Do you know what the different parts of a book are called? Do you know your recto from your verso? Foreword or preface?
Read on for quick definitions of some publishing jargon and a breakdown of the main parts of a book.
When I first started indexing and proofreading, I had to learn a lot of new terminology. I have gathered up some terms here and have given a quick definition of each.
A book is made up of the front matter, the main body of the text and the back matter.
Front matter or Prelims
The front matter or prelims (short for preliminary pages) is the first section of a book. In most non-fiction books this can include the title page(s), foreword, preface, table of contents and acknowledgements. The pages can be numbered using roman numerals and are not usually indexed
Foreword
The foreword is an introduction to a book which is written by a famous person or an expert in the book’s field. It is not written by the author or the editor.
Preface
The preface is a short introduction to the book written by the author.
Acknowledgements
The author recognises and thanks everyone who helped with the book in the acknowledgements.
Table of contents
The table of contents or can be named contents lists the chapter numbers, chapter names and their starting page numbers in numerical order.
End matter or back matter
The endmatter or backmatter is the last section of a book after the main text or body of the book. It contains appendices, endnotes, glossary, references and index. Some material in the endmatter such as appendices/endnotes and glossary can be included in the index. The references are not indexed.
Appendices
The appendix or appendices contain supplementary or additional information which is not included in the main text.
References or bibliography
This is a list of resources used to write the book which can include books, journal articles and websites. Sometimes the references are at the end of each chapter instead of at the end of the book.
Glossary
A glossary of terms explains words or phrases which are difficult, technical or foreign that appear in the book. The glossary is arranged in alphabetical order and can be included in the index.
Index
The index is an alphabetical list of the names of people, places, things and themes found in the book along with their page numbers.
Included below are pairs of similar terms and the differences between them.
Endnotes
Endnotes are references or comments inserted at the end of a book. They are indicated with superscript numbers at the end of the sentence or above the word in the text.
Footnotes
Footnotes contain citations or additional information about a topic. They are indicated with superscript numbers with the corresponding number at the bottom of the page.
Endnotes and footnotes can be indexed if they contain additional information which is not found in the text.
Recto
Recto pages are the right-hand pages of a book and usually have odd page numbers.
Verso
Verso pages are the left-hand pages of a book and usually have even page numbers.
Acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation made up of the initial letters of a phrase and is pronounced as a word (e.g., NASA for National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Abbreviations
Abbreviations are shortened forms of a written word or phrase (e.g., EU for European Union) and is not pronounced as a word.
For anyone writing a book which needs a proofread or an index, hire a professional from AFEPI (Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders & Indexers of Ireland) , the Society of Indexers, or CIEP (Charter Institute of Editing and Proofreading) to lighten your load!