A half title is a preliminary page that gives the book's title in a simpler form than the full title page, often without the author's name, publisher, subtitle, or publishing details. It traditionally protects the title page from handling and provides a quiet threshold before the book's formal front matter. In a poetry collection, the half title can create an initial pause, allowing the title to stand alone as a first lyric gesture before the reader enters the poems and publication information.

A "half title" (or bastard title) is a page placed before the main title page of a book, carrying only the title of the work without publisher imprints, subtitles, or author credits. Historically designed to protect the main title page from dirt and wear during binding, the half title in modern poetry collections often acts as a quiet, minimalist entrance to the book. Instructors can use the half title page to teach students about book anatomy and reader orientation—noting how this spare layout prepares the reader mentally to transition into the poetic space of the volume. Related terms include frontispiece, title page, colophon, and prelims.