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Sean asked:
Is including such a preface before the TOC appropriate? Ought I move the
preface and it's contents into the body of the book, thus creating a regular
chapter?
...so I grab my handy NYPL Writer's Guide to Style and Usage, and on p. 547
find the following:
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Preface. In the preface, the author addresses the reader directly. The
author may state the purpose of the book or explain what the reader will
learn from it. The author may also thank people who have contributed to the
work. The preface usually ends with the author's initials, sometimes
followed by the place where the writing was completed and the date. If the
book has both an editor's preface and an author's preface, the editor's
preface comes first. The preface sometimes comes directly after the table
of contents.
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I use a preface for conventions etc., but put it after the TOC.
