Book of Mormon: 1830 Edition (the ONLY Leather Bound replica; and the most accurate version sold)

"This is the best replica AND the only one leather-bound," states Steve Rasmussen, a book conservator and historian. "It's spot on - the Rolls Royce of 1830 replicas." He backs his assessment with years of repairing antique books, including a number of 1830 Book of Mormon originals, including one signed by Joseph Smith.***Utah book artisan Steve Blake concurs: "In my opinion, Stratford Books has produced the most accurate replica of the 1830 Book of Mormon in contemporary times, including the paper, ink, font, size, boards, cover, spine accuracy - everything." ***Rasmussen, an independent book restorer not part of this replica company, adds, "You would have to pay hundreds of dollars for a hand-made re-creation to get any closer to the original." ***The publisher? Highest quality replica company Stratford Books - in association with Grandin Artisans. ***What's the story behind this replica? To launch it, Stratford used a research team to "dissect" five 1830 originals, using a digital micrometer to measure all aspects of the book's manufacturing details, accurate to within 20/100,000th of an inch. From there the team sought out the most authentic materials. ***The pages of this and most replicas have been digitally reproduced at actual size and print quality from the first edition published at the E. B. Grandin Building in Palmyra, New York. But this replica takes it SEVERAL STEPS FURTHER: "It's the one that most accurately re-creates the fascinating CONSTRUCTION of the original First Edition," states Rasmussen. ***From restoring numerous 1830 Book of Mormon originals, Rasmussen points out 7 crucial features that ONLY this affordable replica has: (1.) LEATHER COVER - "This one comes closest to matching the original 1830 edition when it was published," he states. "Over the years, 1830 originals became darker with age, as we see them today." (At tremendous expense, each of the four Stratford Books' editions since 2005 have made improvements to the leather cover and binding of the previous editions, inadvertently turning them into collectibles. Some that once sold for under $39 now sell for over $400. [Search the internet to see.]) This new version however, at only $29.95, has the closest leather to the original 1830 edition. This is how it happened: In the spring of 2017 real bonded leather was custom-made in Italy to obtain the most accurate color yet produced of the original leather. (2.) CORRECTLY SEWN BINDING - "This is the only one sewn, plus it is glued for extra strength," according to Rasmussen. (3.) 16 PAGE "SIGNATURES" - "Only this version has genuine 16 page signatures (groups of pages), like the original 1830, while others use 32 page sections like all modern books." (4.) ALL TEXT CORRECTLY PLACED - "Not all replicas position all the text correctly on the pages, but this one does." (5.) CORRECT NUMBER OF "END SHEETS" (the blank sheets in front and back) - "This is the only replica with the correct number of end sheets. Today many original copies have less end sheets than others. But when they were published they all had the same number." Why the discrepancy? "Many readers in the 1800s tore out these blank pages for note-taking, letter-writing, and bookmarking, since paper was scarce." (6.) MOST ACCURATE SPINE ARTWORK - "This edition accurately replicates the spine of the original," he states. Noteworthy, "the size, spacing and thickness of letters and gold lines on the spine varied among copies of the 1830 edition. Nevertheless, this replica re-creates them according to most of the original copies I've seen. It also uses the correct shade of gold." (7.) MOST ACCURATE PAPER - "This replica comes closest to the correct pH, opacity, and thickness." In fact, it measures to within 1/300th of an inch for the entire 592 page text block! "It's also the most correct color for paper - a luscious cream." Rasmussen finishes his analysis: "Stratford's wood-based paper, with its fine, long fibers made from the Kraft process, comes closest to the original, cotton-based paper with its similar, albeit longer fibers - especially compared to the more often-used, 'groundwood' paper with its short fibers found in other replicas, and especially in newspapers. ('Groundwood' also has acid-producing lignan that turns it brittle and yellow with time.) "Kudos to Stratford for using the best type of paper for all its editions - building accuracy, strength, and durability into its replicas - and especially now for providing the most accurate thickness of any affordable replica!" ***The cost for this type of paper, stitching, binding, and cover far exceeds the average replica (or any average book). The retail price could be triple of what the publisher is charging, based on the cost of production. However, the publisher is committed to getting this remarkable work of history into as many hands as possible. *** Experience the First Edition as the early Mormon converts did - with this beautiful, accurate, leather bound replica from Grandin Artisans and Stratford Books! ** Some replicas may claim to use leather, but after testing, their covers show characteristics of plastic (simulated leather) - bubbling under high temperature.