Posted June 17, 2009

I am a private collector with a $25 million library, archives, and museum holding 50,000 items. By 2009, I purchased 75 copies of the first edition Book of Mormon, 25 copies of the first Doctrine and Covenants, six copies of the first Mormon hymn book, and two copies of the Book of Commandments; as well as hundreds of other books printed before 1844. I have been buying rare Mormon books for nearly 30 years, have had the world’s largest private collection for over 18 years, and have been buying books on this Mormonism.com site for 13 years.

My collection strengths are the Joseph Smith family and Mormon origins, early Mormon gathering sites (New York, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan), the first Mormon temples (Kirtland and Nauvoo), Mormon scriptures and hymn books (1830-1871), Mormons in early news (1829-1856), the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Mormon presidential succession, (1844-1877), Mormons on the Great Lakes, graphic images of early Mormon scenes (1834-1904), early Mormon art (especially Sutcliffe Maudsley and David W. Rogers), and early Mormon b&w photography (1839-1939).

I am a responsible collector, paying generously and ethically for rare books, having them properly restored and conserved, and making my collection open to the public and viewable online. I am interested in faithfully preserving the cultural history of the early Mormons. This is my home page dedicated to the acquisition and conservation of rare Mormon books, art, artifacts, graphic images, and autograph documents—particularly high-end items, those valued at $5,000 and up, printed during the first 50 years of Mormonism (1829-1879). I created this site to discover more rarities with the help of people like you. Even though my collection has been featured in all of the principal Utah newspapers, referred to often by the Associated Press in articles appearing in 500 newspapers, and covered in USA Today, few people know how to find me. I am hoping that this site will help.

John Hajicek