For the twelve million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide (six million in the United States), The Book of Mormon is literally the word of God, a companion volume to the Bible that contains the everlasting gospel. With the faith now of one of the fastest-growing religions in the country, Doubleday is proud to publish this first official trade edition of The Book of Mormon by special arrangement with the Church. According to Mormon belief, The Book of Mormon was inscribed on golden plates by generations of prophets, quoted and abridged by the prophet-historian Mormon, and buried in the ground by Mormon s son, Moroni. Fourteen centuries later, in 1823, the angel Moroni led Joseph Smith to the plates hidden in a hillside in upstate New York. Smith translated the ancient language into English through divine revelation. The Book of Mormon narrates the historical, religious, political, and military events that shaped and continue to inform the Church s teachings. The publication of this edition offers the opportunity to explore one of the largest denominations in America today.