Book of the False Dawn

The Book of False Dawn is a subversive text during the Final Empire era written by Deluse Couvre. It is among those books Elend Venture leaves at the table at the first party Vin attends as Valette Renoux. It is disguised as a small black volume with the title Weather Patterns of the Northern Dominance with no title page or author.

Kelsier informs Vin that any Keeper can quote the entire thing, though most physical copies were thought destroyed. He marks it as "older" book which didn't outright encourage rebellion. The ministry never banned the book, hoping that its stuffiness would doom it to obscurity.

Quotes

“ When regarding the Final Empire in its entirety, one certain fact is unmistakable. For a nation ruled by a self-proclaimed divinity, the empire has experienced a frightening number of colossal leadership errors. Most of these have been successfully covered up, and can only be found in the metalminds of Feruchemists or on the pages of banned texts. However, one only need look to the near past to note such blunders as the Massacre at Devanex, the revision of the Deepness Doctrine, and the relocation of the Renates peoples.

The Lord Ruler does not age. That much, at least, is undeniable. This text, however, purports to prove that he is by no means infallible. During the days before the Ascension, mankind suffered chaos and uncertainty caused by an endless cycle of kings, emperors, and other monarchs. One would think that now, with a single, immortal governor, society would finally have an opportunity to find stability and enlightenment. It is the remarkable lack of either attribute in the Final Empire that is the Lord Ruler’s most grievous oversight.

”

— Book of False Dawn