The Prophet and the Plates is a collection of letters from Oliver Cowdery to W. W. Phelps for publication in the Latter-day Saint newspaper The Messenger and Advocate. They include Oliver's recollections of events related to the restoration of the gospel and the translation of the Book of Mormon, and they constitute the earliest printed account of the birth of Mormonism. A fascinating account from the premier eyewitness of Latter-day Saint history.