Franklin D. RichardsÑan apostle for only two yearsÑwas serving as president of the British Mission for the second time when he determined to compile a Òlittle collection of precious truthsÓ for the use of church members. Over the period of several months, Richards collected materials and published a pamphlet he called The Pearl of Great Price.
Twenty-five years later, Richards began work on a second edition. Completed with the help of Orson Pratt, the revised work was published in 1878 and canonized two years later.