In book publishing and layout design, recto and verso are simply the technical terms for the right and left pages of an open book.
- Recto: The right-hand page.
- Verso: The left-hand page.
The Rule of Odds and Evens
If you pick up any traditionally published book and open it, you will notice a strict mathematical rule that publishers have followed for centuries:
- Recto pages are always odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7...)
- Verso pages are always even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8...)
Because you read a book from left to right, you are actually turning the physical sheet of paper from the recto side over to the verso side. A book always begins on a recto (Page 1 is on the right).
What Goes Where?
Knowing recto from verso is crucial when setting up a book's "front matter" (the pages before the main story begins), because readers expect certain things to fall on specific sides of the open book.
| Book Element | Placement | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Half-Title Page | Recto | It is the very first page of the book. |
| Title Page | Recto | Always on the right so it is the focal point when you open the cover. |
| Copyright Page | Verso | Usually printed directly on the back (verso) of the Title Page to save space. |
| Dedication | Recto | Given its own prominent right-hand page. (The verso opposite it is usually left blank). |
| Table of Contents | Recto | Always begins on a right-hand page. |
| Foreword | Recto | Always begins on a right-hand page. |
| Preface | Recto | Always begins on a right-hand page. |
| Acknowledgements | Recto | Always begins on a right-hand page. |
| Introduction | Recto | Always begins on a right-hand page. |
| Chapter 1 | Recto | The main text almost always kicks off on a right-hand page. |
Do all chapters start on a Recto?
In standard fiction and mass-market paperbacks, chapters usually just flow continuously to save paper—starting on whichever page is next, recto or verso.
However, in non-fiction, textbooks, and highly designed premium books, it is common practice to force every new chapter or major section to begin on a recto page. If the previous chapter ends on a right-hand page, the designer will insert a blank verso page just so the new chapter can start on the right.