The Church Educational System released a new Eternal Marriage manual this spring and plans to publish an expanded Book of Mormon manual next year.

The Curriculum Department of CES produces several manuals for use by instructors and students.

The new Eternal Marriage student manual contains quotes about dating and marriage from current General Authorities.

The manual was extremely popular, said Cynthia Sollis, a staff assistant for the CES Materials Resource Service.

The original printing of 15,000 copies sold out within three months and a reprint of 9,000 additional copies was ordered in June, she said.

An updated version of the Book of Mormon student manual is also in the works. The manual is scheduled for release by Fall 2003.

Brent Farley, Manager of College Curriculum for CES, said the manual would contain 300 pages, an increase from the 184 pages in the current manual.

"Many instructors and students felt that it had been reduced too much," Farley said.

The new manual will also include updated quotes from current General Authorities.

The existing Book of Mormon manual was released in 1996, Farley said.

He said CES also plans a Fall 2003 re-release of the Teachings of the Living Prophets Manual.

"That was necessitated because three Presidents of the Church were not addressed (in the current manual)," Farley said.

CES prints manuals for a worldwide audience in dozens of languages.

The Book of Mormon student manual is printed in more languages than any other CES manual, Sollis said.

She said those looking for CES manuals in other languages may find it difficult to get them along the Wasatch Front.

Because the manuals are printed all over the world, the cost of shipping them to the United States limits their availability, she said.

Spanish and Portuguese translations are more widely available here than other languages.

In addition to college-level Institute manuals, CES also publishes simpler seminary manuals for each of the standard works, she said.

"They are designed so that if you were going through them at home, you could do it without a trained teacher," Sollis said.

She said seminary students throughout the world use the manuals in released-time, early-morning, and home-study seminary programs.

Julianne Brooks, Religious Books buyer for the BYU Bookstore, said CES manuals sell well, especially during the conference season.

"Our sales are increased significantly during the month of August," she said.

The Bookstore increases orders for CES manuals to compensate for bigger crowds during conferences.

Brooks said this year the store will stock more copies of the Doctrine and Covenants manual, since it is the course of study for seminary this year.

Copyright Brigham Young University 12 Aug 2002