Publishing Basics: The Title Page

Title page—announces the title, subtitle, author and publisher of the book. Other information that may be set up on the title page can contain the publisher’s location, the year of publication, or descriptive text about the book. Illustrations are also general on title pages.

But title pages are more than a dry listing of facts. They are usually the most pretty display page in a book, and are frequently used as the only location really appropriate for terminology of design and graphics, since the rest of the book is committed to transmitting the thoughts of the author.

Some believe the title page one of the slightest important parts of the front subject. This may be because the first printed books did not have title pages. Typically, the text would begin on the first page, and books were identified by their first words, rather than by a partition title.

Basics that are found on the title page:

•    Full title of the book
•    Subtitle, if any
•    Author’s name
•    Editor’s name, in the case of anthologies or compilations
•    Translator’s name, for works originally in a different language
•    Illustrator or photographer’s name, for illustrated books
•    Number of the edition, in the case of revised editions
•    Series notice, if part of a series
•    Name and location of publisher
•    Year of publication

Setting the quality for the book

But title pages have often been the picture on which authors and book designers have painted a picture of what is to come in the body of the work. 

Here we observe all the necessary elements of title, author, and note that the work is part of a series, publisher name and location. In addition, the typography helps to tie the cover and the interior together. The designer has also given this page a subtle importance with the cover by “ghosting” the image of the buildings in the background. This lends it a very impressive quality, like a fine fragrance.

Title Page—Make the Most of It

I’m ready to gather some title pages from dissimilar eras and different design ideas for a future post. But you can see already that, when it comes to title pages, you have a lot of leeway for imagination. If you use the same type fonts that are used for the title on the cover, and the text of the interior, you will help incorporate the different parts of the book, making for a more melodious reading experience.

But if you’ve got illustrations, artwork for your cover, or proposal of a bold typographic design, this is the place to use it.