The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition Paperback – Illustrated, November 14, 2005

I have read Mr. Hardy's edition of this book from start to finish. But unlike many herein, I will address my comments not to whether the book is "right or wrong," but to whether it is useful, provides new insights to life, and is well written.If you are going to read the Book of Mormon, this is the edition to read.Like the Old Testament, the Book of Mormon structure, language, "flash backs", etc, can be a challenge just to get through. Hardy has changed that simply by updating the way the words are presented. By using the exact same words buta) by putting them into a format more commonly used in our day and age,b) by starting and ending some chapters in a more logical place,c) by telling the reader in the difficult parts things such as "OK, now the next 10 chapters are a flashback in time" and then 10 chapters later "OK, that's the end of the flashback, now we're going back to our original story",d)and by other such things,Hardy makes the book much more readable and accessible. Which is probably why he named it "A Reader's Edition" as opposed to "An Analyst's Edition" that you really have to study, analyze and know a fair amount already just to finish the book.So, this is a very valuable contribution to the world of religion and moral values because now one can more easily just "read" the book and get the big picture of it as a whole.Again, if you are going to read the book, I'd suggest this edition.

Whether or not you believe in the Book of Mormon as holy scripture or just as a fascinating tidbit from American History, this is the edition to read and buy.From a logical point of view, this is just easier to read than the official double-column format edition that most LDS members choose to read. Paragraph format is less taxing on the eyes and your brain as you read. The double-column format breaks up your train-of-thought and makes it more difficult to concentrate.I like how the quotes and references to the Old Testament verses are put in a special "quote format" that helps you to understand when someone is quoting scripture or just speaking their own words. Some of the poetic verses are also put in a special "poem format" to help you understand that the writer is speaking poetically.If you want to be able to read the Book of Mormon in half the time it would normally take you, then buy this edition. I am serious, you can read almost twice as fast, and read longer without becoming fatigued. To an LDS member who has read this book dozens of times already, you will find that this edition helps keep the flow of thought going. Your mind will wander less.Why would anyone care if this is not the "official" standardized version, or the earliest text? It contains the same material, and any slight variations in the text are negligible. A period here, a comma there... come on people. It's the same book. Just get a version that helps you to get the most from your reading.

Our family really enjoys this book of the Book of Mormon. It reads so smoothly. The text is the same as scripture format, but because the format is structured like a novel, it's very clear and enjoyable. There's also plenty of room for taking notes of personal impressions. :D

This edition is amazing. I heard Grant Hardy interviewed by Laura Hales and was totally intrigued with the concept of a reader's edition. This is a game changer for me. Sections of the Book of Mormon had become distracting and my discipline waned as I forgot what I was reading. I love the paragraph form. I'm actually looking forward to reading Isaiah in poetry form. How can you beat that? I am so grateful people like Grant Hardy put so much scholarship, love and attention into detail that makes so much difference for me and probably hundreds of others who really want read or reread this beautiful book.Update: The format is every bit as helpful as I anticipated. If you are like me, and want to read the Book of Mormon and really understand the voices of the authors and why they did what they did or said what they said, this book is for you. I've always hesitated buying a book that seemed like a substitution for the Book of Mormon (I don't want a substitution as I love the B of M) but this simply is life changing for my old distractible brain. Thank you. Thank you Brother Hardy. Your book has lifted my ability to understand in a whole new way to whole new heights.

This book is so lovely, and if it were printed with space on the right margin (like to journal editions of the scriptures), then it would be perfect!

The traditional Book of Mormon text can be a little daunting to newcomers. This text uses the 1920 edition text (due to it being the most recent version in the public domain) and presents it in a much more readable format. This edition varies only slightly to the most current version (150 or so changes, a lot changing "exceeding" to "exceedingly"). Verses are combined into paragraphs for more continuous reading. Chapter headers are gone and instead split out into sub headings of the text as they come up. Additional insightful references and analyses are included, all while not rewording the actual text at all. One particularly interesting analysis is after Nephi quotes a large section of Isaiah (Isaiah chapters 2-14 and 2 Nephi 12-24) the remaining 9 chapters of 2 Nephi show in italics any direct quotes from those Isaiah chapters so you can see how Nephi wove together that large quotation and interpreted it and adapted it for his purposes. I highly recommend the Kindle version since this is a large book. Also check out the compiler's "Understanding the Book of Mormon" for a good analysis for those within and without the LDS religion. Hardy analyzes the book as just a work of literature (possibly true or possibly not), making a valuable interpretation for anyone who attempts to investigate the book.