The Anatomy of a Book
Updated: Sep 17
A book begins before chapter one and continues after the final paragraph. The title page, contents, preface, notes and index all have jobs to do, and putting them in a sensible order helps readers find their way around.
The opening pages are known as the prelims, or front matter. Material after the main text is called back matter or end matter. Here is a practical guide to both, following the conventional order in The Chicago Manual of Style, eighteenth edition.
Not every book needs every item below. A publisher may have a house style, and the book’s content, design and printing requirements can call for variations. By “publisher”, I mean whoever is publishing the book, whether a publishing house or a self-publishing author.
The order of the prelims
Chicago’s outline places the front matter in this order (§1.4):
Praise pages – endorsements or extracts from reviews. If the book includes these opening pages, they precede the half title; otherwise begin with the half title.
Half-title page – a page carrying the main title alone, normally without the subtitle, author or publisher. It precedes the full title page and may be omitted when the format or page budget requires it.
Series information, other works or frontispiece – the back of the half title may carry series details, a list of the author’s other books or an illustration facing the title page. If none is needed, this page can remain blank. A frontispiece is an illustration, not a name for the blank page.
Title page – the full title and usually the subtitle, author and publisher, with other principal contributors identified where appropriate.
Copyright page – publication and copyright details on the back of the title page, commonly including the ISBN, credits and applicable cataloguing information.
Dedication – the author’s brief dedication to a person or group. Omit this page if the author has not supplied a dedication; sponsored dedication pages are a separate publishing arrangement.
Epigraph – a quotation introducing the book or establishing its tone. In Chicago’s outline it follows the dedication; omit it if the book has no epigraph.
Contents – a list of the book’s sections and their starting pages. It normally lists the preliminary sections that follow it, then the main text and back matter, rather than the pages that precede it.
List of illustrations – a separate list identifying illustrations and their page locations. Include it when useful for finding images; a book with only a few incidental illustrations may not need it.
List of tables – a separate list identifying tables and their page locations. Include it when readers need a guide to the book’s tables; omit it when no separate list is needed.
Foreword – an introductory piece by someone other than the author, placed before the preface. Omit this section if no foreword has been commissioned or supplied.
Preface – the author’s explanation of the book’s origins, purpose or preparation. It may include brief acknowledgements. A new edition’s preface precedes the original one, and an editor’s preface precedes the author’s.
Acknowledgements – a separate section thanking those who helped with the book. If retained in the prelims, it follows the preface. Chicago recommends the start of the back matter for most books instead (§1.47); omit this preliminary section when the acknowledgements are placed there or incorporated into the preface.
Introduction – include it here when it serves as preliminary material, such as a substantial introduction by someone other than the author. An introduction that develops the book’s subject belongs at the beginning of the main text with Arabic page numbers, so it should be omitted from this preliminary sequence (§§1.48 and 1.53).
List of abbreviations – a key to shortened forms used throughout the main text, placed here for ready reference. If the abbreviations occur only in the back matter, put the list there instead; do not duplicate the same list at both ends (§1.49).
Chronology – a timeline of relevant events or dates. Place it here when it is to serve as a preliminary reference aid. It may instead appear in the back matter; if placed there, omit it from the prelims.
The main text follows. The distinction between a preface and an introduction matters: an introduction that is integral to the subject belongs to the main text, not the prelims.
What goes on each preliminary page?
Praise pages. These contain endorsements or extracts from reviews. They may precede the half title. Chicago allows them either to count in the preliminary pagination or to be excluded from it (§1.17).
Half-title page. This is usually a simple page carrying the main title alone, without the subtitle, author or publisher (§1.18). The design can be restrained or decorative: I have used a calligraphic image commissioned by a publisher. A half title is sometimes omitted when the format or page budget calls for it.
Series information and frontispiece. The back of the half title is often blank, but it can carry series information or a list of other works. A frontispiece is an illustration, not the name for an empty page. Traditionally it faces the title page; Chicago also allows other placements when series information occupies that position (§§1.19–1.20).
Title page. This normally identifies the book, its author and its publisher. Depending on the work, it may also name an editor, translator, illustrator or other contributor. Some publishers use a version of the cover artwork; others prefer a separate typographic design.
Copyright page. In the conventional printed arrangement, this is on the back of the title page. It carries the publication and copyright details, usually including the ISBN, applicable cataloguing information, credits and permissions. The exact contents depend on the publication.
Dedication. Usually a short statement naming the person or people to whom the author dedicates the book. Some publishers also include sponsored dedication pages. Those are a separate publishing convention, with placement agreed for the particular book; they are not a separate item in Chicago’s standard sequence.
Epigraph. A quotation chosen to introduce the book or establish its tone. In the outline it follows the dedication, although Chicago describes alternative arrangements (§1.41).
Contents and lists. The contents gives readers a route through the book. It normally includes the preliminary sections that follow it, then the main text and back matter; material before the contents is normally omitted (§1.42). Separate lists of illustrations and tables follow when useful. I have typeset an archaeological book whose photographs needed several pages of listings, while many other books need no separate illustration list at all.
Foreword. An introductory piece written by someone other than the author. It precedes the preface (§1.45).
Preface. The author’s account of why and how the book came to be written, its purpose or its research. It may include brief acknowledgements. A new edition’s preface precedes the original one, and an editor’s preface comes before the author’s (§1.46).
Acknowledgements. These can follow the preface when placed in the front matter, but Chicago now recommends placing them at the back for most books. Front placement can still make sense, for example in some edited or jointly authored works (§1.47).
Introduction. A substantial introduction by someone other than the author may belong near the end of the prelims. An introduction that develops the book’s subject belongs at the beginning of the main text, with Arabic page numbers (§§1.48 and 1.53). It should not be treated as interchangeable with the preface.
Abbreviations and chronology. These are reference aids, included where readers need them. A list of abbreviations used throughout the text may be placed at the front; abbreviations used only in the back matter can be explained there instead (§1.49). A chronology may also appear at either end of the book.
Publisher’s, translator’s and editor’s notes. Specialised books may need additional notes. A translator’s note precedes the original author’s preliminary material. A substantial explanation of editorial method may close the front matter or appear in an appendix (§1.50).
Recto, verso and page one
In a left-to-right book, a recto is a right-hand page and a verso is a left-hand page. In a right-to-left Hebrew or Arabic book, their physical positions are reversed.
Not every preliminary section must begin on a recto. Chicago’s outline puts the foreword, preface and certain other openings on rectos, but allows lists of illustrations, tables and abbreviations to start on either side. The copyright page conventionally occupies a verso (§1.4).
The prelims normally use lowercase Roman numerals. Pages are counted even when their numbers are not printed, including title pages and blanks; endpapers are excluded. Praise pages have the alternative treatment noted above (§§1.4 and 1.17).
The main text normally begins with Arabic page 1. However, a second half title or opening part title may occupy that counted page, with the first chapter starting later. A two-page chapter opening creates another possible arrangement. The first page of chapter one is therefore not invariably page 1 (§1.52).
The order of the back matter
Chicago’s conventional sequence is below. Again, use only the sections the book needs (§1.4):
Acknowledgements – thanks to the people and organisations that helped with the book. Chicago recommends placing these at the start of the back matter for most books, before any appendixes (§1.47). If they already appear in the prelims, do not repeat them here.
Appendix or appendixes – supplementary material, such as documents, detailed tables or technical explanations, that supports the main text but would interrupt it. Include only the appendixes the book needs.
Chronology – a timeline of relevant events or dates. It may appear here or in the prelims; if the book already has a chronology at the front, omit it here.
List of abbreviations – a key to shortened forms used in the book. A list needed throughout the main text may go in the prelims; one needed only for the back matter belongs here. Do not repeat a list already supplied at the front (§1.49).
Glossary – definitions of unfamiliar, specialist or foreign terms used in the book. Include one when readers would benefit from a separate reference list.
Notes – endnotes gathered together for the whole book, usually organised by chapter. Omit this section if the notes already appear at the foot of each page or at the end of individual chapters.
Bibliography or references – the sources cited or consulted. A reference list normally identifies works cited in the text; a bibliography may also include other relevant works. The book’s citation system determines what is needed.
List of contributors – names and usually brief biographical details of the contributors to a book with multiple authors, such as an edited collection. This is separate from a single author’s biography.
Illustration credits – a collected list acknowledging the sources or rights holders of images. Include a separate section when the credits are gathered here rather than supplied with the illustrations or elsewhere in the book.
Index or indexes – an organised guide to names, subjects or other entries, with references to their locations in the book. A book may have one combined index or separate indexes for different purposes.
Reading group guide – discussion questions or other material for book clubs and reading groups. Include it only when the book is intended to provide this support; in Chicago’s outline it follows the index.
About the author – a short biography of the author, sometimes with a photograph. It may appear here, on the jacket or on the cover; a separate back-matter page is optional if the biography is already supplied elsewhere.
Colophon – a note about the book’s design and manufacture, such as its typefaces, paper, printing or binding. If included as a separate back-matter section, it comes last in Chicago’s outline.
A glossary explains unfamiliar terms; a bibliography or reference list identifies sources; an index helps readers locate subjects discussed in the book. The index is not necessarily the final section: a reading guide, author biography or colophon may follow it.
For an index with page references, the layout needs to be stable before those references are finalised. In my workflow, once the author’s corrections are complete, I balance the pages so that facing pages sit comfortably together. This may involve shortening a spread or making small typographic adjustments. After balancing, we make a final check for bad breaks and other layout problems before preparing the book for print.
An author biography may be included in the back matter, often with a photograph, or placed on the jacket or cover instead.
Reference: The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed., especially §1.4; §§1.17–1.20, 1.41–1.50 and 1.52–1.53 provide the qualifications discussed above.
If you have a book that needs typesetting, please get in touch to discuss your requirements.
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