The short answer
- Front matter (before the text): half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, foreword, preface, acknowledgments, introduction.
- Body (the text itself): prologue, parts, chapters, epilogue.
- Back matter (after the text): afterword, appendix, glossary, notes, bibliography, index, about the author, colophon.
- Physical parts (the object): cover, spine, dust jacket and flaps, endpapers, and the head, tail and fore-edge of the pages.
Only three parts are needed in nearly every book: the title page, the copyright page and the body. Everything else depends on the kind of book.
| Part | Where | What it does | Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half title | Front, first page | The title alone, nothing else | Common, optional |
| Title page | Front | Full title, subtitle, author, publisher | Yes |
| Copyright page | Front, back of the title page | Copyright notice, ISBN, edition, printing line, credits | Yes |
| Dedication | Front | The author names who the book is for | Optional |
| Epigraph | Front, or opening a chapter | A short quotation that sets the tone | Optional |
| Table of contents | Front | Lists parts and chapters with page numbers | Nonfiction yes; fiction often skips it |
| Foreword | Front | Written by someone other than the author, vouching for the book | Optional |
| Preface | Front | The author on why and how the book was written | Optional |
| Introduction | Front, or first part of the body | The author sets up the subject itself | Common in nonfiction |
| Prologue | Start of the body | A scene or event before the main story (fiction) | Optional |
| Chapters | Body | The text, often grouped into parts | Yes |
| Epilogue | End of the body | What happened afterwards (fiction) | Optional |
| Afterword | Back | A note after the text, often added in a later edition | Optional |
| Appendix | Back | Supporting material that would interrupt the text: tables, documents, data | Optional |
| Glossary | Back | Definitions of specialist terms | Optional |
| Notes | Back, or foot of the page | Sources and asides, numbered to the text | Nonfiction usually |
| Bibliography | Back | The sources consulted | Academic and serious nonfiction |
| Index | Back | Alphabetical list of names and subjects with page numbers | Most nonfiction |
| About the author | Back, or the jacket flap | A short author bio, often with a photo | Common |
| Colophon | Back, last page | Notes on the typeface, printer or paper | Rare now |
Front matter
Front matter is everything before the text starts. In a printed book it often has its own page numbers in lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii), so the text can start at page 1 and the front can be edited without renumbering the whole book.
The title page carries the full title and subtitle, the author's name and the publisher. The copyright page sits on the back of it and does the legal and library work: the copyright notice, the ISBN, the edition, cataloguing data, and credits for the editor, designer and cover artist. The line of descending numbers you sometimes see (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) is the printing line. The lowest number left is the printing you're holding.
Foreword, preface and introduction are the three people mix up. A foreword is by someone else, usually better known than the author. A preface is the author on how the book came to be. An introduction is the author on the subject, and it's part of the argument, so read it. Skipping forewords is usually safe.
The body
The body is the book itself: chapters, sometimes grouped into parts. Fiction may open with a prologue and close with an epilogue. Nonfiction usually opens with an introduction and closes with a conclusion.
Some books replace chapters with another unit. Dictionaries use entries, poetry collections use poems, and daily readers use dated pages. Our own books, such as 365 Days of Tao by Dae Lee, have 365 dated pages in place of chapters, one for each day, so the table of contents is really a calendar.
Back matter
An appendix holds material that supports the text but would interrupt it: a timeline, a set of tables, a full document the chapter only quotes. Books with several are numbered Appendix A, B, C. If you can follow the book without it, it belongs in an appendix.
Notes, bibliography and index are the reference apparatus. Endnotes collect the sources at the back; footnotes put them on the page. The index is made after the pages are set, because it needs final page numbers, and in good nonfiction a professional indexer makes it.
About the author is a short bio, written in the third person, usually 50 to 150 words: who they are, what they've written, sometimes where they live. It goes at the back, on the jacket flap, or both.
The physical parts
The spine is the bound edge with the title on it, and the only part you see on a shelf. The cover is front and back boards (hardcover) or card (paperback). A hardcover may have a dust jacket, whose flaps carry the blurb and author bio. Endpapers are the sheets glued inside the covers, sometimes printed with maps. The page edges are the head (top), tail (bottom) and fore-edge (the side that opens). The inner margin where pages meet the binding is the gutter. A right-hand page is a recto and always has an odd number; a left-hand page is a verso.
How to write a book's title
In running text, put a book title in italics: The Tao Te Ching, Meditations. Chapter titles, essays and poems go in quotation marks. Capitalise the first word and every major word, and leave short articles and prepositions lower case unless they come first. That's the rule in Chicago, MLA and APA alike.
Common questions
What are the parts of a book?
Front matter (half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, foreword, preface, introduction), the body (chapters, sometimes with a prologue and epilogue), and back matter (appendix, glossary, notes, bibliography, index, about the author). The physical parts are the cover, spine, jacket, endpapers and page edges.
What is an appendix in a book?
A section at the back that holds supporting material that would interrupt the main text, such as tables, timelines, data or full documents. A book can have several, labelled Appendix A, B and so on.
What is the difference between a foreword, a preface and an introduction?
A foreword is written by someone other than the author. A preface is the author explaining how and why the book was written. An introduction is the author introducing the subject itself, and is part of the book's argument.
What goes on the copyright page of a book?
The copyright notice, the ISBN, the edition and printing line, the publisher's details, cataloguing data, and credits such as editor, designer and cover artist. It sits on the back of the title page.
How do you write the title of a book?
In italics in running text, with the first word and all major words capitalised. Chapter titles, short stories, essays and poems go in quotation marks instead.
What is the content of a book called?
The body, or main text. Everything before it is front matter and everything after it is back matter. The list of what's inside is the table of contents.