Overheard: Elder Nelson's book a pearl

I like hanging out with LDS booksellers. They're full of more juicy tidbits and trivia than Ken Jennings.Just this week I was chatting with Curt Bench of Benchmark Books when he told me about a book that many consider the finest LDS personal history every written — a book only a handful of Mormons have ever read. It's called "From Heart to Heart," and it was written by Elder Russell M. Nelson back in 1979. Some old elders of our tribe actually remember seeing the book on the shelves of Deseret Book.If you do come across a copy of it these days, however, prepare to get out your Visa. Only a couple of hundred copies were printed and the going price for the book today — if you can find one — is between $400 and $600. A signed copy (and many were signed) would push that price even higher.And from what I've heard, the book just may be worth it. The word is it's a pearl — a gem of great price."It was privately published," says Bench, "and as far back as I can remember we've had a steady demand for it. Not every general authority writes an autobiography, especially one so personal."Dennis B. Horne, an LDS author and book lover, ranks the book at No. 1 on his list of "Ten Best Mormon Biographies." Horne claims it is "simply the finest, most edifying read of its kind that I have ever had. Filled with genuine warmth, sincerity and enthusiasm, exuding faith on most every page, this book includes a number of priceless spiritual experiences."As for those "tidbits" I mentioned earlier, I have "heard" (I've never seen the book, either) that "From Heart to Heart" relates a vision or dream where President Harold B. Lee tells why his tenure as church president was cut short.I've "heard" that Elder Nelson tells of the physical trials of President Spencer W. Kimball with such tenderness the stories bring tears to your eyes. (President Kimball himself wrote the preface for the book.)And I've "heard" the detailed medical explanations of heart surgery are amazing, and the accounts of healings, miracles and other spiritual wonders are unforgettable.In the end, I have no idea why the book has never been reissued. It was written before Elder Nelson was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, so perhaps he has decided to let the book stand as a testimony for its time while he moves on to more pressing work.Then again, perhaps nobody has ever spoken to him about bringing it out again. (This being the 30th anniversary of the book, what better time?)Or perhaps the truth is that people — like me — simply don't know about it and have no idea what they're missing.I know about it now, however. And starting tomorrow I'll be looking for a copy — to borrow, of course, not to buy.