If you’re still Christmas shopping for loved ones, or looking for a new way to study “Come, Follow Me” next year, here are some top book recommendations. These first five selections are excellent companion volumes for the Book of Mormon. These are books that you can read alongside your Book of Mormon reading as a commentary.

1 Inspirations & Insights from the Book of Mormon by John W. Welch

This brand-new book from Covenant Communications compiles decades of Book of Mormon classes into one, approachable commentary for “Come, Follow Me.” John W. Welch, one of the preeminent Book of Mormon scholars of our generation, has been teaching The Book of Mormon in classes for years. In 2020, he compiled his years of lectures into a free commentary for the ScripturePlus app called John W. Welch Notes. Now, he has re-edited and abridged that version into a more reader-friendly book that is a perfect companion volume for those looking to ponder on the marvelous miracle of the Book of Mormon.

Inspirations & Insights from the Book of Mormon

2 The Annotated Book of Mormon by Grant Hardy

Oxford University Press published this volume as a sort of academic “study bible” for the Book of Mormon. In this volume, scholar Grant Hardy reformats the Book of Mormon text into paragraphs for easier reading, and includes many, many helpful annotations, or textual notes. These notes include explanations about the intricacies of the Book of Mormon narratives, the significance of certain episodes, theological insights, rhetorical patterns, and more. This volume also includes book introductions and general essays about specific topics.

The Annotated Book of Mormon

3 Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon by Brant Gardner

This is the largest and most comprehensive offering in our list. Brant Gardner’s five-volume commentary on the Book of Mormon is a tour de force in getting the most out of your Book of Mormon study. His commentary includes analysis of the literary features, the archaeology, the possible Mesoamerican background behind certain stories, the differences between manuscripts, and so much more. This commentary covers the most ground and is the place to go when you want a rigorous and thorough reference for the Book of Mormon.

That being said, it can be somewhat daunting to tackle a large commentary set like this (not to mention it can get expensive). If you would like to gain similar insights from Brant Gardner for FREE, he also wrote a commentary (Book of Mormon Minute) for the ScripturePlus app that is freely accessible through the mobile app, or through the free Scripture Central Library.

Second Witness Five Volume Commentary

Free Book of Mormon Minute Commentary

The Book of Mormon Study Guide by Thomas Valetta

This is an easy, all-in-one scripture study, because Thomas Valetta has published the text of the Book of Mormon, alongside helpful quotes and references to other works to inform your study of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon Study Guide

Knowing Why by Book of Mormon Central

This 2-volume set is a collection of short, 1-2 page articles on specific passages in the Book of Mormon. These volumes follow through the Book of Mormon chronologically and highlight nuggets of inspiration that come from looking more closely at the historical or literary setting of the Book of Mormon. If you would like to study these insights for free, Scripture Central has published all of these articles and more, we have over 700 KnoWhys freely available at the Book of Mormon Central website

Knowing Why volume

All 700 KnoWhys for Free