Skip to main content

A Complete Book

 




The core content of a book is just one aspect of a book. Most people don’t give much thought to the other parts contained in a book. A complete book is made up of three main sections; the front matter, body matter, and end matter.

Let's look at these sections in detail although the outline used here shares a common structure and each subsection appears in a similar setting in every book. Some of the subsections may not appear in some books but if they do, they’ll be placed in the same setting.

Front Matter

All information that appears at the beginning of a book before the main text. This includes title, author, publisher, copyright, table of contents, and so on. It often has page numbers written in Roman numerals.

 A typical font matter includes the following:

  • Half-title:  This is the title of the book.
  • Frontispiece:  It is an illustration found on the left side page also known as “verso” following the half-title.
  • Title page: The title page is the page that contains the title of the book, subtitles, the author or authors, and the publisher.  It is often printed on the right-hand page facing the frontispiece.
  • Copyright page: This page contains the declaration of the copyright, which means the person who has legal rights to the information in the book, and it gives credits to the illustrator, editorial staff, and indexer. The number of editions is also found on this page, the year of publication, publisher’s address, ISBN, and information about the printer and translations.
  • Dedication: This page is sometimes optional, the author may list the persons to whom the book is dedicated.
  • Acknowledgments: On this page persons or organizations that supported with their time and resources or inspired the work are listed and appreciated.
  • Table of contents: This page outlines what is included in the book.
  • Foreward: A page that contains an introduction written by someone else other than the author.
  • Preface or Introduction: This page is written by the author, it is an additional context for the book. The source of inspiration or the creation of the book.


A Book’s Body Matter

This is the core content of the book, the main reason you got the book anyway. It is usually written in parts that are divided into chapters, it is otherwise known as the story.


End Matter

This could be optional, it contains the information at the end of the book. It includes;

  • Index: This is like a map that includes the references to the major topics and people throughout the book, it indicates the specific page numbers where they appear. This is an element, especially for nonfiction books. An index is arranged in alphabetical order.
  • Glossary: The glossary is a list of terms and definitions that the reader might find unfamiliar.
  • Bibliography: It is the list of all the references and sources used in the research work for the book.


I hope this fosters your learning experience and help you better understand information that you’ve been missing as a reader. A complete book is from front cover to back cover.

Popular posts from this blog

An Asset?

 Long ago, in a faraway land called Sumer near the Persian Gulf, the city was known as the cradle of civilization.  When their businesses began to bloom such that the administration and calculations of trade numbers or purchases could no longer be done by memory, causing a drag in their mode of operations. This disruption motivated a creative Sumerian to create a solution to the problem which brought about the art of writing. Writing was introduced to the system primarily for record-keeping. Although writing started with symbols (pictograph) and inscriptions on local materials such as clay and reeds. Writing evolved into a sophisticated script called the cuneiform which was used to record information about bureaucracy and authority, and other aspects of life. These were mostly written on scrolls. Imagine what the world would have been without the collection of events or experiences... Just imagine They would be no history, memories, shreds of evidence of the past, and of cours...
Read more

The Knowledge gap

  Does the knowledge gap still exist? The concept of the knowledge gap proposes that; as the infusion of mass media information into a social system increases, segments of the population with higher socioeconomic status tend to acquire this information at a faster rate than the lower status segments so that the gap in knowledge between the segments tends to increase rather than decrease. Knowledge is a form of wealth that is often unevenly distributed in a social system just like every other form of wealth. Although this concept has been challenged after the emergence of web 2.0 that is, the internet. Internet use has helped paced the knowledge gap between the advantaged and less advantaged. Previously, those who were of higher socioeconomic status were privileged to get information at a faster rate than those who were not. Information dissemination and accessibility have evolved over time. Information on the web is created to fit the general audience. It can be understood by both ...
Read more

Curiosity and the Cat

  I find it hard to believe that the cat was ever on good terms with curiosity. I mean, if they had built an ideal partnership, no death would have been recorded. Did curiosity kill the cat?  well, maybe.  The cat just didn't know what he wanted. He was snooping around for anything and everything. Unguarded and unnecessary was the cause of his passing. Too bad! One of the most important tools for learning and improvement is curiosity. Research has shown the impact of curiosity on cognition and the effect on a person's interest in learning.  The brain finds it appealing when curiosity is triggered toward a particular topic or endeavor.  Curiosity is significant for success.  It is a driving force that charts new discoveries in almost every field. It is also a mental exercise that strengthens the mind muscles. The more you indulge in curiosity the higher your chances of expanding your mind's horizon.  Reading nurtures your curiosity, once there is the wi...
Read more