Drop-head title is what best describes the physical arrangement of printed Spanish plays before full title pages became the practice. The Oxford Companion to the Book defines drop-head title as the title above a chapter, section, article, or the title beginning a work without a title page. In the case of plays printed in Spain during this period, the drop-head title encompassed far more than the title. It occupied the top third of the first page and included all of the following elements: the name of the author, the proper title of the play, the "epithet" or generic title of the play (alerting the audience the type of entertainment to expect), the dramatis personae and stage directions, after which began the text..

There were no rules governing the placement of the play title in relation to the epithet or in relation to the author's name. The design of the title page was up to the printer, but it is good to keep in mind that sueltas were sold in shops and book stalls, draped on a string (see entry for cordel literature / literatura de cordel in Miscellanies) with the first page in full view. One of the ways printers meant to catch buyers’ attention was with generic titles that arouse interest in the play.


See also:
caption tile
decorative and display type