Rare Books of Mormon stolen

Two first-edition copies of the Book of Mormon were among a dozen rare books that could be worth more than $100,000 stolen from a Salt Lake City museum, authorities said. The theft at Pioneer Memorial Museum on Capitol Hill was discovered early Wednesday.

Investigators believe someone used a hammer to shatter a glass case where the books were stored, said Lt. Tony Garcia of the Utah Department of Public Safety. Stolen were 11 copies of the Book of Mormon, the central text of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a Tibetan wood printing block, Garcia said.

Two of the books were first editions published in 1830, the same year the church was founded by Joseph Smith, he said. Docents at the museum told police the value of the stolen items topped $100,000, Garcia said.