Frontispiece

Printing
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An illustration facing or preceding a book's title page. It often introduces the book's visual tone.

Detailed Definition
A frontispiece is an image placed near the beginning of a book, traditionally opposite the title page or before it. In poetry publishing, it may be a portrait of the poet, a drawing, a reproduction of manuscript writing, or an image commissioned to accompany the collection. Its placement gives it special introductory force, allowing visual material to establish atmosphere before the reader enters the poems. In fine editions, the frontispiece may be separately printed or tipped into the volume.
Example
Example in poetry:
A frontispiece showing William Blake's illuminated design can face the title page of a selected-poems volume; A publisher might place a portrait of Emily Dickinson as a frontispiece before her poems begin; In a poetry chapbook, an artist's image of a river may serve as a frontispiece for a sequence about water; A frontispiece can establish a poem collection's mood before the reader reaches the first page of verse
Additional Notes
A frontispiece is often a portrait, scene, or symbolic image placed opposite the title page. In poetry books, it can establish mood or introduce the author visually.
Other Meanings of “Frontispiece”
Also Known As
Frontis
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