1898. Smith, a missionary in the field, has felt the need of a small, plainly written work, a simple statement of facts as to what the Book of Mormon really is, and a plain presentation of the Scriptural evidences in favor of its divine origin. A work that could be sold at a price sufficiently low to bring it within the reach of all, written in language so simple as to bring it within the comprehension of all, brief enough to meet the demands of the busy age in which we live, and yet comprehensive enough to give an intelligent Scriptural answer to the question, Why do you believe the Book of Mormon? That was his object for this text.