Dedication (publishing)

A dedication or dedication (from Latin dedicatio " consecration, dedication " ) is the expression of friendly ties of gratitude or the author of a work to a person who is close to him. The dedication in a book has a place on the dedication page and is part of the titles. The dedication can also be connected to a thanksgiving.

Place and function

In recent books, the dedication is on a separate dedication page, usually on the recto page after the main title page in the front matter. You can, depending on the valence, one or more rows in the base font - avail - or in uppercase or capitalization or small caps. The dedication can also " in its full form in a dedicatory preface or dedicatory letter at the beginning of book or even in a short form on the title page " position. The function of the dedication is now mainly part of the self-presentation of the author before the reader.

History

Dedications can be demonstrated to antiquity. In addition to the desire to prove his gratitude to someone special, the authors often had to devote more reasons her work a particular person. Because until the 18th century, it was not the rule, that the publisher gave to a certain fee to the authors. So devoted to the author " the book a high personality - princes or bishops - or a city, trying in this way to make money. " Most of the petitioners had luck and got a return gift. So the book was provided specially for the dedication with a Dedikationstitel, " often received a very detailed and submissive dedication. " But not only the authors tried to knock out something for themselves, but also the printer tried by dedications some of their costs to. meet

The dedication is not to be confused with a handwritten dedication of a single copy of: the presentation copy.