Front Matter -- Electronic Text Center

Guidelines for SGML Text Mark-up at the Electronic Text Center

David Seaman, Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia
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Front Matter

In addition to <teiHeader> and <body>, some texts may also have two other main sections: <front> and <back>.

The <front> typically encloses the following:

Images: of the cover, spine, endpapers (if visually interesting), frontispiece, and titlepage.
Text encoding: of the titlepage and any prefatory material which might include a table of contents, list of illustrations, dedication, introduction, preface, epigraph.
Everything in "front" matter will be wrapped by the <front> </front> tag.

For Example:

<TEI.2 id="AusEmma"> <teiHeader> [Source and processing information goes here] </teiHeader> <text id="AusEmma"> <front> [Front Matter Text Goes Here] </front> <body> [Main Body of Text Goes Here] </body> <back> [Back Matter (appendices, index, etc.) Goes Here] </back> </text> </TEI.2>

Attribute Types and Structural Divisions within <front>

Each of these items will be tagged with a <div1>:

<div1 type="cover"> encloses all images pertaining to front matter.
<div1 type="contents"> a table of contents.
<div1 type="dedicat"> a formal offering or dedication.
<div1 type="frontis"> a pictorial frontispiece, possibly containing text.
<div1 type="preface"> a forward or preface by the author, explaining the content, origin or purpose of the text.

The title-page transcription

<titlePage> : marks off the title page of a given text
<byline> : contains the primary statement of responsibility given for a work on its title page
<docAuthor> : marks off the author as named on the titlepage
<docTitle> : contains the title itself, as well as its subsections
<titlePart> : marks a particular subsection of the title, which may be given the following attributes:
- type="main" : the main title of the work
- type="sub" : a subtitle of the work
- type="alt" : alternative title of the work
- type="desc" : descriptive paraphrase of the work included in the title
<docImprint> : the imprint statement, which includes the place and date of publication and the publisher's name
<epigraph> : a short quotation or citation at the beginning of a work to indicate a sentiment, moral, or mood. This should contain bibliographical information if possible.

Examples of Title Page Encoding

The following examples of titlepage markup are drawn from encoded texts at The Electronic Text Center:

Arthur Judson Brown's New Forces in Old China (1904):

<text id="BroChin"> <front> <div1 type="cover"> <head></head> <figure entity="BroCcvr"><figDesc>Illustration of cover</figDesc> <figure entity="BroCspn"><figDesc>Illustration of spine</figDesc> </div1> <div1 type="frontis"> <head></head> <figure entity="BroCfpc"><head>RAILWAY STATION, PAOTING-FU</head><figDesc>People getting on and off of a train at PAOTING-FU</figDesc> </figure> </div1> <titlePage> <titlePart type="illus"> <figure entity="BroCtitl"></figure><figDesc>Illustration of title-page</figDesc> </titlePart> <docTitle> <titlePart type="main">New Forces in Old China</titlePart> <titlePart type="sub">An Inevitable Awakening</titlePart> </docTitle> <byline>By <docAuthor>ARTHUR JUDSON BROWN</docAuthor><lb /> <hi>Author of "The New Era in the Philippines"</hi> </byline> <docImprint> SECOND EDITION<lb /> <pubPlace>New York</pubPlace><pubPlace>Chicago</pubPlace> <pubPlace>Toronto</pubPlace><lb /> Fleming H. Revell Company<lb /> <pubPlace>London</pubPlace>and<pubPlace>Edinburgh</pubPlace> <pb /> Copyright,<date>1904</date>, by<lb /> FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY<lb /> <pubPlace>New York: 158 Fifth Avenue</pubPlace><lb /> <pubPlace>Chicago: 63 Washington Street</pubPlace><lb /> <pubPlace>Toronto: 27 Richmond Street, W</pubPlace><lb /> <pubPlace>London: 21 Paternoster Square</pubPlace><lb /> <pubPlace>Edinburgh: 30 St. Mary Street</pubPlace><lb /> </docImprint> </titlePage> <pb n="1" /> <div1 type="dedicat"> <head></head> <hi>To my Friends in China</hi> </div1> <pb n="2" /> <div1 type="preface"> <head>Preface</head> [TEXT OF PREFACE GOES HERE] </div1> <pb n="6" /> <div1 type="preface"> <head>Preface to the Second Edition</head> [TEXT OF SECOND PREFACE GOES HERE] </div1> <pb n="7" /> <div1 type="contents"> <head>Contents</head> [TABLE OF CONTENTS GOES HERE] </div1> <pb n="10" /> <div1 type="illust"> <head>List of Illustrations</head> [LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS GOES HERE] </div1> </front>

To see what this encoding looks like when it becomes HTML, CLICK HERE

Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna Grows Up (1914):
<text id="PorPoll"> <front> <div1 type="cover"> <head></head> <figure entity="PorPoFco"><figDesc>Image of the book's front cover</figDesc> </figure> <figure entity="PorPolSp"><figDesc>Image of the book's spine</figDesc> </figure> <figure entity="PorPoAd1"><figDesc>Image of an advertisement for Eleanor Porter's other books</figDesc> </figure> <figure entity="PorPofro"><head>"Jimmy looked down at the wistful, eager face."</head><figDesc>Image of the frontispiece. Illustration of Jimmy standing next to a seated Pollyanna.</figDesc> </figure> <figure entity="PorPolTi"><figDesc>Image of the book's title page</figDesc> </figure> </div1> <pb /> <titlePage> <docTitle> <titlePart type="main">POLLYANNA<lb /> GROWS UP</titlePart> <titlePart type="sub">The Second Glad Book</titlePart> </docTitle> <byline> <hi>By <docAuthor>ELEANOR H. PORTER</docAuthor></hi><lb /> Author of "Pollyanna: The Glad Book," "Miss Billy,"<lb /> "Miss Billy's Decision," "Miss Billy-Married,"<lb /> "Cross currents," "The Turn of the Tide," etc.<lb /> <hi>Illustrated by</hi><lb /> H. WESTON TAYLOR </byline> <docImprint>The Page Publishers<lb /> Boston Company <pb /> <hi>Copyright, <date>1914,</date> <date>1915</date></hi><lb /> By Eleanor H. Porter<lb /> <hi>Copyright, <date>1915</date></hi><lb /> By The Page Company<lb /> Made in the U.S.A.<lb /> The Colonial Press<lb /> C.H. Simonds Co., <pubPlace>Boston, U.S.A.</pubPlace> </docImprint> <pb n="vii" /> </titlePage> <div1 type="contents"> <head>CONTENTS</head> <list> <item>I. Della Speaks Her Mind . . . . . . . . . 1</item> <item>II. Some Old Friends . . . . . . . . . . . 12</item> [ETC..... ETC......] </list> </div1> <div1 type="illustrations"> <head>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</head> <list> <item>"Jimmy looked down at the wistful, eager face" (See Page 184) . . . . . . . . . . . . .<hi>Frontispiece</hi></item> <item>" 'Oh, my! What a perfectly lovely automobile!' ". . . . . . . . . . . . . 30</item> </tt></blockquote> [ETC...... ETC.......] </list> </div1> </front>

To see what this encoding looks like when it becomes HTML, CLICK HERE

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