The Front Matter
All those pages at the beginning of a book
—before the reading begins.

front matter  Pages at the front of a book, preceding the text, usually in the following order:

end papers
frontispiece
half-title, bastard title or fly title
title page
copyright page
dedication
preface or foreword
table of contents
list of illustrations
introduction
acknowledgments

As an author, you are only concerned with the last six items on the list, beginning with the dedication. Your publisher takes care of the first five items. Most books don't contain all of these items.

The front matter often has a numbering scheme different from the text, typically roman numerals.

end papers  Sheets pasted to the inner covers of a hard-cover book, front and back, joining the bound pages to the covers. One side of the sheet is pasted flat to the inside cover; the other is pasted to the bound pages only at the gutter edge, and is sometimes called the free end paper.

frontispiece  An illustration at the front of a book, usually facing the title page, sometimes separated by a vellum sheet.

half-title  (sometimes called bastard title or fly title) A page with only the title of the book, usually preceding the title page.

title page  A page near the front of the book, listing the title and subtitle of the book, the authors, editors, and contributors, the publisher or printer, and sometimes the place and date of publication. This information may be used by librarians for cataloguing.

copyright page  A page stating the owners of copyright in the book, and the ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Often also contains the publisher’s name and contact information, a liability disclaimer, a statement regarding trademarks, cataloguing information, and information regarding the number of printings. The printings information is often a code in the form: 9 8 7 6 5 4, where the last number is the current printing. Each time the book is printed, the book manufacturer simply cleans a number off the printing plate.

dedication  An inscription, often on a separate page near the front of a book, dedicating the work to a person, organization or cause.

preface  A preliminary statement or essay near the front of a book, explaining its scope, intention, or background, usually written by the author or editor.

foreword  A preface or an introductory note, as for a book, especially by a person other than the author; often an informal statement to the reader (often interchanged with preface).

(The terms preface and foreword are almost interchangeable. A book typically has one or the other. The introduction is a separate item, but there is no clearly defined difference in content among these three parts.)

table of contents

list of illustrations

introduction  A preliminary part of a book, often giving the reader necessary background information. A formal preliminary statement or guide to the book.

acknowledgments  Expressions of appreciation for assistance, encouragement, etc. in the preparation of a book, usually on a separate page or pages near the front of the book.

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