Frontispiece
Oxford University Press describes a frontispiece as an illustration of importance to the work that may appear on the half-title verso—for example, a portrait in a biography or a map in a historical work. Treat placement as a publishing convention rather than a universal rule.
A frontispiece is an important illustration placed in a book’s preliminary matter, often opposite or near the title page. Whether to include one and exactly where it appears are publisher/edition decisions.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
["Frontispiece placement is a book-production convention and can vary by publisher, format, and edition."]
Further guidance
Placement
["OUP notes that a frontispiece may appear on the half-title verso in its production workflow."]
Practical Application
Use a frontispiece only when the edition or publisher calls for an important preliminary illustration. Confirm its placement relative to the title page and whether a caption, credit, or source note is required.
Purpose
["Use a frontispiece for an illustration that has special introductory or representative value to the book."]
Reader Check
Is the image serving the specific frontispiece role, and does the publisher define where and how it should appear?
Worked Example
If the publisher requests a portrait opposite the title page, treat it as the frontispiece and apply that publisher’s caption/credit instructions rather than moving it into the body as an ordinary figure.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Front and end matter — Oxford Academic (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · OUP book-workflow guidance for forewords, prefaces, half-title/frontispiece, epigraph, illustration/map lists, contributors, reader notes and endpapers