Name of excerpt at start of a book
In the front matter of some books, before the half-title, on the very first page, is a small excerpt from the book, sometimes slightly edited in relation to the actual content, as a kind of teaser. In a paperback, it's normally on the first recto immediately after the cover.
Does this excerpt have a specific name?
publishing
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
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add a comment |
In the front matter of some books, before the half-title, on the very first page, is a small excerpt from the book, sometimes slightly edited in relation to the actual content, as a kind of teaser. In a paperback, it's normally on the first recto immediately after the cover.
Does this excerpt have a specific name?
publishing
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
New contributor
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Not my specialist field, but perhaps An epigraph is a quotation included by the author that is relevant but not essential to the text.
– FumbleFingers
2 days ago
...maybe blurb?
– Cascabel
2 days ago
@FumbleFingers the not essential to the text is the catch. What I'm looking for is sometimes word for word of a significant scene in the book. From what I've researched, the epigraph would be a poem or quote at the start of the book or chapter. I don't recall ever finding one before the title page.
– Simon Scudder
2 days ago
Harlequin tends to call these either "Introduction" or "Back cover text" in TOCs of ebooks. Or sometimes the TOC entry is just the first line from the excerpt/teaser (e.g. "What are you doing here? They told me you were dead!" or For one woman, life just got a little more complicated...). That leads me to believe there isn't a term that's commonly known.
– 1006a
2 days ago
It's a true "multimedia" context, but as I recall, the introduction to each video-based story within Buster Scruggs consists of an excerpt from the relevant text-based original story (specifically, the last line of each tale). Whatever - I see that epigraph was the only suggestion in both answers when this exact question was asked on SE Literature Beta over a year ago.
– FumbleFingers
yesterday
add a comment |
In the front matter of some books, before the half-title, on the very first page, is a small excerpt from the book, sometimes slightly edited in relation to the actual content, as a kind of teaser. In a paperback, it's normally on the first recto immediately after the cover.
Does this excerpt have a specific name?
publishing
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
New contributor
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
In the front matter of some books, before the half-title, on the very first page, is a small excerpt from the book, sometimes slightly edited in relation to the actual content, as a kind of teaser. In a paperback, it's normally on the first recto immediately after the cover.
Does this excerpt have a specific name?
publishing
publishing
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
New contributor
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
New contributor
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
New contributor
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
asked 2 days ago
Simon ScudderSimon Scudder
283
283
New contributor
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Simon Scudder is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Not my specialist field, but perhaps An epigraph is a quotation included by the author that is relevant but not essential to the text.
– FumbleFingers
2 days ago
...maybe blurb?
– Cascabel
2 days ago
@FumbleFingers the not essential to the text is the catch. What I'm looking for is sometimes word for word of a significant scene in the book. From what I've researched, the epigraph would be a poem or quote at the start of the book or chapter. I don't recall ever finding one before the title page.
– Simon Scudder
2 days ago
Harlequin tends to call these either "Introduction" or "Back cover text" in TOCs of ebooks. Or sometimes the TOC entry is just the first line from the excerpt/teaser (e.g. "What are you doing here? They told me you were dead!" or For one woman, life just got a little more complicated...). That leads me to believe there isn't a term that's commonly known.
– 1006a
2 days ago
It's a true "multimedia" context, but as I recall, the introduction to each video-based story within Buster Scruggs consists of an excerpt from the relevant text-based original story (specifically, the last line of each tale). Whatever - I see that epigraph was the only suggestion in both answers when this exact question was asked on SE Literature Beta over a year ago.
– FumbleFingers
yesterday
add a comment |
Not my specialist field, but perhaps An epigraph is a quotation included by the author that is relevant but not essential to the text.
– FumbleFingers
2 days ago
...maybe blurb?
– Cascabel
2 days ago
@FumbleFingers the not essential to the text is the catch. What I'm looking for is sometimes word for word of a significant scene in the book. From what I've researched, the epigraph would be a poem or quote at the start of the book or chapter. I don't recall ever finding one before the title page.
– Simon Scudder
2 days ago
Harlequin tends to call these either "Introduction" or "Back cover text" in TOCs of ebooks. Or sometimes the TOC entry is just the first line from the excerpt/teaser (e.g. "What are you doing here? They told me you were dead!" or For one woman, life just got a little more complicated...). That leads me to believe there isn't a term that's commonly known.
– 1006a
2 days ago
It's a true "multimedia" context, but as I recall, the introduction to each video-based story within Buster Scruggs consists of an excerpt from the relevant text-based original story (specifically, the last line of each tale). Whatever - I see that epigraph was the only suggestion in both answers when this exact question was asked on SE Literature Beta over a year ago.
– FumbleFingers
yesterday
Not my specialist field, but perhaps An epigraph is a quotation included by the author that is relevant but not essential to the text.
– FumbleFingers
2 days ago
Not my specialist field, but perhaps An epigraph is a quotation included by the author that is relevant but not essential to the text.
– FumbleFingers
2 days ago
...maybe blurb?
– Cascabel
2 days ago
...maybe blurb?
– Cascabel
2 days ago
@FumbleFingers the not essential to the text is the catch. What I'm looking for is sometimes word for word of a significant scene in the book. From what I've researched, the epigraph would be a poem or quote at the start of the book or chapter. I don't recall ever finding one before the title page.
– Simon Scudder
2 days ago
@FumbleFingers the not essential to the text is the catch. What I'm looking for is sometimes word for word of a significant scene in the book. From what I've researched, the epigraph would be a poem or quote at the start of the book or chapter. I don't recall ever finding one before the title page.
– Simon Scudder
2 days ago
Harlequin tends to call these either "Introduction" or "Back cover text" in TOCs of ebooks. Or sometimes the TOC entry is just the first line from the excerpt/teaser (e.g. "What are you doing here? They told me you were dead!" or For one woman, life just got a little more complicated...). That leads me to believe there isn't a term that's commonly known.
– 1006a
2 days ago
Harlequin tends to call these either "Introduction" or "Back cover text" in TOCs of ebooks. Or sometimes the TOC entry is just the first line from the excerpt/teaser (e.g. "What are you doing here? They told me you were dead!" or For one woman, life just got a little more complicated...). That leads me to believe there isn't a term that's commonly known.
– 1006a
2 days ago
It's a true "multimedia" context, but as I recall, the introduction to each video-based story within Buster Scruggs consists of an excerpt from the relevant text-based original story (specifically, the last line of each tale). Whatever - I see that epigraph was the only suggestion in both answers when this exact question was asked on SE Literature Beta over a year ago.
– FumbleFingers
yesterday
It's a true "multimedia" context, but as I recall, the introduction to each video-based story within Buster Scruggs consists of an excerpt from the relevant text-based original story (specifically, the last line of each tale). Whatever - I see that epigraph was the only suggestion in both answers when this exact question was asked on SE Literature Beta over a year ago.
– FumbleFingers
yesterday
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
A number of people involved in publishing on demand or Amazon.com marketing use the term front matter excerpt:
Scott Merrill will record a special scene — perhaps the cover scene — of your latest book, or the back cover blurb and front matter excerpt and review snips, or a short (2-4 minutes long) pitch for your work. — Brenda Novak’s On-line Auction for Diabetes Research
Prepare front matter excerpt if desired, copyright page, and any additional material, i.e. About the Author, Glossary, Author's Note, etc. — Ebook Conversion Tips, Nancy's Notes From Florida (blog), 27 July 2011.
The Front Matter excerpt (and "See a random page") are based on the PDF file uploaded to the old Look Inside program. — Forum post, KBoards.com, 26 July 2012.
I had a good time taking the paperback of Worldwar: In the Balance around to my friends and getting them to read the front-matter excerpt. NielsenHayden.com (blog), 22 Sept. 2007.
Although I wouldn’t consider any of these sources authoritative, the term is readily understood by anyone who knows what the front matter of a book entails. I have only seen front matter excerpts in works of popular fiction in paperback, especially by relatively new authors.
A professional editor discusses a fairly exhaustive list of what components constitute front matter:
Frontmatter
Anything that comes before the start of the text is considered frontmatter. Usually, frontmatter is numbered using roman numerals, and the text (or half title page, or part opener) starts with page 1. Here are some things you might see in the frontmatter (some of these are required, and we have to make space for them no matter what):
Teaser/Excerpt page (optional) — you may decide you want to put in a short, compelling teaser of the text as the first page of a book, to give readers a taste of the book. — Christine Barcellona, “Ask an Editor: What are the parts of a book and how are they laid out?” Swoonreads.com, 22 Feb. 2016.
Other terms in the list are “praise page,” a page of favorable reviews, and “ad card,” a list of books by the same author (or, I presume, the same series.) She also mentions that an excerpt can be included in the back matter, say, of the next book/volume in a series or for another title that might interest the reader.
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
KarlG, I just noticed that when I tried to upvote you yesterday, I must have clicked the downvote by mistake. It's too late to fix now--sorry! (Also: evidence of the "sometimes it's an error" explanation for drive-by downvotes.) If you want to make any sort of edit, I'll correct it.
– 1006a
14 hours ago
1
@1006a: I had another citation I should have added in the first place.
– KarlG
12 hours ago
add a comment |
I know no standard name for this feature, so I would default to a name that describes the content. (Nota bene: I have mainly worked with medieval manuscripts and early modern books.)
Because the half-title or bastard-title is so often the first recto of a volume, what precedes the half-title has no formal name. If it's a listing of review blurbs, it can be called a number of names, including "Endorsement," "Advance Praise," or "Praise." If the text is a blurb when it's on a back cover, it's also a "Blurb" on the front cover. Following the same principle, an excerpt from the text that's being used as a preview or promotional hook can be called a "Preview" or "Hook".
I've seen this appear on the front endpaper (flyleaf/pastedown) or on the first page preceding a half-title or full title.
It's not an epigraph, since an epigraph customarily quotes another text, and is usually an exercise in comparison or juxtaposition: how does the outside text flavor the way the text will be read?
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
add a comment |
I would argue it is called an
abstract
An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.
This is according to https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/.
It could also be called a blurb.
Blurb
A short description of a book, film, or other work, written and used for promotional purposes.
This is according to https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blurb
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
Abstract is really only used for scientific papers, not books. Books and journals can contain several scientific papers and thus would have several abstracts, one for each paper. The abstract always comes directly before the rest of the paper it describes.
– Laurel
2 days ago
add a comment |
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3 Answers
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3 Answers
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oldest
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A number of people involved in publishing on demand or Amazon.com marketing use the term front matter excerpt:
Scott Merrill will record a special scene — perhaps the cover scene — of your latest book, or the back cover blurb and front matter excerpt and review snips, or a short (2-4 minutes long) pitch for your work. — Brenda Novak’s On-line Auction for Diabetes Research
Prepare front matter excerpt if desired, copyright page, and any additional material, i.e. About the Author, Glossary, Author's Note, etc. — Ebook Conversion Tips, Nancy's Notes From Florida (blog), 27 July 2011.
The Front Matter excerpt (and "See a random page") are based on the PDF file uploaded to the old Look Inside program. — Forum post, KBoards.com, 26 July 2012.
I had a good time taking the paperback of Worldwar: In the Balance around to my friends and getting them to read the front-matter excerpt. NielsenHayden.com (blog), 22 Sept. 2007.
Although I wouldn’t consider any of these sources authoritative, the term is readily understood by anyone who knows what the front matter of a book entails. I have only seen front matter excerpts in works of popular fiction in paperback, especially by relatively new authors.
A professional editor discusses a fairly exhaustive list of what components constitute front matter:
Frontmatter
Anything that comes before the start of the text is considered frontmatter. Usually, frontmatter is numbered using roman numerals, and the text (or half title page, or part opener) starts with page 1. Here are some things you might see in the frontmatter (some of these are required, and we have to make space for them no matter what):
Teaser/Excerpt page (optional) — you may decide you want to put in a short, compelling teaser of the text as the first page of a book, to give readers a taste of the book. — Christine Barcellona, “Ask an Editor: What are the parts of a book and how are they laid out?” Swoonreads.com, 22 Feb. 2016.
Other terms in the list are “praise page,” a page of favorable reviews, and “ad card,” a list of books by the same author (or, I presume, the same series.) She also mentions that an excerpt can be included in the back matter, say, of the next book/volume in a series or for another title that might interest the reader.
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
KarlG, I just noticed that when I tried to upvote you yesterday, I must have clicked the downvote by mistake. It's too late to fix now--sorry! (Also: evidence of the "sometimes it's an error" explanation for drive-by downvotes.) If you want to make any sort of edit, I'll correct it.
– 1006a
14 hours ago
1
@1006a: I had another citation I should have added in the first place.
– KarlG
12 hours ago
add a comment |
A number of people involved in publishing on demand or Amazon.com marketing use the term front matter excerpt:
Scott Merrill will record a special scene — perhaps the cover scene — of your latest book, or the back cover blurb and front matter excerpt and review snips, or a short (2-4 minutes long) pitch for your work. — Brenda Novak’s On-line Auction for Diabetes Research
Prepare front matter excerpt if desired, copyright page, and any additional material, i.e. About the Author, Glossary, Author's Note, etc. — Ebook Conversion Tips, Nancy's Notes From Florida (blog), 27 July 2011.
The Front Matter excerpt (and "See a random page") are based on the PDF file uploaded to the old Look Inside program. — Forum post, KBoards.com, 26 July 2012.
I had a good time taking the paperback of Worldwar: In the Balance around to my friends and getting them to read the front-matter excerpt. NielsenHayden.com (blog), 22 Sept. 2007.
Although I wouldn’t consider any of these sources authoritative, the term is readily understood by anyone who knows what the front matter of a book entails. I have only seen front matter excerpts in works of popular fiction in paperback, especially by relatively new authors.
A professional editor discusses a fairly exhaustive list of what components constitute front matter:
Frontmatter
Anything that comes before the start of the text is considered frontmatter. Usually, frontmatter is numbered using roman numerals, and the text (or half title page, or part opener) starts with page 1. Here are some things you might see in the frontmatter (some of these are required, and we have to make space for them no matter what):
Teaser/Excerpt page (optional) — you may decide you want to put in a short, compelling teaser of the text as the first page of a book, to give readers a taste of the book. — Christine Barcellona, “Ask an Editor: What are the parts of a book and how are they laid out?” Swoonreads.com, 22 Feb. 2016.
Other terms in the list are “praise page,” a page of favorable reviews, and “ad card,” a list of books by the same author (or, I presume, the same series.) She also mentions that an excerpt can be included in the back matter, say, of the next book/volume in a series or for another title that might interest the reader.
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
KarlG, I just noticed that when I tried to upvote you yesterday, I must have clicked the downvote by mistake. It's too late to fix now--sorry! (Also: evidence of the "sometimes it's an error" explanation for drive-by downvotes.) If you want to make any sort of edit, I'll correct it.
– 1006a
14 hours ago
1
@1006a: I had another citation I should have added in the first place.
– KarlG
12 hours ago
add a comment |
A number of people involved in publishing on demand or Amazon.com marketing use the term front matter excerpt:
Scott Merrill will record a special scene — perhaps the cover scene — of your latest book, or the back cover blurb and front matter excerpt and review snips, or a short (2-4 minutes long) pitch for your work. — Brenda Novak’s On-line Auction for Diabetes Research
Prepare front matter excerpt if desired, copyright page, and any additional material, i.e. About the Author, Glossary, Author's Note, etc. — Ebook Conversion Tips, Nancy's Notes From Florida (blog), 27 July 2011.
The Front Matter excerpt (and "See a random page") are based on the PDF file uploaded to the old Look Inside program. — Forum post, KBoards.com, 26 July 2012.
I had a good time taking the paperback of Worldwar: In the Balance around to my friends and getting them to read the front-matter excerpt. NielsenHayden.com (blog), 22 Sept. 2007.
Although I wouldn’t consider any of these sources authoritative, the term is readily understood by anyone who knows what the front matter of a book entails. I have only seen front matter excerpts in works of popular fiction in paperback, especially by relatively new authors.
A professional editor discusses a fairly exhaustive list of what components constitute front matter:
Frontmatter
Anything that comes before the start of the text is considered frontmatter. Usually, frontmatter is numbered using roman numerals, and the text (or half title page, or part opener) starts with page 1. Here are some things you might see in the frontmatter (some of these are required, and we have to make space for them no matter what):
Teaser/Excerpt page (optional) — you may decide you want to put in a short, compelling teaser of the text as the first page of a book, to give readers a taste of the book. — Christine Barcellona, “Ask an Editor: What are the parts of a book and how are they laid out?” Swoonreads.com, 22 Feb. 2016.
Other terms in the list are “praise page,” a page of favorable reviews, and “ad card,” a list of books by the same author (or, I presume, the same series.) She also mentions that an excerpt can be included in the back matter, say, of the next book/volume in a series or for another title that might interest the reader.
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
A number of people involved in publishing on demand or Amazon.com marketing use the term front matter excerpt:
Scott Merrill will record a special scene — perhaps the cover scene — of your latest book, or the back cover blurb and front matter excerpt and review snips, or a short (2-4 minutes long) pitch for your work. — Brenda Novak’s On-line Auction for Diabetes Research
Prepare front matter excerpt if desired, copyright page, and any additional material, i.e. About the Author, Glossary, Author's Note, etc. — Ebook Conversion Tips, Nancy's Notes From Florida (blog), 27 July 2011.
The Front Matter excerpt (and "See a random page") are based on the PDF file uploaded to the old Look Inside program. — Forum post, KBoards.com, 26 July 2012.
I had a good time taking the paperback of Worldwar: In the Balance around to my friends and getting them to read the front-matter excerpt. NielsenHayden.com (blog), 22 Sept. 2007.
Although I wouldn’t consider any of these sources authoritative, the term is readily understood by anyone who knows what the front matter of a book entails. I have only seen front matter excerpts in works of popular fiction in paperback, especially by relatively new authors.
A professional editor discusses a fairly exhaustive list of what components constitute front matter:
Frontmatter
Anything that comes before the start of the text is considered frontmatter. Usually, frontmatter is numbered using roman numerals, and the text (or half title page, or part opener) starts with page 1. Here are some things you might see in the frontmatter (some of these are required, and we have to make space for them no matter what):
Teaser/Excerpt page (optional) — you may decide you want to put in a short, compelling teaser of the text as the first page of a book, to give readers a taste of the book. — Christine Barcellona, “Ask an Editor: What are the parts of a book and how are they laid out?” Swoonreads.com, 22 Feb. 2016.
Other terms in the list are “praise page,” a page of favorable reviews, and “ad card,” a list of books by the same author (or, I presume, the same series.) She also mentions that an excerpt can be included in the back matter, say, of the next book/volume in a series or for another title that might interest the reader.
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
edited 12 hours ago
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
answered 2 days ago
KarlGKarlG
20.4k52857
20.4k52857
KarlG, I just noticed that when I tried to upvote you yesterday, I must have clicked the downvote by mistake. It's too late to fix now--sorry! (Also: evidence of the "sometimes it's an error" explanation for drive-by downvotes.) If you want to make any sort of edit, I'll correct it.
– 1006a
14 hours ago
1
@1006a: I had another citation I should have added in the first place.
– KarlG
12 hours ago
add a comment |
KarlG, I just noticed that when I tried to upvote you yesterday, I must have clicked the downvote by mistake. It's too late to fix now--sorry! (Also: evidence of the "sometimes it's an error" explanation for drive-by downvotes.) If you want to make any sort of edit, I'll correct it.
– 1006a
14 hours ago
1
@1006a: I had another citation I should have added in the first place.
– KarlG
12 hours ago
KarlG, I just noticed that when I tried to upvote you yesterday, I must have clicked the downvote by mistake. It's too late to fix now--sorry! (Also: evidence of the "sometimes it's an error" explanation for drive-by downvotes.) If you want to make any sort of edit, I'll correct it.
– 1006a
14 hours ago
KarlG, I just noticed that when I tried to upvote you yesterday, I must have clicked the downvote by mistake. It's too late to fix now--sorry! (Also: evidence of the "sometimes it's an error" explanation for drive-by downvotes.) If you want to make any sort of edit, I'll correct it.
– 1006a
14 hours ago
1
1
@1006a: I had another citation I should have added in the first place.
– KarlG
12 hours ago
@1006a: I had another citation I should have added in the first place.
– KarlG
12 hours ago
add a comment |
I know no standard name for this feature, so I would default to a name that describes the content. (Nota bene: I have mainly worked with medieval manuscripts and early modern books.)
Because the half-title or bastard-title is so often the first recto of a volume, what precedes the half-title has no formal name. If it's a listing of review blurbs, it can be called a number of names, including "Endorsement," "Advance Praise," or "Praise." If the text is a blurb when it's on a back cover, it's also a "Blurb" on the front cover. Following the same principle, an excerpt from the text that's being used as a preview or promotional hook can be called a "Preview" or "Hook".
I've seen this appear on the front endpaper (flyleaf/pastedown) or on the first page preceding a half-title or full title.
It's not an epigraph, since an epigraph customarily quotes another text, and is usually an exercise in comparison or juxtaposition: how does the outside text flavor the way the text will be read?
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
add a comment |
I know no standard name for this feature, so I would default to a name that describes the content. (Nota bene: I have mainly worked with medieval manuscripts and early modern books.)
Because the half-title or bastard-title is so often the first recto of a volume, what precedes the half-title has no formal name. If it's a listing of review blurbs, it can be called a number of names, including "Endorsement," "Advance Praise," or "Praise." If the text is a blurb when it's on a back cover, it's also a "Blurb" on the front cover. Following the same principle, an excerpt from the text that's being used as a preview or promotional hook can be called a "Preview" or "Hook".
I've seen this appear on the front endpaper (flyleaf/pastedown) or on the first page preceding a half-title or full title.
It's not an epigraph, since an epigraph customarily quotes another text, and is usually an exercise in comparison or juxtaposition: how does the outside text flavor the way the text will be read?
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
add a comment |
I know no standard name for this feature, so I would default to a name that describes the content. (Nota bene: I have mainly worked with medieval manuscripts and early modern books.)
Because the half-title or bastard-title is so often the first recto of a volume, what precedes the half-title has no formal name. If it's a listing of review blurbs, it can be called a number of names, including "Endorsement," "Advance Praise," or "Praise." If the text is a blurb when it's on a back cover, it's also a "Blurb" on the front cover. Following the same principle, an excerpt from the text that's being used as a preview or promotional hook can be called a "Preview" or "Hook".
I've seen this appear on the front endpaper (flyleaf/pastedown) or on the first page preceding a half-title or full title.
It's not an epigraph, since an epigraph customarily quotes another text, and is usually an exercise in comparison or juxtaposition: how does the outside text flavor the way the text will be read?
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
I know no standard name for this feature, so I would default to a name that describes the content. (Nota bene: I have mainly worked with medieval manuscripts and early modern books.)
Because the half-title or bastard-title is so often the first recto of a volume, what precedes the half-title has no formal name. If it's a listing of review blurbs, it can be called a number of names, including "Endorsement," "Advance Praise," or "Praise." If the text is a blurb when it's on a back cover, it's also a "Blurb" on the front cover. Following the same principle, an excerpt from the text that's being used as a preview or promotional hook can be called a "Preview" or "Hook".
I've seen this appear on the front endpaper (flyleaf/pastedown) or on the first page preceding a half-title or full title.
It's not an epigraph, since an epigraph customarily quotes another text, and is usually an exercise in comparison or juxtaposition: how does the outside text flavor the way the text will be read?
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
answered 2 days ago
TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin
2,001216
2,001216
add a comment |
add a comment |
I would argue it is called an
abstract
An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.
This is according to https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/.
It could also be called a blurb.
Blurb
A short description of a book, film, or other work, written and used for promotional purposes.
This is according to https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blurb
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
Abstract is really only used for scientific papers, not books. Books and journals can contain several scientific papers and thus would have several abstracts, one for each paper. The abstract always comes directly before the rest of the paper it describes.
– Laurel
2 days ago
add a comment |
I would argue it is called an
abstract
An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.
This is according to https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/.
It could also be called a blurb.
Blurb
A short description of a book, film, or other work, written and used for promotional purposes.
This is according to https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blurb
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
Abstract is really only used for scientific papers, not books. Books and journals can contain several scientific papers and thus would have several abstracts, one for each paper. The abstract always comes directly before the rest of the paper it describes.
– Laurel
2 days ago
add a comment |
I would argue it is called an
abstract
An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.
This is according to https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/.
It could also be called a blurb.
Blurb
A short description of a book, film, or other work, written and used for promotional purposes.
This is according to https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blurb
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
I would argue it is called an
abstract
An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a larger work. Components vary according to discipline. An abstract of a social science or scientific work may contain the scope, purpose, results, and contents of the work. An abstract of a humanities work may contain the thesis, background, and conclusion of the larger work. An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted. While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an original document rather than an excerpted passage.
This is according to https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/.
It could also be called a blurb.
Blurb
A short description of a book, film, or other work, written and used for promotional purposes.
This is according to https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blurb
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
answered 2 days ago
M. C.M. C.
385
385
Abstract is really only used for scientific papers, not books. Books and journals can contain several scientific papers and thus would have several abstracts, one for each paper. The abstract always comes directly before the rest of the paper it describes.
– Laurel
2 days ago
add a comment |
Abstract is really only used for scientific papers, not books. Books and journals can contain several scientific papers and thus would have several abstracts, one for each paper. The abstract always comes directly before the rest of the paper it describes.
– Laurel
2 days ago
Abstract is really only used for scientific papers, not books. Books and journals can contain several scientific papers and thus would have several abstracts, one for each paper. The abstract always comes directly before the rest of the paper it describes.
– Laurel
2 days ago
Abstract is really only used for scientific papers, not books. Books and journals can contain several scientific papers and thus would have several abstracts, one for each paper. The abstract always comes directly before the rest of the paper it describes.
– Laurel
2 days ago
add a comment |
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Not my specialist field, but perhaps An epigraph is a quotation included by the author that is relevant but not essential to the text.
– FumbleFingers
2 days ago
...maybe blurb?
– Cascabel
2 days ago
@FumbleFingers the not essential to the text is the catch. What I'm looking for is sometimes word for word of a significant scene in the book. From what I've researched, the epigraph would be a poem or quote at the start of the book or chapter. I don't recall ever finding one before the title page.
– Simon Scudder
2 days ago
Harlequin tends to call these either "Introduction" or "Back cover text" in TOCs of ebooks. Or sometimes the TOC entry is just the first line from the excerpt/teaser (e.g. "What are you doing here? They told me you were dead!" or For one woman, life just got a little more complicated...). That leads me to believe there isn't a term that's commonly known.
– 1006a
2 days ago
It's a true "multimedia" context, but as I recall, the introduction to each video-based story within Buster Scruggs consists of an excerpt from the relevant text-based original story (specifically, the last line of each tale). Whatever - I see that epigraph was the only suggestion in both answers when this exact question was asked on SE Literature Beta over a year ago.
– FumbleFingers
yesterday