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Parts of a book Sources of information are very variant in today's world of knowledge. A book, like a periodical or a pamphlet, is considered a major source of information which falls within the print type of library materials. Handling a book carefully lengthens its life. Understanding the parts of a book helps a reader use it more intelligently and enables him to get the maximum benefit within a shorter period of time. In terms of the physical structure, a book may be a paper back, or a hard cover (bound). Obviously a book with a hard cover is more expensive than a paper back. The spine of the book is the part of the cover which conceals the folds of the sections. It normally bears the title, author and publisher. The call number of the book is also printed on the lower part of the spine. It is customary to divide the printed matter in a book into three sections: preliminaries, text matter, and subsidiaries. (Kenneth Whittaker, Using Libraries. London: Andre Deutsch, 1972. p.76).
PRELIMINARIES
3. Dedication Page: usually follows the title page and is simple in form, e.g. "To my Wife" 4. Preface or Foreword: is a message from the author to the reader.
5. Table of contents: is simply a list off the chapters or sections of the book with their titles and corresponding page numbers. 6. List of illustrations: is a list of the pictures, maps, and other illustrations in the order of their appearance in the book with the appropriate page numbers. 7. Introduction: may be written by the author, or by a person of importance, or one who considers the book an important contribution. In the introduction both the author and the reader get started in the subject matter of the book. The introduction may be the first chapter in the book. TEXT AND NOTES The text matter constitutes the main body of the book. Explanatory notes supplement the text matter and they usually appear at the bottom of the page (footnotes), at the end of the chapter or at the end of the book. SUBSIDIARIES Subsidiaries come after the text matter of the book and include the following items: 1. Appendix / Appendices: Additional materials that are supplementary to the text but cannot be introduced in it. Such materials would include tables, special notes, etc. 2. Bibliography: a list of references, books, magazine articles, pamphlets, documents, etc. that the author referred to in writing the book. The bibliography, arranged alphabetically, appears either at the end of each chapter or at the end of the book. 3. Glossary: a list of the definitions of the technical terms or other special words used in the text: 4. Index: a list of the topics discussed in the text. It is arranged alphabetically with the appropriate page numbers. An index is important in using a book because it saves times in locating a particular topic. Some books may also have an index to the people mentioned in the text.
NOTES: There are a few other parts that may make up a book, but the above mentioned parts are the most basic that are generally found in every book.
Updated June 2008 |