in presenting volumes 1 and 2 of scrap book of mormon literature, the undersigned places within the reach of many of the saints a compilation of religious tracts that have been used and distributed by the elders of the church in the performance of their missionary labors throughout different nations of the earth. some of these tracts are used at present by the elders and have been instruments in the hands of the lord of bringing thousands to a knowledge of the faith. the same may be said concerning those that are not now used, and which are contained within the covers of these volumes, which were distributed by the elders who labored as missionaries in various parts of the earth from thirty to sixty years ago. a religious tract contains the condensed thoughts upon the fundamental principles of the gospel and the authors of many of these valuable documents, who were active in the missionary field more than half a century ago, are remembered among the brightest minds the church has produced, they have now passed behind the veil to receive eternal reward for their faithfulness. there are a few people in the church who have bound volumes of religious tracts, which they have gathered together from time to time and which they prize beyond the price of money. this can be said by the compiler of these volumes and the appreciation of the few volumes of religious pamphlets which he has gathered in many missionary fields, and had bound together, conveyed to him the thought that many of the saints would appreciate having within their reach such valuable volumes. there is scarcely a man in the church, who has performed missionary labors in his life, who will not find in these volumes something that will remind him of his missionary days, when canvassing from house to house distributing the word of god; and no doubt will bring back fond recollections of his missionary work. there are no better volumes than these for a family to have within the reach of their children, to enable them to make themselves acquainted with the fundamental doctrines of the restored gospel of our lord and savior. these documents will be invaluable to young men and ladies who are preparing themselves for future {4} missionary work. the seventies, whose special calling it is to carry the gospel abroad, will be benefited by perusing these pages. many of the saints, by studying them, will remember the days of their conversion to the gospel and will appreciate the manner in which they are now preserved for future generations. in reading these pamphlets one must understand that the church has been a system of growth and while we have not changed in any manner the originality of the tracts, the reader will note that in giving the statistics the church has had a wonderful growth since the first issuance of the pamphlets. it has been a labor of love upon the part of the compiler, who sincerely hopes to produce another volume at some future date that will make the compilation complete in every respect.

with a heart full of gratitude to god the eternal father for honoring me as he has done, in permitting me to take part in the spread of the gospel, and praying his blessings upon those who may read the pages of these volumes, i remain,

yours faithfully,

ben. e. rich.