217

The Evening and the Morning Star, reprint of the first 14 issues printed in Independence.

[Independence, MO]: [Church of Christ], circa 1913
[112] pages. 4to, 12½ x 9¾ inches, contemporary cloth-backed stiff marbled wrappers, staple-bound, moderate wear, short tape repair; cello tape repairs to front flyleaf, tiny ink stain in upper corner, minor foxing and wear, long closed tear to final leaf of issue 11, minor dampstaining toward rear; early ownership inscription from Weston, Ontario on front flyleaf, signature of Joseph Fredrick Smith on inner wrapper, with his long inscription on front flyleaf.

  • Notes: Third edition. "The Evening and the Morning Star" was the first Mormon newspaper, launched in Independence, MO in June 1832. It was also the second official surviving Mormon publication. 14 issues were produced in Independence before the printing press was destroyed by a large mob in July 1833. The paper was revived in Kirtland, OH with ten more issues from December 1833 to September 1834. (Crawley 3). The newspaper was the first printed appearance of many Joseph Smith revelations which later appeared in the Book of Commandments. Because of the tremendous importance of its contents and its extreme rarity, a second edition was produced in Kirtland in 1835 and 1836 (Crawley 17), which in itself is a great rarity today. 

    The present third edition covers the 14 issues printed in Independence. Each leaf is clearly stated to be a reprint, but the place of printing is not named. This seems to be the edition described by Flake as published by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) in Independence, MO, one of the smaller denominations within the Latter-Day Saint movement. They launched their own newspaper titled "The Evening and Morning Star" in 18 volumes from 1900 to 1916, and reprinted these 1832-1833 issues serially from June 1911 onward (see the ad in their 1 July 1911 issue), later issuing the whole in a bound format circa 1913. 

    This copy was signed and inscribed in recent years by Joseph Fredrick Smith, an elder in the Church of Christ and great-grandson of the prophet Joseph Smith, who remains with us today at the age of 90.  

    Flake 3274 (lists 3 copies in libraries). 

    With--"A Book of Commandments for the Government of the Church of Christ." 127 pages. 8vo, original printed wrappers, minor wear, front joint tender; signed and inscribed by Joseph Fredrick Smith on verso of title page. [Independence, MO]: Church of Christ, circa 1930 (see statement by Melvina Ritchison and Daniel MacGregor on verso of the title page). Flake 2859.

    Provenance: collection of Larry Faria.
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