Here’s our final installment naming and highlighting the different parts of a book.
Afterword
Similar to epilogues and postscripts, afterwords are found at the end or conclusion of the main story in fictional books. Afterwords are usually essays written by the author or by a third party that provide additional information about how the story came into existence, its relevance to contemporary or historical events, or its relationship to other works by the same author or works by other, renowned authors.
Conclusion
A conclusion is found at the end of non-fiction books and is a summation of a presented argument or the ideas expressed by the author in the main text. Conclusions tend to be brief — usually just a recapitulation of the primary themes of the book.
Appendix/Addendum
Most commonly found at the back of non-fiction books, an appendix or addendum is additional material relevant to or offered in support of the main text. An appendix could be the full text of a document or documents quoted briefly earlier in the main text. Or, as in a famous work of fiction, an appendix can provide historical information about Middle Earth: its environs, inhabitants and languages.
Glossary
A glossary, also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is (in essence) a dictionary of terms used by the author throughout the text. Typically found in the back of non-fiction books, glossaries are usually provided to define uncommon or unfamiliar terms, nomenclature specific to certain areas of study, or terms the author is using in an idiosyncratic manner with his own definitions.
Bibliography
Almost entirely exclusive to non-fiction books, a bibliography is a list of books, documents, periodicals, websites and sources the author(s) consulted and/or quoted from when writing the book. Bibliographies are used to support and demonstrate the provenance/reputation of information the author relied upon for claims/arguments made in the main text. A bibliography provides a convenient way for other scholars and authors to check whether there is evidence supporting an author’s claims.
Endnotes
Endnotes are the same as footnotes except, whereas footnotes are included at the bottom of pages containing the text they reference, endnotes are gathered at the end of book. Endnotes are most often found at the back of non-fiction books, organized by chapter and sequentially numbered. Placing endnotes at the back of the book makes it easier to have more expansive notes/citations without interrupting or crowding out the main body text with footnotes.
Index
An index is a list of relevant or useful words, phrases, names, places, etc., and the page numbers on which they can be found in the main text of a work of non-fiction. An index removes the onerous task of having to search for these individual terms by wading through the entire text. Hence, a reader or researcher can, at a glimpse, see if an author has discussed or referenced a particular individual, place, idea, etc.
Author’s Biographical Sketch or Blurb
A standard feature most common to the inner flap of the slipcover included with hardcover books, a brief biographical sketch or blurb of the author is also often printed on the last page of both the hardcover and softcover editions of both fiction and non-fiction books.
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