History of the Doctrine and Covenants exhibit

It’s that time of year again!  Our annual “History of Doctrine and Covenants” exhibit is on display now in L. Tom Perry Special Collections. This exhibit takes the viewer through the history of the Doctrine and Covenants, from handwritten manuscripts to being published in book form in 1835. Later editions with significant additions or deletions are also displayed, including the 1845 edition (added the section on the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in 1844), the 1879 edition (footnotes added by Orson Pratt and added Section 132 on plural marriage), and the 1921 edition (removed the Lectures on Faith, which had been there since 1835). Also shown is an 1835 letter from Oliver Cowdery to Newel K. Whitney regarding original copies of a revelation, and James E. Talmage’s journal where he documents revisions he was asked to make in 1921 as part of the Doctrine and Covenants Committee.

This exhibit will be on display in the Reading Room in Special Collections until the end of 2020. Come see this popular exhibit and learn more about this significant book of modern day scripture!

Note on restrictions due to COVID-19: Because this exhibit is in our Reading Room and we have to limit the amount of people in the room, visitors will only be allowed in one person at a time to view the exhibit.

NEW THIS YEAR! Knowing that many may not be able to see this exhibit in person for various reasons, we have created an online version of this exhibit: https://historyofdc.lib.byu.edu/. This includes additional content not found in the physical exhibit, including information about The Evening and Morning Star (1832) and the Book of Commandments (1833).