The Pearl of Great Price began as a compilation of material published in the nineteenth century and later became part of the Church’s standard works. Its components are not one continuous book: the Book of Moses and Book of Abraham are presented as scripture; Joseph Smith—Matthew and Joseph Smith—History are extracts connected to Joseph Smith’s translation work and personal history; the Articles of Faith are doctrinal statements.
The title and present canonical arrangement are part of the collection’s later publication history. The Church’s introduction gives its own account of how the Pearl of Great Price was gathered and adopted. The reader should not project its current contents backward as if all five works appeared together in an ancient or early source.