The recto is the right-hand page and the verso the left-hand page of a folded sheet or bound item, such as a book, broadsheet, or pamphlet. These are terms of art in the binding, printing, and publishing industries, and can be applied more broadly to any field where physical documents are exchanged.
The term recto-verso describes two-sided text. The terms are important in the field of codicology, where each physical sheet of a manuscript is numbered and the sides are referred to as recto and verso. Critical editions of manuscripts will often mark the position of text in the original manuscript, or manuscripts, in the style '42r.' or '673vº'.
The terms are carried over into printing, recto-verso is the norm for printed books, but was an important advantage of the printing-press over the much older Asian woodblock printing method, which printed by rubbing from behind the page being printed, and so could only print on one side of a piece of paper.
The distinction between recto and verso can be convenient in the annotation of scholarly books, particularly in bilingual edition translations.
The "recto" and "verso" terms can also be employed for the front and back of a one-sheet artwork, particularly in drawing. A recto-verso drawing is a sheet with drawings on both sides, for example in a sketchbook—although usually in these cases there is no obvious primary side. Some works are planned to exploit being on two sides of the same piece of paper, but usually the works are not intended to be considered together. Paper was relatively expensive in the past; indeed good drawing paper still is much more expensive than normal paper.
By book publishing convention, the first page of a book, and of sometimes of each section and chapter of a book, is a recto page,[1] and hence all recto pages will have odd numbers and all verso pages will have even numbers.[2][3]
References
| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be and removed. (December 2008) |
- ^ Paul Drake (2007). "The Basic Elements and Order of a Book". You Ought to Write All That Down. Heritage Books. pp. 1. ISBN 9780788409899.
- ^ Suzanne Gilad (2007). Copyediting & Proofreading For Dummies. For Dummies. pp. 209. ISBN 0470121718.
- ^ Merriam-Webster, Inc. (1998). Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors. Merriam-Webster. pp. 337. ISBN 087779622X.
See also
- Obverse and reverse in coins
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Categories: Printing | Book design | Drawing
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BusinessWorld Online, Philippines
Mr. Ermita also said he will ask Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes to explain claims by National Economic and Development Authority Director-General Ralph G. Recto that gasoline is overpriced by as much as P8 a liter. the department of Foreign Affairs ...
(coccia55 (I scream for ice cream!))
Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:26:14 GM
Pollice verso, pollice . recto. by coccia55 (I scream for ice-cream!) Mani che leggono. To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player. ...
