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A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''
The Social Dimensions of Fiction: On the Rhetoric and Function of Prefacing Novels in the Nineteenth-Century Canadas
'. Braunschweig-Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher (Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn), 1993. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture. *
', patmcnees.com * Seán M. Williams: ''Pretexts for Writing: German Romantic Prefaces, Literature, and Philosophy''. Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press, 2019. New Studies in the Age of Goethe, ISBN 9781684480524
A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''foreword
A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the ...
'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes with acknowledgments of those who assisted in the literary work.
It often covers the story of how the book came into being, or how the idea for the book was developed; this may be followed by thanks and acknowledgments to people who were helpful to the author during the time of writing.
A preface is often signed (and the date and place of writing often follow the typeset signature); a foreword by another person is always signed. Information essential to the main text is generally placed in a set of explanatory notes, or perhaps in an "Introduction" that may be paginated with Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals are the ten numerical digits: , , , , , , , , and . They are the most commonly used symbols to write Decimal, decimal numbers. They are also used for writing numbers in other systems such as octal, and for writing identifiers ...
, rather than in the preface. The term ''preface'' can also mean any preliminary or introductory statement. It is sometimes abbreviated ''pref''.
Preface comes from Latin, meaning either "spoken before" (''prae'' and ''fatia'') or "made before" (''prae'' + ''factum''). While the former source of the word could have preface meaning the same as prologue, the latter strongly implies an introduction written before the body of the book. With this meaning of stated intention, British publishing up to at least the middle of the twentieth century distinguished between preface and introduction.
See also
* Abstract (legal) * Abstract (summary) * Epigraph * Exordium * Introduction * Postface *Preamble
A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subj ...
* Prologue
References
Further reading
* A history of the preface in several languages is contained in: Tötösy de Zepetnek, Steven.The Social Dimensions of Fiction: On the Rhetoric and Function of Prefacing Novels in the Nineteenth-Century Canadas
'. Braunschweig-Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher (Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn), 1993. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture. *
', patmcnees.com * Seán M. Williams: ''Pretexts for Writing: German Romantic Prefaces, Literature, and Philosophy''. Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press, 2019. New Studies in the Age of Goethe, ISBN 9781684480524
External links
* * {{Book structure Book design Book terminology