A couple of days ago, we visited the Grandin Press Building in Palmyra, New York – the place where the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were printed.

It was fascinating to be walked through the remarkably complex process of producing a book in 1830.

The typesetting began in August 1829. Each tiny metal letter had to be selected by hand and carefully placed in position. The pages were then printed, folded, gathered, stitched and bound in calf leather. By the time the work was completed, the printing press had produced almost three million pages.

The total cost was $3,000 – a considerable sum at the time (over $110K today), all made possible through the sacrifice of Martin Harris, who mortgaged part of his farm to help pay for the printing.

Seven months later, The Book of Mormon was finally published in March 1830.

As we stood in the building and looked around the print shop, it was easy to imagine the noise of the machinery, the smell of the ink and the painstaking effort involved in producing each individual volume.

We also had the opportunity to see an original first-edition copy of the Book of Mormon. A few of us asked how much it is worth, respectfully the sister missionary replied: “It’s not about the price.”

Yet, impressive as that may be, the real value of the Book of Mormon has never been found in its age, its rarity or its price.

Its true worth is found in its pages.

I love reading, and I love books.

I have read the Book of Mormon many times and know of its true value. But during this Church history tour, as we have visited sacred places and reflected once again on the historical context and the many remarkable events that led to its publication, I have felt a renewed sense of awe and wonder.

The Book of Mormon did not simply appear.

Behind it were years of preparation, sacrifice, opposition, courage and faith. There were plates to be preserved, a record to be translated, witnesses to testify, funds to be raised and thousands of pages to be painstakingly printed.

And yet, somehow, it happened.

Today, millions of copies have been printed in languages across the world. But the invitation remains as personal as ever.

𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 – read it.

Open its pages. Study its teachings. Reflect on its witness of Jesus Christ. Pray sincerely and ask God whether it is true.

The Book of Mormon is more than an extraordinary historical artefact.

It is an invitation to come closer to the Saviour.

Perhaps the most important question is not how much an original copy may be worth today, but how much the words contained within it are worth to us.

“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true.” – Moroni 10:4