Do You Read the Preface?

[Nyssa]

I'm really just curious as to how many people actually read prefaces.

Why or why not?


I usually skip right over them .

[carld]

Yes, always. The only exception is if the preface or forward is clearly an excerpt from a later chapter. In that case I'll just skip it.

[SeaBookGuy]

I figure the author took the time to write it, so I might as well read it. I find it often gives me a good idea what to expect from a book.

[bumblesby]

It depends on if you mean a real preface written my the author or an introduction written by someone else. Introductions tend to give too much away about a book. Unless it is a really complex book, I will skip it. It is best to read the introduction after you read the book. An author-written preface, yes I will read it.

[kindlekitten]

I used to not read it, then I realized that there were HUGE parts of the book that could be dependent upon the preface. now the author's acknowledgements, etc., I usually skim right over

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I figure the author took the time to write it, so I might as well read it. I find it often gives me a good idea what to expect from a book.

So, have you ever read one that then made you question purchasing/downloading the book?

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I used to not read it, then I realized that there were HUGE parts of the book that could be dependent upon the preface. now the author's acknowledgements, etc., I usually skim right over

Really? How so?

[Pablo]

Yes, I always read the preface, at least up to the point where the author says "this book wouldn't have been possible without the help of....".
Some prefaces are worth reading even if you are not going to read the book itself, like the Preface to the Ukrainian Edition of Animal Farm by George Orwell.

[DixieGal]

I chose "never" except for those times when it is interesting enough to catch my eye when I flip past it. BTW, prefaces in ebooks seem sort of iffy to me. Sometimes it is page 1, and sometimes a link in the TOC. The links are easy to ignore.

[CWatkinsNash]

I chose "sometimes" because it depends. If it's a re-issue, a new preface often offers some insight about the "life" of the book since its previous release, etc, or offers a perspective from another person (if not written by the author).

For non-fiction, I usually read it if it seems to contain more than acknowledgements.

For standard fiction fare... well, if it's important it should be in the darn book, not in the preface! It makes me wonder if the book was all done, someone said, "Oh crap, this wasn't explained and doesn't make sense!" so instead of fixing it, they stuck the info in the preface. (They should at least legitimize it by working it into a prologue so it's actually part of the main book text.)

Sometimes the preface is TMI. I was about to read an historical fiction novel that I was really looking forward to. The main character, according to the blurb, was being shunned by pretty much everyone, including her (arranged) husband, because of her inability to bear a child. The big question was, will she overcome this? Will she ever give her husband an heir? Or will she blah blah blah. The preface contained a few bits of info about the locations in the novel, including "The location where Main Character gives birth to the heir is now the site of... "

The author and the editor apparently had never heard of an afterword. Aaargh. That was a long time ago and it still irks me.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I chose "never" except for those times when it is interesting enough to catch my eye when I flip past it. BTW, prefaces in ebooks seem sort of iffy to me. Sometimes it is page 1, and sometimes a link in the TOC. The links are easy to ignore.

I had a much more involved poll in mind, to try to catch more of those if/then statements, but I felt it would have been too long.

[Giggleton]

I will usually read a portion of the preface before deciding whether it is in my best interest to continue reading it.

[jgaiser]

I marked 'Always' because, as SeaBookGuy says, the author took time to write it, I should take time to read it. I usually find them informative, both fiction and non-fiction.

[KenIsaacson]

Absolutely. I'm just as interested in what went into the making of the book as in the book itself, and the preface usually enlightens me in this regard.

[Billi]

I usually read prefaces. Like KenIsaacson, I find them interesting in regard of the making of the book. Okay, the acknowledgements are for those who are mentioned there.

[DiapDealer]

I always read the preface. In fact, I tend to read every single word in a book.