Last week I visited the Crandall Printing Museum on Center Street in Provo, UT. This was my second time visiting the museum. The two hour tour covers the transmission of scriptures from their inception to the printing of the Book of Mormon in 1830. Despite the rehearsed jokes, the tour was actually very informative. The first time I went, I realized that the invention of the printing press was not really the invention that changed the world and brought Europe out of the dark ages. Printing and other similar processes were in use in China and other places long before Gutenberg came around. It was actually the invention of moveable type that made printing as we know it possible. With moveable type, an entire book could now be printed on one press, instead of engraving a page at a time. I was actually surprised that the Catholic Church allowed Gutenberg to print the Bible because the Church for many years before and after the printing press resisted new technology and new ideas. Looking back on in, this decision led to the significant decrease of the Church’s prominence, prosperity, and control.

In order for the restoration of the gospel to occur, several things had to happen, and in all of these events, the printing press played a central role. The renaissance and protestant reformation were the first movements that really brought Europe out of the dark ages and pave the way for the gospel. These movements were possible because of the spread of information and public access to scripture that the printing press made possible. Part of the reason Wycliffe, and to a lesser degree the Hussite movement, did not initiate the Protestant revolution is that information and ideas (especially abstract ideas) could not travel very easily. However, by Martin Luther’s time, the printing press was widespread enough to spread propaganda and to make the bible available to the common people, thus the beginning of the revolution is attributed to him. The Museum has a replica of Gutenberg’s press, with the first pages of genesis set in moveable type.

The next thing that needed to happen in order for the restoration to take place was to create a place with a certain degree of religious freedom, a place where the gospel can take hold and grow. The tour of the museum also covered Benjamin Franklin and his history in the printing industry, including the printing of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Constitution. While telling this story, I was able to see the Declaration of Independence set in moveable type on a replica press.

The final event necessary for the restoration to occur is the printing of the Book of Mormon. Most members of the LDS Church are familiar with its translation, but not many with its printing. In fact, the printing of this book was so important, the Lord counseled Martin Harris to mortgage his farm to the printer to insure the printing. The Crandall Museum has a room that is approximately the same size as the Grandin print shop in Palmyra New York, with a replica press and the first 8 pages of the Book of Mormon set in it.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in the Crandall museum and I recommend it to anyone interested.

Tags: Printing Book Of Mormon Gutenberg

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