Book of Mormon/Authorship theories/Spalding manuscript/CriticalSources

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Source(s) of the criticism

Sources which accept the Spalding manuscript theory:

  • A Little Talk, Between John Robinson and his Master about Mormonism, Shewing its Origin, Absurdity, and Impiety (Bedford: W. White, 1840), 1–8. off-site
  • “The Mormons,” Alton Telegraph (Alton, Illinois) 4, no. 22 (25 May 1839). off-site
  • “More About the Mormon Bible,” Alton Telegraph (Alton, Illinois) 4, no. 23 (1 June 1839). off-site
  • “Origin of Mormonism,” Atkinson’s Evening Post, and Philadelphia Saturday News (Philadelphia) 18 (25 May 1839). off-site
  • “The Book of Mormon and the Mormonites,” Athenaeum, Museum of Foreign Literature, Science and Art 42 (July 1841): 370–74. off-site
  • “The Mormons,” Auburn Journal and Advertiser (22 December 1841). off-site
  • “Mormon Trial,” Chardon Spectator and Geauga Gazette (12 April 1834). off-site
  • [Letter on Mormonism, 29 July 1841,] Christian Advocate and Journal (New York) 15, no. 52 (11 August 1841). off-site
  • [Letter on Mormonism, 26 July 1841,] Christian Advocate and Journal (New York) 15, no. 52 (11 August 1841). off-site
  • “The Mormon Bible,” Christian Register and Boston Observer (Boston, Massachusetts) 18, no. 970 (4 May 1839). off-site
  • C, “For the Register and Observer,” Christian Register and Boston Observer (Boston) 18, no. 971 (11 May 1839). off-site
  • “Mormonism (from the Scotsman),” The Christian Reformer; or, Unitarian Magazine and Review 8 (June 1841): 386. off-site
  • “The Mormon Book,” Michigan Sentinel (3 May 1834). off-site
  • MormonThink.com website (as of 22 April 2012). Page: http://mormonthink.com/witnessesweb.htm
  • “Mormonism,” New York Weekly Messenger and Young Men’s Advocate (29 April 1835). Reprinted from The Pioneer (Rock Springs, Illinois), March 1835. off-site
  • “History of Mormanism,” The Ohio Repository (Canton, Ohio) (1 September 1836). Reprinted from New York Commercial Advertiser, circa August 1836. off-site
    Does not attribute some work to Rigdon, who is said to be a convert only after the book's publication.
  • “To the Public,” Painesville Telegraph (Painesville, Ohio) (31 January 1834). off-site
  • “Mormonism—Its History,” Philadelphia Mirror (22 August 1836). off-site
  • “Origin of the Mormon Bible,” Trumpet and Universalist Magazine (Boston) (3 September 1836). off-site
  • “The Mormon Bible,” Trumpet and Universalist Magazine (Boston) 11, no. 48 (18 May 1839), n.p.. off-site
  • “The Mormon Mystery Developed,” Wayne Sentinel (Palmyra, New York) (20 December 1833). off-site [the earliest mention of this concept which FAIR has identified]
  • Origen Bachelor, Mormonism Exposed Internally and Externally (New York: Privately Published, 1838), 1. off-site
  • B. D., “Mormonism,” Peoria Register and North-Western Gazetteer (Peoria, Illinois) 3, no. 13 (29 June 1839). off-site
  • Alexander Badlam, “A Cunning Device Detected,” Quincy Whig (Quincy, Illinois) 2, no. 29 (16 November 1839). off-site
  • A[lexander] Campbell, “Mormonism Unveiled,” Millennial Harbinger (Bethany, Virginia) 6, no. 1 (January 1835): 44-45. off-site
    Campbell here abandons his earlier certainty that Joseph Smith alone was responsible for the Book of Mormon.
  • Alexander Campbell, “The Mormon Bible,” Millennial Harbinger 3, no. 6 (June 1839): 267–68. off-site
  • A.C.[Alexander Campbell], “Mistakes Touching the Book of Mormon,” Millennial Harbinger 1, no. 1 (January 1844): 37-38. off-site
  • Henry Caswall, The Prophet of the Nineteenth Century, or, the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the Mormons, or Latter-Day Saints : To Which Is Appended an Analysis of the Book of Mormon (London: Printed for J. G. F. & J. Rivington, 1843), 12–25. off-site
  • Rev. John A. Clark, Gleanings by the Way, (Philadelphia: W.J. and J.K. Simon; New York: Robert Carter, 1842), 246–254 off-site.
  • John A. Clark, “Gleanings by the Way. No. VII,” Episcopal Recorder (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 18, no. 25 (12 September 1840), ?. off-site }
  • John A. Clark, “Gleanings by the Way No. X,” Episcopal Recorder (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) (10 October 1840): 114-115. off-site
  • Clericus, “Mormonism,” Christian Register (Boston) 15, no. 52 (24 December 1836): 1. Reprinted from Hampshire Gazette, circa December 1836. (Cites Mormonism Unvailed). off-site
  • Craig Criddle, "Sidney Rigdon:Creating the Book of Mormon," e-paper, sidneyrigdon.com (originally published 8 October 2005; revised 15 Mar 2009), multiple.
  • “Mormonism,” Daily Morning Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) no. 64 (23 November 1842). off-site
  • D. Griffiths, Jun., Two Years’ Residence in the New Settlements of Ohio, North America: With Directions to Emigrants (London: Westley and Davis, 1835), 134–140. off-site
  • Father Brian Harrison, "The Wacky World of Joseph Smith: And the un-Christianity of Mormon Theology," Part 2 of 2 from a pamphlet published by the Australian Catholic Truth Society (no date given) http://archive.catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0305fea4.asp
  • Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, OH, 1834), 277–. (Affidavits examined) off-site.
  • James H. Hunt, Mormonism: Embracing the Origin, Rise and Progress of the Sect (St. Louis: Ustick and Davies, 1844), 34-35,83. off-site
  • J.A.H., “Origin of Mormonism,” Wayne County Whig (Lyons) 3, no. 51 (14 September 1842). off-site
  • Daniel P. Kidder, Mormonism and the Mormons (New York:Lane and Sandford, 1842), 35-49. off-site Full title
  • E. G. Lee, The Mormons, or Knavery Exposed (Frankford, Philadelphia: Webber & Fenimore, 1841), 2-3. off-site Full title
  • William Alexander Linn, The Story of the Mormons (New York: Macmillan, 1902), ??.
  • Richard Livesey, An Exposure of Mormonism, being a statement of facts relating to the self-styled “Latter day Saints,” and the Origin of the Book of Mormon (Preston: J. Livesey, 1838), 4–5. off-site
  • James M’Chesney, An Antidote To Mormonism, revised by G. J. Bennet (New York, NY: Burnett & Pollard, 1838), 18, 49. off-site Full title
  • W. J. Morrish, The Latter-day Saints and the Book of Mormon. A Few Words of Warning from a Minister to his Flock (Ledbury: J. Gibbs, 1840), 1-4.
  • George Peck, “Mormonism and the Mormons,” Methodist Quarterly Review (January 1843): 111–27. off-site
  • Philanthropist of Chester County, Mormonism Unmasked, Showed to be an Impious Imposture, and Mr. Bennett’s Reply Answered and Refuted (Philadelphia: T. K. & P. G. Collins, 1840), 7. off-site Response
  • Stenhouse, "Tell It All", 267.
  • John Storrs, “Mormonism,” Boston Recorder (Boston, Massachusetts) 24 (19 April 1839). off-site
  • La Roy Sunderland, “Mormonism,” Zion’s Watchman (New York) 3, no. 9 (3 March 1838): 34, citing Howe. off-site
  • Pomeroy Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Progress: of Mormonism.... (New York: D. Appleton, 1867), 111–128.
  • Amos H. Wickersham, An Examination of the Principles of Mormonism, as Developed in the Recent Discussion Between the Author and Elders Wharton & Appleby, With a Brief Statement of Facts in Regard to Said Discussion (Wilmington, DE: Allderidge, Jeandell, & Miles, 1843), 1-21. off-site Reply
  • Wilhelm Wyl, Mormon Portraits Volume First: Joseph Smith the Prophet, His Family and Friends (Salt Lake City: Tribune Printing and Publishing Co., 1886), 20, 118, 122–124, 238–243.

Previous LDS response(s)

  • Anon., "Caswall’s Prophet of the Nineteenth Century," Millennial Star 3 no. 12 (April 1843), 196. off-site
  • George J. Adams, A Few Plain Facts (Bedford: C. B. Merry, 1841), ii–16. Full title
  • W.I. Appleby, Mormonism Consistent! Truth Vindicated, and Falsehood Exposed and Refuted: Being A Reply to A. H. Wickersham (Wilmington DE: Porter & Nafe, 1843), 1–24.
  • John Hardy, Hypocrisy Exposed (Boston: Albert Morgan, 1842), 3-12 off-site Full title
  • John E. Page, “Mormonism Defended,” Morning Chronicle (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) (2 July 1842). off-site
  • John E. Page, “Mormonism, alias Truth,” Morning Chronicle (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) (8 July 1842). off-site
  • [Parley P. Pratt,] “Joe Smith and the Devil: A Dialogue,” The New York Herald (New York) 10, no. 236 (25 August 1844). off-site
  • Parley P. Pratt, "The Mormonites. To the Editor of the New Era [Reprinted from New Era (New York) (27 November 1839)," Times and Seasons 1 no. 3 (January 1840), 45-46. off-site GospeLink (requires subscrip.) off-site
  • Parley P. Pratt, A Reply to...“Complete Failure,”...and...“Mormonism Exposed,” (Manchester: W. R. Thomas, 1840), 1-9. off-site Full title
  • Parley P. Pratt, "Reply to the Athenæum: Being An Exposition of the Ignorance and Folly of men Who Oppose the Truth," Millennial Star 2 no. 1 (May 1841), 1-5. off-site
  • John Taylor, Calumny Refuted and the Truth Defended (Liverpool: J. Tompkins, 1840), 1–12. Full title
  • E. Snow and Benjamin Winchester, "An Address to the Citizens of Salem (Mass.) And Vicinity," Times and Seasons 2 no. 24 (1 October 1841), 574-76. off-site GospeLink (requires subscrip.) off-site
  • B[enjamin] Winchester, The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Concerning the Manuscript Found (Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilpert, 1840), 1-16, 20-21 off-site

Claimed the existence of a second Spalding manuscript when the first theory failed:

  • George B. Arbaugh, Revelation in Mormonism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1932), ?.
  • Howard A. Davis, Wayne L. Cowdrey, and Walter Martin, Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? (Santa Ana, Ca.: Vision House Publishers, 1977), 1–. Analysis
  • Wayne L. Cowdrey, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick, Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma. (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005), 1–. Analysis
  • Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (Revised) (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1997), 213, n15-16. ( Index of claims )
  • William S. West, A Few Interesting Facts, Respecting the Rise Progress and Pretensions of the Mormons (1837), 15-16. off-site
  • S. Williams, Mormonism Exposed (1838), 1-2. off-site (citing Mormonism Unvailed)