CHAPTER 1
The parts of a book
1.1 General principles
A book usually consists of three sections: preliminary matter (also called prelims or front matter), the main text, and end matter. All books have some kind of prelims, all have a text, and most works of non-fiction have end matter. The prelims and end matter usually contain a number of items or sections, subject to a given order and to conventions that control their presentation.
In discussing the parts of a printed book the following terms are used:
The recto is regarded as the ‘more important’ of the two pages of a spread. The main text always begins on a recto, and in a book divided into parts (Part I, Part II, etc.) a new part begins on a fresh recto, even though the preceding page may be blank. The design of a book may require that a new chapter begin on a fresh recto. The main items or sections in the prelims customarily begin on a fresh recto.
Readers of ebooks and other nonprint materials are often able to adjust the display of text to their preferences, and consequently the concepts of double-page spreads, rectos, and versos are not as meaningful in digital contexts. Publishers and authors need to consider carefully how material that depends on highly designed spreads in print will transfer to nonprint publication.
1.2 Preliminary matter
1.2.1 Constituents
Preliminary matter is any material that precedes the main text of the book. Preliminary pages are usually numbered with lower-case Roman numerals (rather than Arabic numerals) so that any late changes to the content or extent of the prelims will not affect the pagination of the main text. Page numbers (called folios) are not shown on every page of the prelims, though every page has its number (see also 1.5.1).
Prelims will always include some, and may include all, of the following items or sections, usually (but not always) in this order:
Some but not all of these sections have headings in print, which are usually set to the same design as chapter headings. To facilitate navigation, digital or online versions may differ from print in having items in a different order (moving copyright information to the back, for example), or may include headings such as Dedication that don’t traditionally appear in print.
Besides prelims and end matter, a hardback (or case-bound) book may have endpapers at both ends of the book, often of slightly stronger paper than the text; endpapers consist of a single sheet, half of it pasted to the inside of the case and half forming a flyleaf or blank page at the beginning or end of the book. Figures, maps, or other illustrations are sometimes printed on the endpapers; any that are essential should be repeated within the text, because endpapers may be obscured or removed altogether in library copies of the book or when it is published in paperback or as a digital edition.
1.2.2 Half-title
The half-title page is the first page (p. i) of the book (after a flyleaf, if any) and thus falls on a recto. It contains the main title, and only the main title, of the book (or the title of the volume if the work is in more than one volume).
Not all books now have a half-title, and it may sometimes be dispensed with as a space-saving measure (see 1.8).
1.2.3 Half-title verso
The verso of the half-title page (p. ii) is often blank, though it may carry announcements from the publisher such as a list of other books in the series to which the volume belongs, or a list of other works by the same author. Sometimes it will be given over to a frontispiece (see below). The half-title verso falls opposite the title page and may be incorporated into a special design for this important spread.
1.2.4 Frontispiece
A frontispiece is an illustration that, in print, faces the title page, an important position that is justified by the significance or representative content of the image. In a biography a frontispiece is usually a portrait of the subject, in a work of history it might be a map or a facsimile of a document, and so on.
If the book has integrated illustrations (see 16.1.1), the frontispiece is likely to be printed on text paper like all the other illustrations. If the book has plates, the frontispiece, like other pictures, will usually be printed on glossy art paper; in this case the frontispiece will appear on the verso of a single leaf tipped in (that is, inserted and pasted) between the half-title verso and the title page. Note that tipping-in is a costly process and is best avoided if possible.
Like any illustration, a frontispiece will generally be identified by a caption, which may be printed beneath the image or close by (at the foot of the title page verso, for example). The frontispiece is, exceptionally, listed on the contents page (see 1.2.11 below).
As a frontispiece may not always be reproduced in all subsequent editions of a book (a paperback edition, for example), the author should avoid referring to it in the text.
1.2.5 Title page
The title page (p. iii) presents at least the following details:
It may also include other, similar, information: for example a series title; the names of other people involved in the book’s preparation, such as a translator or an illustrator; the place of publication or the cities in which the publisher has offices; the publisher’s logo or colophon (device or emblem); and the date of publication.
The roles of people other than the author are defined by an introductory phrase, such as:
Selected and edited by
Translated by
With illustrations by
1.2.6 Title page verso
The title page verso (p. iv, also, variously, called the copyright, biblio, or imprint page) contains the essential printing and publication history of the work. It presents at least the following details:
Publisher’s imprint
The imprint consists of:
It may also include the names of associated companies or offices, and the cities in which they are located.
Date of publication
The date of publication is given on the title page verso, whether or not it appears on the title page. For the first edition of a work the date of publication is usually the same as the copyright date (see below).
Publishing history
The publishing history of the book includes:
An edition is a version of a book at its first publication and at every following publication for which more than minor changes are made: a book goes into a new edition when it is revised, enlarged, abridged, published in a new format, or published in a different binding. A new edition requires a new ISBN (see below).
A reprint or impression is a republication of a book for which no corrections or only minor corrections are made. The publishing history usually distinguishes between these two states, describing them as ‘reprinted’ and ‘reprinted with corrections’. The publishing history usually details the issuing of multiple reprints in a single year: Reprinted 2004 (twice).
Copyright line
To qualify for protection under the Universal Copyright Convention, and for reasons of best practice, copyright ownership in a work must be stated in a particular form, giving the copyright holder’s name and the year of first publication, preceded by the copyright symbol:
© Ann Jones 2014
A work may have multiple copyright holders, such as co-authors, an illustrator, a translator, or the contributor of an introduction; the rights of each of them must be separately stated.
Copyright may be held by the publisher rather than by the creator(s) of the work, who in this case will have assigned the rights permanently, rather than have licensed them to the publisher.
For guidelines on copyright see Chapter 20.
Copyright notice(s)
Many publishers include one or more copyright notices in their books, explicitly reserving certain rights in the work. Such notices relate to reproduction, electronic storage, transmission in other forms, and rebinding. An example may be seen on the title page verso of this book.
Assertion of moral rights
Under the UK’s Copyright Act 1988 certain ‘moral rights’ in the work are enjoyed by its creator. Of these the right of paternity (the right to be identified as the author of the work) does not exist unless the author has explicitly asserted it. The assertion of this right, or of the author’s moral rights in general, is recorded on the title page verso in a form such as:
The author’s moral rights have been asserted
For an explanation of moral rights see Chapter 20.2.4.
Cataloguing in publication (CIP) data
Some national libraries, notably the British Library and the Library of Congress, compile catalogue records of new books before their publication. Publishers may include such records in full on the title page verso of the book, or may simply note that they are available. CIP data may not be altered in any way, even if it contains errors, without the written permission of the issuing library.
The CIP data is usually the means of stating the ISBN (International Standard Book Number), because this number is essential to the catalogue record. If CIP data is not reproduced in full the ISBN must be included elsewhere on the title page verso. The ISBN uniquely identifies the book in the particular edition to which it is attached. A new ISBN is needed for every new edition of the book, including reissue in a different binding and ebook editions. Each volume of a multi-volume work usually has its own ISBN, as may the set as a whole, though in some cases (notably where the volumes are not separately available for sale) a single number may be used for the whole set. The previous ten-digit ISBNs were replaced by thirteen-digit ISBNs in 2007; during the transition period, both were included.
A serial publication, such as a journal, magazine, or yearbook, has an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number), which is the same for all issues of the work.
The CIP data will often be accompanied by an indication of what impression a particular book represents. This may be a single number, or a series of numbers, the lowest number of which is that of the current impression. So the following line denotes a second impression:
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Performing rights agencies
The public performance of dramatic and musical works is generally controlled on behalf of copyright holders by agents whom they empower to license performing rights. A clause stating that the right to perform the work is restricted, and giving the name and address of the agent to whom application must be made for permission to mount a performance, usually appears on the title page verso of printed plays and music.
Printer’s name and location
The printer’s name and location must be included on the title page verso.
Other information
The title page verso may present further information about the book as a publication. Typical elements include details of the design and production of the book, including the name and size of the typeface used and the name and location of the typesetting firm.
1.2.7 Dedication
The dedication is a highly personal expression on the part of the author. The publisher usually accepts its wording and content unchanged, and its design is usually subject to the author’s approval when that of the rest of the book is not. Whenever possible the dedication falls on a recto (usually p. v), but if, for reasons of space, it must be relocated to a verso, one must be chosen that gives it sufficient prominence (for example the last verso preceding the first page of the text).
1.2.8 Foreword
The foreword is a recommendation of the work written by someone other than the author. He or she is usually named at the end of the piece, or in its title, and in the contents list. The distinction between the foreword and the preface (see below) should be noted and the correct title given to each of these sections of the front matter. The foreword usually begins on a fresh recto.
1.2.9 Preface
The preface is the section where the author sets out the purpose, scope, and content of the book. In the absence of a full acknowledgements section, the author may include in the preface brief thanks to colleagues, advisers, or others who have helped in the creation of the work.
In a multi-author work the preface may be written by the work’s editor (Editor’s preface). All works in a series may contain the same preface by the series editor (Series editor’s preface), which precedes the preface by the author of each work. Successive editions of a work may have their own prefaces, each of which is appropriately titled (for example Preface to the second edition). If one or more earlier prefaces are reprinted in a new edition, they follow, in reverse numerical order, the preface belonging to that new edition; for example:
Preface to the paperback edition
Preface to the second edition
Preface to the first edition
The preface usually begins on a fresh recto, as do each of multiple prefaces unless reasons of economy dictate otherwise.
1.2.10 Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements (or, in US spelling, Acknowledgments) are of two types: those recognizing the ideas, assistance, support, or inspiration of those who have helped the author to create the work; and those listing the copyright holders in material (such as quotations and extracts) reproduced in the book. The first type may, if those acknowledged are few, be included in the preface (see above). The second type relate to the legal requirement to acknowledge the sources of reproduced material and in many cases to gain permission from copyright holders or their licensees for its use, and as such the wording printed should be exactly as required by the copyright holder, even if this is inconsistent with style used elsewhere in the book. (For guidelines on copyright see Chapter 20.)
It is best to separate the two types of acknowledgement. The author’s personal thanks follow the preface and are called simply ‘Acknowledgements’. The names of those who hold copyright in verbal material (such as epigraphs or quotations) are listed in a separate section headed ‘Copyright acknowledgements’, which can appear either in the prelims or in the end matter. Acknowledgement lines for figures, tables, and similar illustrations reproduced in the text are best listed alongside the illustration’s caption rather than on a separate page, unless otherwise specified by the copyright holder.
1.2.11 Contents
The list of contents (headed Contents) always falls on a recto. It records the title and initial page number of every titled section that follows it in the prelims, part titles, chapter titles, and all sections in the end matter, including the index. It usually includes reference to the frontispiece if one is present (see 1.2.4). lists in the prelims are referred to on the contents page as List of Illustrations, List of Abbreviations, etc., even though their own headings are best formulated simply as Illustrations, Abbreviations, etc.
Part titles, preceded by the word Part and a number, are listed in full, and a page number is given unless it is that of the following chapter in the part. The word Chapter may, but need not, appear before the number and title of each chapter, though if it is used in the list of contents it should also appear at the head of each chapter in thetext. It is customary to use upper-case Roman numerals for part numbers (see 1.3.3) and Arabic numerals for chapter numbers (see 1.3.4).
In complex works, such as textbooks, headings within chapters may be included on the contents page or even as a subsidiary table of contents at the start of each chapter. In a multi-author volume authors’ names as well as chapter titles are given in the contents list.
The wording, punctuation, capitalization, use of italics, and form of authors’ names in the contents list must match the headings as they appear in the text itself. No full point is needed at the end of any heading, nor are leader dots wanted between titles and page references. The numerals on the contents page at the editing stage will be those of the script, or ‘dummies’ such as xxx or 000; on hard copy they should be circled to indicate that they are not to be printed; in electronic files they can be omitted as they will be inserted automatically by the publishing software, along with the table of contents (so it may not be necessary for an editor to compile one—check with the client). At page-proof stage the typesetter should have inserted the correct page references, but they must be checked by the proofreader.
The first volume of a multi-volume work published simultaneously or at short intervals should contain a contents list and list of illustrations (if relevant) for the entire set. Each subsequent volume needs lists only for that volume.
1.2.12 Lists of illustrations, figures, and maps
Illustrations numbered sequentially through the work are presented in a single list. Different types of illustrative material, numbered in separate sequences, are presented in separate lists, usually in the order illustrations, figures, maps.
Such a list consists of the captions, which may be shortened if they are discursive, and the sources or locations of the illustrative material where relevant. As with the contents, the correct page numbers for all illustrative material that is integrated with the text (though not those of plates in a separate section) may need to be inserted at page-proof stage, if not done automatically by the publishing software.
1.2.13 List of tables
A list of tables is useful only when the work contains many tables of particular interest. The list gives the table headings, shortened if necessary, and page numbers; sources appear in the text beneath each table.
Tables of cases and legislation
In most law books the judgments referred to in the text are listed, usually alphabetically by significant name, with the corresponding pagination or section number. The table may be subdivided according to jurisdiction, especially if there is a large number of cases. International cases may be listed by country.
Tables of legislation are ordered in a similar way but may be listed either alphabetically or chronologically.
1.2.14 List of abbreviations
The text of a book should be so presented as to ‘explain’ itself without recourse to external sources of information. Abbreviations that readers may be unable to interpret must be included in a list with the full form spelled out alongside each one. Well-known abbreviations that need no explanation (such as AD, BC, UK, and US) are not included in the list, nor are any that will be common knowledge to the expected readership of the work, although even here, for an international readership, it is safest to include all the abbreviations. In a multi-author book or work that will not be read serially, a list of abbreviations can obviate the need to spell them out the first time they are used in every chapter. If a term occurs only very rarely in the text it is better to spell it out at each occurrence than to use an abbreviation. The practice of spelling out a short form at the first instance of its use does not obviate the need for inclusion of a list of abbreviations. See also Chapter 10.
If the abbreviations are used in text or notes the list is best placed in the prelims of the book; if, however, abbreviations are used only in the bibliography, endnotes, or appendices, the list may be presented at the head of the relevant section. Arrange the list alphabetically by abbreviated form.
1.2.15 List of contributors
In a multi-author work it is customary to list the contributors and provide relevant information about each one, such as institutional affiliation or post held, a short biography, or details of other publications. The more detailed and discursive the entries are, the more appropriate it will be to place the list in the end matter of the work rather than the preliminary pages.
The list should be ordered alphabetically by contributor’s surname (though names are presented in natural order, not inverted), and names should match the form in the contents list and the chapter headings. The presentation of each entry should as far as possible be standardized.
1.2.16 Epigraph
An epigraph is a relevant quotation placed at the beginning of a volume, part, or chapter, and is distinguished typographically from other displayed quotations. An epigraph relating to the entire volume is placed on a new page, preferably a recto, immediately before the text or in another prominent position within the prelims. Epigraphs for parts or chapters may be placed on the verso facing the part or chapter title or under the heading of the part or chapter to which they relate. The use of epigraphs and their positioning must be consistent throughout the work.
Epigraph sources are usually ranged right (see 2.5.1) under the quotation. The author’s name and the title and date of the work are usually sufficient: further details are not normally included because readers are not expected to want to verify the quotation.
1.2.17 Other sections
Many publications need a short explanation of conventions, terminology, or forms of presentation used in the text, or guidance on how to use the book. Such information is best placed as near as possible to the beginning of the text and often carries the title Note to the reader or How to use this book.
1.3 Text
The text of a work, whether it is in a single volume or multiple volumes, should ideally unfold in a form in which each division is of equivalent scale and consistent construction. As part of marking up the text on-screen or on hard copy, the copy-editor will need to identify the hierarchy of headings that articulate the structure and all displayed elements of the text—those elements such as quotations, lists, notes, text boxes, tables, equations, and so on that need special presentation on the page. The designer specifies an appropriate typographic treatment for the body text and for each displayed element, and the typesetter applies the appropriate design and layout. For digital products, the elements are tagged electronically for later conversion. See 2.1 for further details.
1.3.1 Volumes
It is usual for each volume of a work published in multiple volumes to have its own pagination, index, bibliography, and so on. Even if the numbering of text pages is consecutive from one volume to the next, the preliminary pages of each volume begin with page i. Volumes may be numbered or titled or numbered and titled, as appropriate to the content of the work: each volume in a collection of correspondence or a biography, for instance, may be distinguished by a range of years, the volumes in a complete edition of an author’s works by the names of different genres such as Poems, Plays, Essays.
Large scholarly works, especially those published over many years, are sometimes made available in fascicles (or fascicules) rather than volumes. While fascicles are technically separate works, each with its own ISBN, they are designed to be bound together and are, accordingly, through-paginated. The first fascicle contains preliminary material for the whole publication and the last the index or other end matter; any front matter or end matter included with the intermediate fascicles is discarded when the fascicles are combined into a book or books.
1.3.2 The introduction
The introduction is properly part of the text of the book (except in special contexts such as editions of literary texts, where the editor’s introduction forms part of the prelims). The Arabic pagination begins with the first page of the introduction, which therefore must fall on a recto. The introduction may be treated (and numbered) as the first chapter of the work, or it may be headed simply Introduction, the numbered chapters following thereafter; when an introduction (or conclusion) addresses the work as a whole, it is usually left unnumbered.
1.3.3 Parts
It is useful to arrange a long or complex work in parts when the text falls into logical divisions of similar length. Parts should be numbered and may be titled; although Roman numerals are traditionally used for parts (Part I, Part II), Arabic numerals may be used or numbers spelled out (Part One, Part Two). The part number and title are bestplaced on a recto with a blank verso following; part title pages are included in the Arabic pagination of the book but the page numbers are not shown. Text describing the purpose of the part, or a part table of contents, may appear on the part opening page.
Parts are divided into chapters, which are numbered consecutively throughout the work.
1.3.4 Chapters
Most works in prose are divided into chapters, which usually have a number (customarily in Arabic numerals) and often—especially in non-fiction—a title. The use of the word Chapter before the number is optional (see 1.2.11). Chapter titles should be of similar length and style throughout a work and as succinct as possible—overlong titles cause design difficulties at chapter openings and may need to be cut down for running heads (see 1.5.3). Note numbers and similar cues should not appear in chapter titles but be moved to the text proper.
New chapters are usually allowed to begin on either a verso or a recto (unlike new parts—see above); exceptionally, when chapters are short or economical setting is required, they may run on—start on the same page as the end of the preceding chapter—after a specified number of lines’ space. This is more common in fiction than in non-fiction. The first page of a new chapter lacks a running head, and the folio (page number) is either omitted or appears at the foot of the page (as a drop folio), even when on other pages it falls in the head margin (see 1.5.1).
The first line following the chapter heading is set full out (flush with the left-hand margin), with no paragraph indentation. In some designs large and small capitals are used for the first word or line of a chapter, as in ‘HE was gone’. If the first word is a single capital letter (for example I, A), then the second word is printed in small capitals, with no further capital. If the chapter starts with a personal name, then the whole name is in capitals and small capitals, not just the first name or title: ‘MR THORNTON had had some difficulty…’.
1.3.5 Sections and subsections
Chapters may be divided into sections and subsections by the use of subheadings (or subheads). There may be more than one level of subheading, though only complex works such as textbooks will generally need more than three. Too many levels of subheading are difficult to design and may be more confusing than helpful to the reader. Headings should not contain note numbers or similar cues.
Sections, subsections, or even individual paragraphs may be numbered if this will be useful to the reader—as it will when the text contains numerous cross-references. As in the present book, section headings are ‘double-numbered’, with the two numbers closed up either side of a full point; subsection headings are triple-numbered, the number reflecting the different levels of the headings: within Chapter 9 the first A-level heading is numbered 9.1, and the first B-level heading within section 9.1 is numbered 9.1.1, and so on.
The first line after a subheading is set flush with the left-hand margin, with no paragraph indentation. If the first sentence of a new section refers to the subject articulated in the heading it must begin by reiterating the subject rather than referring back to it with a pronoun. Not:
1.3 Text
This should ideally unfold in a form in which each division is of equivalent scale and construction.
but
1.3 Text
The text of a work should ideally unfold in a form in which each division is of equivalent scale and construction.
1.3.6 Paragraphs
Paragraphs are units of thought reflecting the development of the author’s argument, and no absolute rules control their length. In the most general terms, one-sentence paragraphs are likely to be too short and paragraphs that exceed the length of a page of typeset material are likely to be too long to hold the reader’s attention. However, it is inadvisable for an editor to alter the author’s delivery by running together short paragraphs or splitting long ones without fully considering the effect on the integrity of the text, and the author should normally be consulted about such changes. Different considerations apply to websites, where readability is improved by short paragraphs and frequent headings (shorter and more frequent than would be normal in print). See also Web editing in 2.1.2 and Print versus Web style in 2.3.2.
The first line of text after a chapter, section, or subsection heading is set full out to the left-hand margin, with no paragraph indentation. The first line of every subsequent paragraph is normally indented; the style in which paragraphs are separated by a space and the first line of every paragraph is set full out is characteristic of documents and some reference works, and also of material on the Internet. Infictional dialogue it is conventional (though by no means obligatory) to begin a new paragraph with every change of speaker (see 9.2.4).
Complex works, such as textbooks and practitioner texts, sometimes have numbered paragraphs throughout, the numbers being set against headings or simply at the beginnings of paragraphs; this device facilitates all kinds of internal referencing. In this case the double- and triple-numbering system outlined in 1.3.5 above is applied. Numbered paragraphs may also be used when an author wishes to enumerate long points in an argument. Equations referred to in the text should be numbered and displayed; the numbering is enclosed in parentheses and set full right, aligned with the last line of the equation (see also 14.6.6).
1.3.7 Conclusion, epilogue, afterword
A conclusion sums up the work’s findings and puts them in context. It may be numbered and titled as the final chapter of the work or (as with the introduction) headed simply Conclusion.
An epilogue or an author’s note is nothing more than a short concluding comment on the text. An afterword is much the same, though it is typically written by someone other than the author. Neither of these sections bears a chapter number, though the headings are usually set to the same design as the chapter headings. One would not normally have more than one or two of these concluding sections in any book.
1.4 End matter
End matter (also called back matter) consists of any material that supplements the text. Sections in the end matter are, generally speaking, placed in order of their importance to the reader in using and interpreting the text, with the proviso that the index is always placed last. A series of sections might be ordered as follows:
End matter is paginated in sequence with the text, and the sections carry headings that are usually set to the same design as the chapter headings, though the material itself is often set in smaller type than the text, in keeping with its subsidiary position. As noted in 1.2.1, ebooks may have some traditional front-matter items relocated to the back.
1.4.1 Appendix
An appendix (or annex, as it is sometimes called in the publication of documents) presents subsidiary matter that relates directly to the text but cannot comfortably be accommodated within it, such as a chronology or the texts of documents discussed. Multiple appendices appear under the collective heading Appendices, each with its own subheading and descriptive title. Appendices may be numbered with Arabic or Roman numerals or marked with letters.
1.4.2 Glossary
A glossary is an alphabetical list of important terms found in the text, with explanations or definitions. It is not a substitute for explaining terms at their first occurrence in the text. The glossary may simply repeat the textual explanation or it may expand upon it, but in any event the definitions in text and glossary must conform.
Each entry in a glossary begins a new line. Entries may be arranged in two columns (terms on the left and definitions on the right), or the definition may run on from the headword term; in the latter case turnover lines are often indented and entries spaced off from one another to make the headwords more prominent. Bold type is often used for headwords.
1.4.3 Endnotes
Endnotes are an alternative to footnotes, used in a single-author work where it is not essential (or customary in the discipline concerned) to position notes on the same page as the text to which they refer. In multi-author volumes, notes and other apparatus are usually placed at the end of each chapter or essay to preserve the integrity of the author’s work: it would be inappropriate in these circumstances to position the reference material in a sequence at the end of the work. For the decision to place notes at the foot of the page, the end of the chapter, or the end of the work see 17.2.2; for setting out notes see 17.2.4; for running heads in endnotes see 1.5.3.
1.4.4 Bibliography
There are many ways of presenting citations of other works and materials of potential interest to the reader. The simplest is to list them alphabetically by authors’ surnames (in which case names are inverted to expose the ordering principle) or, in specialist works that require it, chronologically. In some cases a bibliographic essay is more appropriate—as the name suggests, a discussion of sources with the citations embedded—or an annotated bibliography, in which comments on some or all of the sources are included.
A list that contains only works cited in the book is properly called References or Works cited. A list called Bibliography contains the works cited in the book and additional works of likely interest to the reader. A Select bibliography may be limited to works thought important by the author, or works cited multiple times in the text. A list of Further reading usually contains works not cited in the text. In general-interest non-fiction works a more seductive heading, such as Now read on . . , may be used for a similar list. For choice and preparation of bibliographies see Chapter 18.
1.4.5 Index
The subject index, an alphabetical list of topics covered in the book, with references to the pages on which discussion occurs, is the last element in the end matter. A single index is preferred unless there is a strong case for subdivision into (say) an Index of works and a General index. Other indexes that may be needed include an alphabetical list of names (in a biography for example), first lines (of poetry), or an index locorum (an index of places) in a classical work. See Chapter 19.
1.5 Folios and running heads
1.5.1 Introduction
The term folio has two meanings in print production: it is used of the sheets of a script and also of the page number as a designed element on a typeset page. The latter meaning is the one relevant to this section. A running head (or running headline, headline, header, or running title) is a book title, chapter title, or other heading which appears at the top of every page or spread. Folios and running heads usually fall on the same horizontal line in the head (or top) margin of the page, though the designer may decide to position them in the foot (bottom) margin—in which case the text is called a running foot (or running footline or footer)—or even at the fore-edge (outer margin). They thus appear outside the text area of the page. Another option is to use running heads but to place folios at the foot of the page. Technically the entire line is the running head, but in editorial parlance the term is restricted to the textual material, excluding the folio.
1.5.2 Folio
The folio (set in lower-case Roman numerals in the prelims and in Arabic numerals for the text and end matter of the book) usually appears at the outer top edges of the spread, or centred at the foot.
All pages are counted in the pagination sequence, but the folio is not shown on some pages, including some in the prelims, turned pages (that is, those on which material is printed in landscape format), those taken up entirely by illustrations, figures, or tables, and blank pages. On a chapter opening page the folio usually appears in the foot margin (see 1.3.4).
1.5.3 Running heads
Running heads are not found in all books: for instance, they may not appear in modern fiction or in highly designed illustrated books.
Running heads, like folios, are omitted from some pages of the book. These include: any section of the prelims that has no section heading (half-title, title, and imprint pages, the dedication and epigraph); part titles; any page on which a chapter heading occurs (including sections in the front matter and end matter); blank pages. They are often omitted on turned pages and on full-page illustrations, figures, or tables.
The content of the running heads depends on the nature of the book. As a general rule, if the same running head is not used on verso and recto, the larger section generates the head on the verso and the smaller that on the recto: for example, the book or part title may be used on the verso, the chapter title on the recto; in a textbook the chapter title might be used on the verso and a numbered subheading on the recto (though running heads that change every few pages should if possible be avoided for the sake of economy). In a multi-author work authors’ names normally appear on the verso and chapter titles on the recto. In encyclopedias it is common to reflect the first headword on the verso and the last on the recto in the running heads, whereas dictionaries tend to give the first and last headword on each page in that page’s running head.
Sections in the prelims and end matter generally carry the same running head on the verso and recto. Ideally, however, running heads for endnotes should change on every page, indicating the text pages or chapters to which each page of notes refers: for example Notes to pages 157–99, or Notes to Chapter 6, rather than just Notes.
Running heads should match the material from which they are derived in every respect—wording, capitalization, and so on. This is usually generated automatically by desktop publishing software; however, if the book, chapter, or other titles used are very long they must be truncated for the running heads, which should not exceed about forty characters (including spaces) for most books, as a very rough rule of thumb—in this case, supply a list of shortened heads with the copy for the rest of the book.
1.6 Errata slips
An errata slip lists errors in a printed book and their corrections; if there is only one correction the correct term is erratum slip. A slip inserted loose in a book should be labelled with the author’s name, book title, and ISBN; alternatively the slip may be tipped (pasted) in. In a later printing or edition, if the text itself has not been corrected, the errata may be set as part of the prelims or end matter. When fixed to, or printed in, the book the errata may be called corrigenda (singular corrigendum). Note that errata slips should be used only in the event of there being serious mistakes or errors of fact in the book.
A list of errata should be as concise as possible, making clear the location, the substance of the error, and the form of the correction. Italic type is used for editorial directions, and punctuation is included only where it is part of the error and/or the correction.
p. 204, line 15: for live wire read earth wire
p. 399, line 2: for guilty read ‘not proven’
For ebook and other digital editions, it is much easier to correct the error than to prepare an errata slip.
1.7 Paper and book sizes
1.7.1 Paper sizes
The dimensions of a book depend on the dimensions of the sheet (the quad sheet) on which it is printed. For many centuries the dimensions of the common sizes of sheet have been proportioned so that they can be folded to produce viable page sizes without wastage (a small allowance is made for trimming the folded sheet). For example, quarto (4to or 4to) and octavo (8vo or 8vo) are obtained by folding standard sizes two and three times respectively.
Measured in millimetres the common metric paper sizes (untrimmed) are:
International paper sizes have been standardized still further by the ISO (International Standards Organization): A is the commonest, used for business correspondence, photocopying, etc.; B is used for posters, wall charts, and similar large items; C is used for envelopes and folders to fit A-series sizes. Measured in millimetres A and B (trimmed) sizes are:
Figure 1.1 International paper sizes A
1.7.2 Book sizes
The following are the standard octavo trimmed and untrimmed page sizes, and the dimensions of the quad sheets from which they are derived, in millimetres:
| Size | Millimetres |
| metric crown 8vo | |
| trimmed | 186 × 123 |
| untrimmed | 192 × 126 |
| quad | 768 × 1,008 |
| metric large crown 8vo | |
| trimmed | 198 × 129 |
| untrimmed | 204 × 132 |
| quad | 816 × 1,056 |
| metric demy 8vo | |
| trimmed | 216 × 138 |
| untrimmed | 222 × 141 |
| quad | 888 × 1,128 |
| metric royal 8vo | |
| trimmed | 234 × 156 |
| untrimmed | 240 × 159 |
| quad | 960 × 1,272 |
| A5 | |
| trimmed | 210 × 148 |
| untrimmed | 215 × 152.5 |
| quad | 860 × 1,220 |
Dimensions are always given with height before width; for landscape formats reverse the pairs of numbers.
Mass-market paperbacks are often produced in what are known as A format and B format sizes. The first of these is 178 × 111 mm, B format is 196 × 129 mm.
1.8 Even workings
The pages of the publication are printed on the quad sheet in an order determined by the pattern of folding to be applied to it during the binding process; the arrangement or ‘imposition’ of the pages on both sides of the sheet is complex.
Each sheet forms a section or signature of the finished book; depending on the size of the sheet and the format of the book, the signature may consist of four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, or even more pages. In the interests of economy it is desirable to ensure that the entire text of the book fits neatly into an exact multiple of the number of pages in each signature so that there are no blank pages at the end of the final section. At a late stage in the production of a print book it may be necessary to restrict the extent of the text in order to fit it exactly, or as nearly as possible, into signatures—that is, to achieve an ‘even working’. This must be done without disrupting the pagination of the main text. The usual recourse is to reduce the number of pages in the prelims (which are not part of the main sequence of pages), often by sacrificing the luxury of blank versos and using them for sections that would ideally be placed on rectos; another option is to limit the extent of the end matter, normally by shortening the index or setting it in smaller type.