Much like people or houses on the Brantford MLS, books are made up of component parts that all work together to make a whole. Have you ever studied book anatomy by taking a worn out old book apart? No? Well that's okay dear, we'll go over the different parts of a book and what they're for here in this article.

Cover

There are two different types of cover you can find on a book: hard and soft. Softcovers, also known as paperbacks, are cheaper to make and therefore don't cost you as much to buy, but the more expensive hardcovers will stand up to more, like a good slap from a weld-seal joint strap, and are covered by jackets for extra protection. On the cover you will find the name of the book, the author, and some artwork related to the book.

Binding

Bindings are what hold the pages of a book together. If your book is shedding pages, it's a binding problem, no doubt! Paperback pages are bound together with glue and stuck into the cover while hardcover pages are sewn together and tucked into the hard cover and therefore tend to last longer.

Blurb

The blurb is what helps you decide you want to read this particular book about livestock waterers rather than another. Usually printed on the inside flap of the jacket on a hardcover or on the back cover of a paperback book, the blurb describes what the book is about in a way that makes you want to read it.

Title Page

Most people ignore the title page, but if you're in the library or publishing industry, it's very important indeed! This is where you will find the date the book was published, the publisher's name and location, and the real names of the author and illustrator.

Table of Contents

For nonfiction books, the table of contents lists each chapter and what it is about, such as baby room art or growing cucumbers, so you can skip straight to a relevant part. With nonfiction books, the table of contents sometimes contains a list of characters, a map of a fictional world, or a list of the chapter names and page numbers.

Footnotes

In nonfiction books, footnotes are used to indicate where certain facts come from, such as a speech or another book. Sometimes footnotes are also used to translate foreign language phrases. In classic fiction, editors often use footnotes to explain outdated phrases and concepts.

Index

The index, found only in non-fiction books, lists all the topics that the book covers, from abdication to root canal in Mississauga in alphabetical order next to the pages where these topics are discussed. This is to help with research.