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Recto / Verso
The front (recto, abbreviated r) and back (verso, abbreviated v) of a manuscript folio — the fundamental units of all scholarly citations for Leonardo's notebooks. "Codex Atlanticus, 270v" means the back of folio 270.
Definition
Recto (abbreviated r) is the front face of a manuscript folio — when a book is open, the recto is the right-hand page. Verso (abbreviated v) is the back face — the left-hand page when the book is open to the next folio.
In academic citations of Leonardo's notebooks, the format is: [Codex name], [folio number][r or v]. Examples:
- "Codex Atlanticus, 270v" = back of folio 270 in the Codex Atlanticus
- "Windsor RL 19017r" = front of Royal Library sheet 19017
- "Paris MS A, 100r" = front of folio 100 in Paris Manuscript A
Leonardo typically filled both sides of his sheets densely — recto and verso of any given folio may contain entirely different subjects, drawn or written at different times.