Origin Story and Witnesses - Introductory Passages

The first thing I want to share is what are known as the introductory sections to the book. They talk about both the origins of the book and what's in it. Some of the account sounds downright implausible on first hearing for those unacquainted with it, which makes direct communication with God through prayer that much more important in determining what's true.

Joseph Smith, a young teenage farmboy in western New York (at the time, in 1823, a western frontier area) was visited by an angel named Moroni (pronounced mohr-oh-nigh: the same angel found at the top of many of our temple spires sounding a trumpet) who guided Joseph up to a hillside where gold plates with a record inscribed from an ancient civilization were hidden. The plates were deposited around 400 A.D. by Moroni while he was still living. He was the last survivor of his civilization. Over the course of four years, Joseph prepared to receive the plates, and ultimately received them and translated them into English by the power of God and with the help of a few different people. 

However, no one but Joseph was permitted to see the plates until after the translation was finished, when three men were shown the plates by Moroni, and eight other men were shown the plates by Joseph himself. These men signed their names to the fact that they had actually seen the plates, and never retracted these claims, even though some broke with the Church later in life.  

The title page was actually translated directly from the plates, and indicates that a key purpose of the book is "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations." There are a number of explanations talking about the different metal plates used and eventually brought together from different sources. The introduction contains the important quote from Joseph Smith that he told his associates that the Book of Mormon is "the most correct book on earth, and that a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." At the same time, these sections indicate that the Book of Mormon supports the Bible.

The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith is a very compelling account from Joseph Smith's own recollection (written in 1838). He explains that after he had translated those plates he was given permission to translate (some plates' translation is being reserved for a future time), he returned the plates to Moroni. 

You can find all these introductory passages at this link (everything above the link that reads "1 Nephi"): https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng