A stolen first-edition of "The Book of Mormon was recovered on Tuesday in the DC area after being stolen from a suburban Arizona bookstore.

The suspect is Jay Linford, a publisher who had published a book by the owner of the bookstore where the book of spiritual texts was stolen. 

Reuters reports that agents "recovered the 1830 leather-bound volume, valued at $100,000 by its owner, bookstore proprietor Helen Schlie, inside the apartment in executing a search warrant, the statement said. Police said experts estimated the book's value at about $40,000."

The owner of the bookstore, Helen Schlie, was surprised to learn that she not only knew the thief but had trusted him as a publisher and close friend.  Schlie estimates that the book is worth $100,000 but police say the book is actually worth about $40,000. Schille told Reuters said, "this really, really hurts my heart. He's the age of my grandchildren. This is very sad for me."

Schlie has already sold parts of the book. It sparked controversy in 2005 when she started to sell framed pages out of the book for between $2,500 and $4,000 each.  Some people thought that ripping pages from the book was sacrilegious.  The Book of Mormon is the main tex for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was founded by Joseph Smith.

Of wanting to sell the rest of the book, Reuters reports that "her intention was to earn enough money to open an ice cream parlor that would generate revenue for Mormon youths to help pay for their missions and perhaps future education."