Bringing Timeless Truth and Meaningful Books to Today's Readers
At LDS Publishing, our mission is to publish books that strengthen understanding, encourage faith, inspire thought, and provide meaningful reading experiences.
Our catalog includes both modern-English editions of scripture and classic Latter-day Saint literature and original books written for today's readers.
Whether we are making an important historic work easier to understand or publishing something entirely new, our goal is the same: to produce carefully prepared, professionally presented books that inform, inspire, and uplift.
Why We Use Modern English
The truths of the restored gospel are timeless, but language changes. Older English, unfamiliar expressions, and complex sentence structures can sometimes make scripture and historic religious writings difficult for modern readers to understand.
Our modern-English editions are designed to remove those language barriers while preserving the original meaning, doctrine, and spirit of the text.
One principle that guides our work is expressed in 2 Nephi 31:3:
Original wording:
"For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding."
— 2 Nephi 31:3
Our modern-English rendering:
"My soul delights in plainness, because this is how the Lord God works with people. The Lord God gives light to their understanding, and he speaks to people in their own language, so they can understand."
— 2 Nephi 31:3
A similar principle is expressed in Doctrine and Covenants 1:24:
Original wording:
"Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding."
— Doctrine and Covenants 1:24
Our modern-English rendering:
"I am God, and I have spoken. These commandments come from me. I gave them to my servants in their weakness and in language they could understand, so they could learn and gain understanding."
— Doctrine and Covenants 1:24
These passages reflect the purpose of our modern-English editions: greater clarity without changing the essential message.
Our purpose is not to change doctrine, introduce new meaning, or reinterpret scripture according to modern opinions. It is to present the original message in clear, natural language that today's readers can understand more easily.
Our Publishing Approach
Every modern-English edition is prepared with care and respect for its source material. We seek to:
Preserve the original meaning and doctrine.
Use clear, natural, contemporary English.
Replace archaic words and outdated expressions.
Improve readability without unnecessarily adding or removing ideas.
Maintain a respectful and reverent tone.
Preserve established book, chapter, and verse organization when appropriate.
Provide helpful introductions, headings, commentary, or other reader aids when included in a particular edition.
Our modern-English editions are intended to make important religious works more accessible to youth, families, new converts, readers learning English, and anyone seeking a clearer understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Original Books for Today's Readers
LDS Publishing also publishes original books created for modern readers.
Our original titles may explore faith, scripture, Christian living, Latter-day Saint history and culture, personal growth, education, commentary, inspiration, and clean, wholesome storytelling.
Each original publication is developed as its own work. We seek books that are engaging, thoughtful, worthwhile, and consistent with the standards readers expect from LDS Publishing.
What We Publish
Our growing catalog may include:
Modern-English editions of Latter-day Saint scripture
Modern-English editions of classic religious books
Historic Latter-day Saint writings and public-domain works
Original religious and inspirational books
Scripture commentaries and study resources
Latter-day Saint history and educational works
Original fiction and wholesome literature
Children's books, picture books, and coloring books
Every LDS Publishing title shares a common goal: to give readers something meaningful and worthwhile to read.
An Independent Publisher
LDS Publishing is an independent publishing company and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Our publications are independently produced. References to the Church, its scriptures, teachings, or history are included for educational, literary, historical, or religious purposes and do not imply official Church approval or endorsement.
Our Commitment to Readers
We are committed to producing books that are clear, readable, thoughtful, carefully edited, professionally presented, and meaningful.
We believe books can preserve truth, explain difficult ideas, strengthen faith, tell memorable stories, and connect generations.
Our hope is that every book bearing the LDS Publishing name helps readers discover something worth understanding, remembering, and sharing.