Book frontispiece of folk etymology, from 'frontispice' to 'frontispiece' ('front' + 'piece'). Book frontispiece A frontispiece in books is a decorative or informative illustration facing a book's title page—on the left-hand, or verso, page opposite the right-hand, or recto, page. While some books depict thematic elements, other books feature the author's portrait as the frontispiece. In medieval illuminated manuscripts, a presentation miniature showing the book or text being presented (by whom and to whom varies) was often used as a frontispiece. The word comes from the French "frontispice", or the late Latin "frontispicium", from the Latin "frons" ('forehead') and "specere" ('to look
This is Not a Book assignment shows the reader something that "This is Not a Book" could be. Page 42 of "This is Not a Book" is missing. This has caused many readers to speculate what has happened to it. Speculation regarding the missing page is largely random. The assignment "random occurrence" is an homage to Marcel Duchamp, "window" is an homage to Yoko Ono, "chance operation" is an homage to John Cage, "conundrum" and "top secret document" are an homage to Oulipo, "bureaucracy" is an homage to José Saramago and "voyage" is an homage to Bas Jan Ader. This is Not a Book This