separate stories. The story of the Romans coming to America and establishing themselves. Then changes to the story about the Native Americans and their war. The story ends very abruptly at the tale end of a massive war. The book is either incomplete or was intended to be multiple books.
There are too many characters introduced without any back story they are just there for one important battle then that is it. A few of the characters are better developed. The two lovers and the evil king. The book has some very racist comments, about the Native Americans, that were likely common when it was written but don't sit well today.
With some editing and lots of cleanup, it is possible this could have been a good book. As it stands a draft of an unpublished book. It is not a good story or book. Having now read the book I think it very unlikely Spaulding's work was used for The Book of Mormon. Spaulding's writing was not filled with "and it came to pass" on every other page.
What I do think is that it shows a general idea that was in the area. That the ideas in The Book of Mormon are likely in part a product of the time a place it was written.
I enjoyed the story and kinda wish it were completed. Still, I would not recommend reading this book unless you are interested in Mormon history.
April 16, 2010
This book was interesting because of it's basic premise, which is that an ancient Roman galley is cast away on the coast of North America. The story line is a little uneven and wanders off from the initial premise, leading the reader to two ancient North American civilizations. There the story sort of breaks down into a kind of Romeo and Juliet romance of two young lovers from warring tribes. As a woman reader, I would have liked the author to have focused more on the young lovers, but he chose (as a man might do) to go into great detail about the warfare between the tribes. I found the detail and the many strange tribal names of all the leaders and heroes to be confusing and just a little too much for the length of the work. However, this is a manuscript and not a full length book after all. Maybe the author would have rewritten and refined his work eventually. Over all, it was interesting to think this manuscript was found in a drawer so long ago, and we can read it today. Like a little window on the past.
June 15, 2014
OK - so I skimmed some parts, but very funny that this was the original thesis in the 1800s at the time of Joseph Smith for his original source material for the Book of Mormon. The storyline isn't even close to the BoM. View of the Hebrews by Ethan Smith would be closer to the mark but even that thesis has its flaws (see discussion here: http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Morm...), and wasn't put forward until well after Joseph died.
November 20, 2014
Funny that people think Joseph Smith ripped this off to make the Book of Mormon. They aren't similar in any of the ways that matter. Yes it's about people that came over seas to America and two peoples against each other... But that's nearly where the similarities stop.
On its own... This is a particularly ridiculous story written by ignorance in a time full of ignorance.
Btw - I am neither endorsing or opposing any religious... Anything by this review.
On its own... This is a particularly ridiculous story written by ignorance in a time full of ignorance.
Btw - I am neither endorsing or opposing any religious... Anything by this review.
April 14, 2008
Interesting read. It's the Spaulding Manuscripts, which some people claim where the basis Joseph Smith used to write the Book of Mormon. After reading it, I can comfortably dismiss that theory (not that I was ever convinced of its potential).
October 15, 2008
Includes references to horses, elephants and iron working in North America like BOM but not enough similarities to make me put any weight to the idea that it was used as a source for the BOM.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews