Book Description
The Book of Mormon Reference Companion brings together, all under one cover, more than 900 entries addressing 1500 Book of Mormon topics, including people, places, words, phrases, doctrines, purposes, themes, historical background, Isaiah chapter reviews, books of the Book of Mormon, and general topics of interest. Never before has a reference work of this scope been created to help both the experienced reader and the investigator or new convert understand this important book of scripture. It is like having a teacher beside you as you read and study. Maps, illustrations, photographs, pictures, outlines, and charts combine with the informative articles to enhance understanding and help parents, teachers, and leaders share the message of the Book of Mormon with their families and students. A must-have reference book for every Latter-day Saint library!

From the Publisher
In my work as an editor, I often need to consult a Bible dictionary to refresh my memory about a point of doctrine, the meaning of an obscure term, or some other bit of information. I've often wished over the years that we had such a book about the Book of Mormon--a volume I could go to that would have information on just about everything I could possibly want to know about that book of scripture, all in one place. I didn't think it was really possible, of course--what a monumental undertaking that would be. But it has been done! Never, in more than twenty- five years of working in LDS publishing, have I encountered a book like the Book of Mormon Reference Companion. This astonishing project, the work of 111 respected scholars, has hundreds and hundreds of entries on topics from "Israel, Historical Background of" to "Archeantus" (do you know who he is?) to "Priesthood among the Nephites" to "Tree of Life" to "Samuel the Lamanite" to "Zarahemla, Land of and City of." It discusses people, places, doctrines, definitions of terms, and other items of interest such as a four- page chart showing Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon. There are outlines of each of the books in the Book of Mormon, and a full discussion of each of the Isaiah chapters. There are even nearly 30 entries just about the Book of Mormon itself, from "Book of Mormon, ancient Near Eastern roots of" to "Book of Mormon, what it says about the Bible." Besides all this, the book boasts color photographs and illustrations throughout! This is so neat! For example, imagine how it enhances our understanding of Jacob's allegory of the olive tree to see photographs of several different olive trees, some with grafted branches. I love this attention to detail that can make our experience with the Book of Mormon so much more rich. Just as you don't have to be a scholar to use a dictionary, you don't need to be a Book of Mormon "expert" to appreciate and enjoy this great reference book. It is an absolute staple for anyone who wants to study and understand the Book of Mormon better than ever before! Emily Watts Deseret Book Company

From the Inside Flap
For many years, Bible dictionaries have been written and published to assist readers in better understanding the scriptures. As helpful as those works are, Latter-day Saints have often wished for an encyclopedic dictionary devtored entirely to the Book of Mormon. Now, with the publication of the Book of Mormon Reference Companion, that work is at last available. This magnificent volume addresses more than 1,500 topics on the Book of Mormon: people, places, words, phrases, doctrines, purposes, themes, historical background, and much more – all conveniently collected under one cover. In addition, it contains numerous maps, illustrations, outlines, and photographs to enhance your study of the foundational scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The entries have been prepared by some of the finest scholars in the Church – faculty members from Brigham Young University, researchers from the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), and educators from the Church Educational System. Contributors include Joseph L. Allen, Richard L. Anderson, Marilyn Arnold, Susan E. Black, Jack R. Christensen, Camille Fronk, C. Wilfred Griggs, Paul V. Johnson, Robert J. Norman, Monte S. Nyman, Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, Larry C. Porter, Stephen D. Ricks, Stephen E. Robinson, Andrew C. Skinner, Royal Skousen, M. Catherine Thomas, John W. Welch, and many others – 111 in all – making this a truly interdisciplinary and authoritative work that you will pick up again and again for reference and reading individually and with your family. The Book of Mormon Reference Companion includes – · Entries on the Book of Mormon from A to Z. · A split-column reference style. · Explanations and outlines of each Isaiah chapter in the Book of Mormon. · Concise explanations of topics followed by a more in-depth treatment. · An internal reference system to guide the reader to related articles. · An appendix containing significant statements by prophets, apostles, and other general authorities about the Book of Mormon; a study guide for teachers and students, with entries corresponding to typical Book of Mormon reading assignments; and definitions of selected words from Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. The Book of Mormon Reference Companion is the first work of its scope ever published on the Book of Mormon. If you desire to improve your understanding of the book of scripture that is a second witness of Jesus Christ, this volume will become an indispensable part of your gospel library.

About the Author
General Editor’s Bio Dennis L. Largey, professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, has taught classes on the Book of Mormon for more than two decades. He taught seminary in Arizona and religion at BYU-Hawaii before joining the Religious Education faculty at BYU in Provo, Utah, in 1985. Brother Largey has served The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a counselor in a stake presidency, as a member of a branch presidency at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, and as a bishop. He and his wife, Kristene Belnap Largey, are the parents of four children.

Excerpted from The Book of Mormon Reference Companion by Dennis L. Largey. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Eighteen months after becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I went on a mission to Ireland at the age of twenty-two. In the Salt Lake City mission home, just three days prior to my departure, it became apparent to me that I lacked a very important missionary tool. I knew through prayer that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, so I knew the Book of Mormon must be true. But the Book of Mormon had not been a part of my conversion, and I hadn’t read it. I realized that to be the missionary I desired to be, I needed to read the book and receive my own spiritual confirmation of its truth. Armed with such a testimony, I would be able to invite investigators of the Church to read and pray about it – if I had done it, they could do it. I started reading that day and finished my first reading about a month later. I knelt by my bed in Dublin, Ireland, and reported to the Lord that I had read the Book of Mormon and desired spiritual confirmation of its truthfulness. The Lord answered my prayers in a strong, clear, definite manner. I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon was true. I couldn’t wait to go out that afternoon and bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is exhibit A, so to speak, for the truth of the restoration of the gospel and the Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. A testimony of the Book of Mormon is inseparably linked to a testimony of Joseph Smith, the restoration of the true Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days, and the truth that living prophets walk the earth today. I am grateful for the opportunity that working on the Book of Mormon Reference Companion has given me to examine so many important Book of Mormon subjects and teachings. I know that the Book of Mormon is a true account of ancient peoples who lived in the Americas. The characters were real people: they lived, they died, and they left a true record of their times and teachings. The truth of the historicity of Book of Mormon accounts is attested to by witnesses who not only saw and handled the plates that Joseph Smith translated by the gift and power of God but who also saw the sword of Laban, the Liahona, and the Urim and Thummim, sacred objects spoken of in the book’s narrative and passed down through Nephite history. Above all else, the Book of Mormon is, as its subtitle declares, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. In an increasingly skeptical world, the Book of Mormon serves as a second witness of cherished biblical truths – Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, he taught the truth, he performed miracles, he suffered and died for the sins of the world, and he was resurrected on the third day. Jesus the Messiah is the literal son of God, he loves all people, and he lives today. As promised, Christ will come a second time, he will defeat Satan, and he will reign as Lord of Lords. In effect, to have a testimony of the Book of Mormon is to have a testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ and his redemptive mission. I know, as both the Bible and the Book of Mormon teach, that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, the Savior of the world, and that salvation comes only through him. I know, as one Book of Mormon prophet testified, "there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8). Jesus Christ is the central character of the Book of Mormon – the record is a testimony of him. Dennis L. Largey General Editor

FROM THE PUBLISHER