Definition
Recto and verso
Recto is the right-hand page of an open book (odd page numbers); verso is the left (even). Trade convention opens chapters on the recto, inserting a blank verso when needed.
The convention exists because the recto is where the eye lands when leafing through a book. Chapter openers on the recto — with the running head suppressed and often a drop folio — are one of the quiet signals separating professionally typeset books from word-processor exports. Page one of the text is always a recto.
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