The Deseret Second Alphabet Reader – Brigham Young – 1868 | First Edition, Deseret Text

Beginning in 1847, Brigham Young and the Church of Latter-Day Saints developed a curious, English-like phoneme language. It was originally intended to more accurately sound out the English language than the more traditional Latin letters with hopes of being able to teach immigrants to speak English. This language, which came to be known as Deseret, was never fully embraced by most of America and the books and newspapers printed in Deseret are now extremely rare.

Only four books were published in the new Deseret alphabet: The First Deseret Alphabet Reader, The Second Deseret Alphabet Reader, The Book of Mormon, and a Book of Mormon excerpt. This 1868 printing of ‘The Deseret Alphabet’ was to be used in schools in Utah for teaching the 38-character phonetic Deseret alphabet and is printed entirely in Deseret except for the English equivalency pronunciation guide.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Deseret Second Alphabet Reader
• Author(s): Brigham Young
• Publisher: [Salt Lake City]: [Deseret University]
• Edition: First edition, 1868
• Format: Duodecimo (12mo), single volume
• Binding: Hardcover, cloth spine, illustrated front cover
• Size: 7.5 in x 5 in (19 cm x 12.5 cm)
• Collation: 72 pp
• Illustrations: 13 vignette illustrations
• Contents Include:
  • Instructional Deseret alphabet texts
  • Pronunciation equivalents in English
  • Reading exercises and accompanying pictures
• Provenance: Handwritten inscription: “To E.H.G, March 12 1943, My sentiments are expressed on page 60.”
• Reference(s): Flake & Draper 2818

Condition:

Very Good. The cloth binding is solid with light rubbing along edges and minor insect damage. The spine shows small areas of wear at the tips. Inner hinges show minor separation, but hold secure. The cover illustration remains clear. Pages are complete, with even toning and clean margins throughout. The illustrations are present and unmarked.

Why Collect This?

• Printed entirely in Deseret, an experimental phonetic alphabet
• Issued under Brigham Young’s leadership
• Includes illustrations uncommon in similar Mormon readers
• Produced by Deseret University, Salt Lake City
• Suitable for collectors of Mormon print history and 19th-century American education

Item Number: # 28825