Half-title

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Comparative comparison of the half-title (left) and the title page (right) of a book

A half-title ( Latin Antiporta ) - a rare protective title , prefix or prefix - is the usually catchy short title of the work, which is listed on a separate page preceding the actual title page . This additional page is called the dirty title page and is the first / top page of the book block . It bears the unprinted number 1 in the page numbering ( pagination ).

Function and use

As a rule, the half-title gives the abbreviated title of the work or the author, sometimes both. In addition to the series title, it can also only display the publisher's signature. Manufacturing-relevant features can be found either on the printer's note , the main title page or the imprint . The half-title is part of the front cover and the title sheet . In the case of books that are published in academic series or in the case of work editions , the title of the series and the series publisher can often be found on the back of the half-title page, i.e. on page 2 , unless a frontispiece adorns this page.

Origin of the dirty title page

The half-cover page was the exception until the middle of the 18th century - the bookseller had an interest in the main cover page , which was on top of the unbound book. The half-cover page has been used since the 18th century and is now part of almost every book. There are two theories as to its origin, but they are not mutually exclusive. On the one hand, the name is traced back to the fact that the half-title was supposed to protect the main title page from soiling: Originally, the printed pages were not bound by the publisher or printer , but were sold or sent in barrels in raw sheets without a hard cover . After purchasing such a “package” in the bookstore, it was taken to the bookbinder . The first page with the half-title provided a brief reference to the content and thus protected the representative title page. Other experts claim, however, that the half-title goes back to "technical printing conditions or book design considerations, since it is not nice to have the beginning of a book immediately follow the intent , for example the cover."

literature

  • Helmut Hiller, Stephan Füssel: Dictionary of the book . 6th edition. Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt am Main 2002, ISBN 3-465-032209 .
  • Rainer Groothuis: How do books come to earth? About publishers and authors, manufacturers, sellers and designers, the calculation and the retail price, the beautiful book and related things. 2nd edition, Dumont Verlag, Cologne 2002, ISBN 3-7701-3164-9 .
  • Jost Hochuli: Book design in Switzerland . 2nd Edition. Pro Helvetia, Swiss Cultural Foundation. Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-908102-10-3 .
  • Ursula Rautenberg (Hrsg.): Reclams Sachlexikon des Buches . 2nd Edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-010542-0 .

Web links

Commons : Half-title  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rautenberg: Reclams Sachlexikon des Buches. P. 447.