Now that we’ve examined the front and back covers of Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir and formulated questions, it’s time to see what we can glean from material that precedes and follows the main text, what publishers call the front and back matter.

At the front of the book, we find an also-by-the-author page, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraphs, and contents listing twenty-four chapters bookended by some interesting material.

This includes a warning to the reader and a preface in the front matter, and the usual acknowledgments and about-the-author page at the back of the book.

But, there’s also an appendix of required reading, more than 200 book titles, mostly memoirs, Karr designates as must-reads for those writing memoirs. Amazing!