Richard Lyman Bushman is Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University and the author of many books, including Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling and Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction. He has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Charles Warren Center, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Huntington Library, the Shelby Cullom Davis Center, and the American Antiquarian Society. He co-founded and is chairman of the Board of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts.

In the tradition of his magisterial biography of Mormonism's founder, Richard Bushman's history of Joseph Smith's Gold Plates begins with two earnest questions: how do we make sense of our subject in the context of its time and place in history? And how does that nineteenth-century culture so marvelously elucidated ultimately fail to fully explain the enigma-in this case those baffling gold plates? We see here a virtuoso historian at work who is not afraid to share his wonder as much as his learning. That combination of historical command and intellectual humility makes Bushman a joy to read.

• Preface Acknowledgments 1. The Gold Plates Imaginary 2. Translator: Joseph Smith, 1823- 1829 3. Making Scripture: The Book of Mormon, 1830 4. Presence: Family and Friends, 1827- 1830 5. Rationalism: Apologists, Critics, and Imitators, 1832- 1860 6. Fascination: Fiction, Lore, and Psychology, 1860- 1910 7. Art: 1833- 2023 8. Instruction: 1893- 2023 119 9. Scientific Approaches: 1900- 2023 10. Global Perspectives Appendix A. The Composition of the Plates Appendix B. The Translation Debates Source Abbreviations Notes Index

Richard Lyman Bushman is Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University and the author of many books, including Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling and Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction. He has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Charles Warren Center, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Huntington Library, the Shelby Cullom Davis Center, and the American Antiquarian Society. He co-founded and is chairman of the Board of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts.

In the tradition of his magisterial biography of Mormonism's founder, Richard Bushman's history of Joseph Smith's Gold Plates begins with two earnest questions: how do we make sense of our subject in the context of its time and place in history? And how does that nineteenth-century culture so marvelously elucidated ultimately fail to fully explain the enigma-in this case those baffling gold plates? We see here a virtuoso historian at work who is not afraid to share his wonder as much as his learning. That combination of historical command and intellectual humility makes Bushman a joy to read.

• Preface Acknowledgments 1. The Gold Plates Imaginary 2. Translator: Joseph Smith, 1823- 1829 3. Making Scripture: The Book of Mormon, 1830 4. Presence: Family and Friends, 1827- 1830 5. Rationalism: Apologists, Critics, and Imitators, 1832- 1860 6. Fascination: Fiction, Lore, and Psychology, 1860- 1910 7. Art: 1833- 2023 8. Instruction: 1893- 2023 119 9. Scientific Approaches: 1900- 2023 10. Global Perspectives Appendix A. The Composition of the Plates Appendix B. The Translation Debates Source Abbreviations Notes Index

Richard Lyman Bushman is Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University and the author of many books, including Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling and Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction. He has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Charles Warren Center, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Huntington Library, the Shelby Cullom Davis Center, and the American Antiquarian Society. He co-founded and is chairman of the Board of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts.

In the tradition of his magisterial biography of Mormonism's founder, Richard Bushman's history of Joseph Smith's Gold Plates begins with two earnest questions: how do we make sense of our subject in the context of its time and place in history? And how does that nineteenth-century culture so marvelously elucidated ultimately fail to fully explain the enigma-in this case those baffling gold plates? We see here a virtuoso historian at work who is not afraid to share his wonder as much as his learning. That combination of historical command and intellectual humility makes Bushman a joy to read.

• Preface Acknowledgments 1. The Gold Plates Imaginary 2. Translator: Joseph Smith, 1823- 1829 3. Making Scripture: The Book of Mormon, 1830 4. Presence: Family and Friends, 1827- 1830 5. Rationalism: Apologists, Critics, and Imitators, 1832- 1860 6. Fascination: Fiction, Lore, and Psychology, 1860- 1910 7. Art: 1833- 2023 8. Instruction: 1893- 2023 119 9. Scientific Approaches: 1900- 2023 10. Global Perspectives Appendix A. The Composition of the Plates Appendix B. The Translation Debates Source Abbreviations Notes Index