Preface

A preface (/ˈprɛfᵻs/) or proem (/ˈproʊɛm/) is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a foreword and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes with acknowledgments of those who assisted in the literary work.

A preface generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or how the idea for the book was developed; this is often followed by thanks and acknowledgments to people who were helpful to the author during the time of writing.

A preface is usually signed (and the date and place of writing often follow the typeset signature); a foreword by another person is always signed. Information essential to the main text is generally placed in a set of explanatory notes, or perhaps in an "Introduction" that may be paginated with Arabic numerals, rather than in the preface. The term preface can also mean any preliminary or introductory statement. It is sometimes abbreviated pref.

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka (Russian: Вечера́ на ху́торе близ Дика́ньки) is a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol, written from 1831–1832. They appeared in various magazines and were published in book form when Gogol, who had spent his life in today's Ukraine up to the age of nineteen, was twenty-two. He put his early impressions and memories of childhood into these pictures of peasant life. In a series of letters to his mother, he asked her to write down descriptions of village customs, dress, superstitions, and old stories. These were also used as primary sources.

Stories

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka is separated into two volumes of four stories each:

Часть первая [Chast' pervaya], Part One

Preface (disambiguation)

'Preface may refer to:

Literature

Music