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."]
Purpose
["Use a frontispiece for an illustration that has special introductory or representative value to the book."]
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