First Dutch edition. This translation of the Book of Mormon was done by J.W.F. Volker, a Dutchman who had spent four years in America and returned to the Netherlands as missionary. His most most important contribution to the Dutch mission was his translation of the Book of Mormon. Volker started translating on June 30, 1886 and had finished the work June 4, 1887. ‘This achievement was remarkable, because President Volker had only four years experience in the English language. Later he told his son J. Henry Volker ... that he knew himself supported by God, without whose help he could not accomplish this work'. It was then published by order of Volker's successor in the Netherlands elder Francis A. Brown, who contracted a certain Mr. J. Bremer to print two thousand copies. ‘Copies of this first edition were placed in stores throughout the country. Brown sent a beautiful gilded copy to the King and asked him to give it to Queen Emma. The Dutch Book of Mormon was the tenth in a foreign language translation.' An earlier translation by Paul A. Schettler, the first missionary to the Netherlands, was made already in 1862 but was never published and probably got lost. *The history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Netherlands and Flanders. NCC records 6 copies in the Netherlands, WorldCat adds one copy in the US (Huntington) and one in Germany (Marburg). |
