Until this week.

The Salt Lake County mayor fielded requests from rare-LDS-book buyers fawning over Joseph Smith or inquiring about Fawn Brodie first editions.

"They usually ask for a certain book," Corroon said Wednesday, "something about the prophet. I say, 'I'd love to help you, but this isn't the bookstore.' ''

Turns out, MediaOne of Utah - formerly the Newspaper Agency Corp. - transposed two digits in the phone number in an ad for Benchmark Books, a Salt Lake City-based Mormon bookstore specializing in rare and out-of-print tomes.

This week, the 20-year-old small business placed its first ad with MediaOne. The notice ran in the Deseret Morning News' special insert for this weekend's LDS general conference. Benchmark hoped to capitalize on conference crowds, said Chris Bench, the store's buyer.

Nice strategy but, boy, did it backfire. Benchmark's "phone" began ringing 12 blocks north, on Corroon's personal desk.

And while the county mayor has plenty of used volumes on canyon zoning ordinances and west-bench planning documents, he was hard-pressed to produce Missionary Diaries of David O. McKay or Multiply and Replenish: Mormon Essays on Sex and Family.

"Our first time using mass media was not as good as we hoped," Bench joked.

Still, both parties took it in stride. Corroon quickly called the store to explain the mix-up - switching 486 and 468 had happened before, he said - and the Benchmark owner reciprocated with an apology.

So while Corroon, a Catholic, couldn't expound on The Essential Orson Pratt or Sarah: The Fourth Wife - a Historical Novel of Real Love vs. Polygamy, he enjoyed chatting with potential new voters.

"They may not be of my political persuasion," the Democrat said. "But I've had nice conversations with my constituents - even if they aren't asking for me."

Bench says MediaOne - which handles advertising, production and circulation for The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret Morning News - has promised to run a correction.

And, if the bookstore runs into future problems with the county, Bench said Corroon told him: "You know how to get a hold of me now."

djensen@sltrib.com