One critic of the Book of Mormon offered the following as evidence against its antiquity:
First published in 1830, with Smith's name given as 'author and proprietor' (Kieron Wood, The Latter Day Saints: A Christian Perspective on Mormonism [Dublin: Veritas, 1993], 13)
Without offering the historical background and/or the meaning of “author” and/or “proprietor” in Joseph Smith’s 19th century context, Wood deceives ignorant readers (the target audience of his booklet) into thinking the 1830 Book of Mormon “spilled the beans” on its true nature. However, careful researchers have commented that Joseph was forced to refer to himself as both author and proprietor due to the constraints of copyright. As one scholar recently noted:
Although the title page of the first edition of the Book of Mormon named Joseph Smith as its “AUTHOR AND PROPRIETOR,” this was done to meet copyright requirements. It is clear that Smith was not meant to be understood as the book’s author from the actual contents of the book, the way early church members understood the book, and the way church missionaries presented it to others. See An Act for the Encouragement of Learning by Securing Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of Such Copies during the Times Therein Mentioned [31 May 1790], Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America . . . , ed. Richard Peters, vol. 1 (Boson: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1845), 1st Cong., 2nd Sess., chap. 15, pp. 124-26; see also Nathaniel Hinckley Wadsworth, “Copyright Laws and the 1830 Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies 45, no. 3 (2006): 77-99. (Grant Hardy, “Textual Criticism and the Book of Mormon” in Foundational Texts of Mormonism: Examining Major Early Sources, eds. Mark Ashurst-McGee, Robin Scott Jensen, and Sharalyn D. Howcroft [New York: Oxford University Press, 2018], 37-73, here p. 40 n. 9)
Had Wood and other critics bothered to read the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon they would know that the 1830 Book of Mormon explicitly states that Joseph Smith was the translator of the plates. On pp. iii-iv, part of his preface to the text, Joseph Smith wrote:
As many false reports have been circulated respecting the following work, and also many unlawful measures taken by the evil designing persons to destroy me, and also the work, I would inform you that I translated, by the gift and power of God, and caused to be written, one hundred and sixteen pages, the which I took from the Book of Lehi, which was an account abridged from the plates of Lehi, by the hand of Mormon; which said account, some person or persons have stolen and kept from me, notwithstanding my utmost exertions to recover it again--and being commanded of the Lord that I should not translate the same over again, for Satan had put it into their hearts to tempt the Lord their God, by altering the words, that they did read contrary from that which I translated and caused to be written; and if I should bring forth the same words again, or, in other words, if I should translate the same over again, they would publish that which they had stolen, and Satan would stir up the hearts of this generation, that they might not receive this work: but behold, the Lord said unto me, I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing: therefore thou shalt translate from the plates of Nephi, until ye come to that which ye have translated, which ye have retained; and behold ye shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words. I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will shew unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the Devil. Wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, I have, through his grace and mercy, accomplished that which he hath commanded me respecting this thing. I would also inform you that the plates of which hath been spoken, were found in the township of Manchester, Ontario county, New-York.
In addition, the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses, while, for copyright reasons, having "Author and Proprietor," explicitly states that Joseph Smith was the translator of the work, too. In the Testimony of the Three Witnesses (p. 589) we read:
BE it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this works shall come, that we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, his brethren, and also of the people of Jared, which came from the tower, of which hath been spoken; and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety, that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seeen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shewn unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that and Angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true; and it is marvellous in our eyes: Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things.--And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgement seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
On p. 590, under the Testimony of the Eight Witnesses, we read:
BE it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that Joseph Smith, Jr. the Author and Proprietor of this work, has shewn unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated, we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record, with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shewn unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety, that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen: and we lie not, God bearing witness of it.
John H. Gilbert was the typesetter for the 1830 Book of Mormon. He, alongside a number of other people who knew the Smith family in the Palmyra/Manchester area was interviewed in 1880 by William H. and Edmund Kelley, two members of the RLDS Church. In William H. Kelley, "The Hill Cumorah, and the Book of Mormon," Saints' Herald, June 1, 1881, p. 164, we read the following:
“I did the whole of it myself, and helped to read the proof, too; there was no one who worked at that but myself. Did you ever see one of the first copies? I have one here that was never bound. Mr. Grandin, the printer, gave it to me. If you ever saw a Book of Mormon you will see that they changed it afterwards.”
They did! Well, let us see your copy; that is a good point. How is it changed now?
“I will show you,” (bringing out his copy).
“Here on the title page, it says,” (reading)
“’Joseph Smith, Jr., author and proprietor.’ Afterwards, in getting out other editions they left that out, and only claimed that Joseph Smith translated it.”
Well, did they claim anything else than that he was the translator when they brought the manuscript to you?
“On, no; they claimed that he was translating it by means of some instruments he got at the same time he did the plates and that the Lord helped him.” (A Documentary History of the Book of Mormon, comp. Larry E. Morris [New York: Oxford University Press, 2019], 141, emphasis added)
What Wood also conveniently ignored is that many of the early revelations, pre-dating the March 1830 publication of the first edition of the Book of Mormon, explicitly stated that Joseph Smith was the translator of the Book of Mormon, including this revelation from July 1828 (emphasis added):
And when thou deliveredst up that which God had given thee sight and power to translate, thou deliveredst up that which was sacred, into the hands of a wicked man, who has set at nought the counsels of God, and has broken the most sacred promises, which were made before God, and has depended upon his own judgement, and boasted in his own wisdom, and this is the reason that thou hast lost thy privileges for a season, for thou hast suffered the counsel of thy director to be trampled upon from the beginning. (1833 A Book of Commandments II:5)
Other revelations predating the publication of the 1830 Book of Mormon which explicitly state Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon include:
And now, behold, this shall you say unto him:--I the Lord am God, and I have given these things unto my servant Joseph, and I have commanded him that he should stand as a witness of these things, nevertheless I have caused him that he should enter into a covenant with me, that he should not show them except I command him, and he has no power over them except I grant it unto him; and he has a gift to translate the book, and I have commanded him that he shall pretend to no other gift, for I will grant him no other gift. (IV:2)
And if this be the case, behold I say unto you, Joseph, when thou hast translated a few more pages, thou shalt stop for a season, even until I command thee again: then thou mayest translate again. And except thou do this, behold thou shalt have no more gift, and I will take away the things which I have intrusted with thee. (IV:10)
Verily, verily I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things; did I not speak to your mind concerning the matter?--What greater witness can you have than from God? And now behold, you have received a witness, for if I have told you things which no man knoweth, have you not received a witness? And behold I grant unto you a gift if you desire of me, to translate even as my servant Joseph. (V:11)
Finally, it should be noted that in the 1837 edition of the Book of Mormon, when afforded the ability to do so at a copyright-level, Joseph Smith referred to himself as the “translator” (pp. v, 621).
For more, see:
Nathaniel Hinckley Wadsworth, Copyright Laws and the 1830 Book of Mormon
Miriam Smith and John W. Welch, Joseph Smith: "Author and Proprietor"
