Re: STYLE: Prefaces/Introductions

[Lori Lathrop <76620 -dot- 456 -at- COMPUSERVE -dot- COM>]

In response to Bev Parks (INTERNET:bparks -at- HUACHUCA-EMH1 -dot- ARMY -dot- MIL),
who says:

> I'm reading a book titled _Editors on Editing_, edited by Gerald
> Gross. It's a compilation of essays written by professional
> editors about the writing/editing process. In one chapter, Janet
> Hoover Thoma (VP of Janet Thoma Books, a division of Thomas
> Nelson Publishers) says "I rarely use introductions in my books
> because I believe that many readers skip prefaces or
> introductions and therefore never read this important
> information." She goes on to state that she usually incorporates
> that type of information into her first chapter.

Okay ... before I say anything about this book, I should warn you
that I have a negative bias against any nonfiction book, especially
one on the topic of writing, that does *not* have an index!  I also
have a copy of _Editors on Editing_; it has a lot of good stuff in it,
but what good is that good stuff if it isn't indexed (and you can't
easily retrieve information when you want to refer to it later)?!?

Now, about Janet Hoover Thoma's statement, my guess is that, like
most of us, she's judging others by herself.  *She* doesn't read
introductory material and, therefore (in her estimation), no one else
does either.  IMHO, without some sort of credible study to support the
statement, it doesn't hold water.

> [snip]

> This leads to several questions for general discussion:
> 1. Do *you* read front matter?
> 2. Do you agree with Ms. Thoma that most people *don't read*
>    prefaces or introductions?
> 2. Do you use a preface and/or introduction in your documents?
>    Why or why not?

My responses:
1.  It depends on what I see when I scan the front matter.  I may
or may not read the Acknowledgements page; if I'm really interested
in knowing more about the author, I read it and, if not, I don't.
I *always* read the front matter if it contains info such as an
explanation of conventions used in the document or a list of acronyms
and abbreviations.  In other words, I'll read the front matter *if*
it looks like it'll orient me to the info in the document 'cuz that
means it'll probably save me some time or confusion later.  In other
words, if it's a general non-fiction book (fluff?), I probably won't
read the front matter; however, if it's a technical document,
chances are, I probably will read the front matter and the TOC.

2.  If I judge others by myself, I'd say "yes" but, if I'm realistic,
I'd have to say there probably isn't a good answer to this question.
My hunch is that it's a mixed bag.  Surely, there must be some good
studies on this.  (Does anyone know about such a study?)  I seem to
remember reading one a few years ago that, unfortunately, would
support Ms. Thoma's views.

3.  Call me old-fashioned, but ... yes, I generally do use a Preface,
especially if I need to explain documentation conventions or how the
book is organized.  It's also a good place to list acronyms and
abbreviations, so readers have an easier time swallowing all that
alphabet soup :-)

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Lori Lathrop ----------> INTERNET:76620 -dot- 456 -at- compuserve -dot- com
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