The following is a summary of the three divisions:
I. Direct translation from the Small Plates of Nephi, nine writers (of whom two write 149 of the 157 pages)...157 pages
II. Mormon's abridgment of the various books written upon the Large Plates of Nephi...390 1/2 pages
III. Mormon's personal account of events that occurred in this own day...14 1/2 pages
IV. Moroni's writings—completion of this father's record, abridgment of the Jaredite History, his own book, called the Book of Moroni...61 pages
Total...623 pages
The total number of writers in the Book of Mormon is eleven, of whom four do the principal part of the writing, these are the First Nephi, Jacob, Mormon and Moroni.
Of these four, Mormon does the major part. For purposes of reference I make the following summary:
Mormon writes...405 pages
Moroni...61 pages
Nephi...127 1/2 pages
Jacob...21 1/2 pages
The other seven writers...8 pages
Total...623 pages
Such is the Book of Mormon as to its construction—the number of its writers, and the style employed in the parts that are abridgments from the larger records of the Nephites and Jaredites. All this may now seem unimportant to the reader, but he will find when I come to the argument for the truth of the Book of Mormon, and the consideration of the objections urged against it, this analysis will become an important factor in that work.
Footnotes
[1]. One hundred and fifty-one in the first edition.
[2]. That is of the current editions of the book. The references in the analysis throughout are to current editions.
[3]. Mormon was born about the year 311 A. D., and was killed by the Lamanites after delivering his writings to his son Moroni, about 385 A. D.