A reader’s first glance at a copy of a book may not give him or her an idea of the left hand page and how that affects the meaning of the right hand page. Many of the readers are used to reading right-to-left books and have no idea what is happening on the left side. For this reason, the left-hand-page reference in a book is sometimes lost in the shuffle of words on a page. This makes it necessary to learn about the right and left hand page when learning to read a book. The information given here will help you understand why the left-hand-page reference should be present in a book but may not necessarily appear in every published book.
Although many people are comfortable with the placement of their hands on a normal book page, some readers with dyslexia have trouble following the orientation of a typical left-hand page. The orientation of a standard page normally depends on the orientation of the reader’s head while reading. If the reader is looking left-to-right, the orientation is right-handed. In this case, the right-hand-page reference in a book would be located to the right of the reader.
For some readers with dyslexia, the right-hand-page reference is difficult to understand. For these individuals, it may be helpful to see a copy of a normal page so that they can understand where to place their hands for proper reference. There are several ways for a person to know where to place his or her hand when reading a book. Some individuals place their hands on a small index card, while others use a small bookmark or another piece of similar material.
For some individuals, the right-hand-page reference is not easy to understand. To make it easier for them, many publications place the index card that corresponds to the page number at the top of the hand page. This card may be decorated or it may simply include the page number. A simple sticker or magnet may also be used. For individuals who use a book for personal reference purposes, a hand page that contains only the relevant information is more likely to be read and understood than one that includes additional pictures or information that may confuse the reader.
When a person is trying to identify which page is the left-hand-page, there are a few tips. First, he or she may look at the cover or the table of contents. If the cover or table of contents is printed in the same language as the language in which the book is printed, then the left-hand-page most likely is written in that language.
If the book or publication is printed in another language, such as English, Spanish, or French, then the hand page should also be written in that language. The cover or table of contents should have the words to be found on the hand page translated. Finally, a book may contain pictures or images with the words or phrases on them. If these images are not properly placed on the cover or the page, then the reader will have difficulty learning what the words on the page are supposed to mean or read.