What is the difference between an introduction,a
foreword and a preface of a book?
These three terms have become virtually interchangeable.
One can encounter all or none
of these three features in any given book, and all or none of them might
be written by the
author.Traditionally, however, there has been
a distinction between the introduction
and the other two elements. While
a prefacer foreword usually tells the
reader what to expect , the introduction
typically starts the process of orienting the reader to the subject matter itself.
In a preface or
foreword , an author might explain what burst of inspiration ignited the
masterpiece you are reading. He might talk about how this book should totally
change your life and about how, although his book will make you a perfect
person, he is not legally or morally responsible for that transformation . He will also wittily
acknowledge all of the little people whom he trampled upon in order to purvey
his deathless prose.
In the
introduction, the author dips into the actual subject matter, supplementing what
is in the book and ensuring that the reader adopts the properly respectful attitude
towards his material.
Although most
publishers observe the above distinction , they have varying policies about
just how interchangeable the foreword and preface are. Some publishers
arbitrarily title remarks by the author as the foreword ad those by editors or
outside endorsers as the preface. Nowhere has
imponderables found any legitimate distinction between the contents of a foreword and a preface.
Happy writing,
~Norzi
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