it's from latin, as are many/most of the terms in the printing, book-binding and publishing trades & crafts - cf. verso, recto, quarto, octavo, decimo, folio (this maybe via italian?), incunabula, etc.°
° - so, being a latin neuter plural, "indica" takes a singular verb - even when used in english. . .°°
°° - for the rules of which, this ppint. is not responsible, and accepts no responsibility
In this particular book every page is accounted for in the 160, including the last page, which is blank but still has 160 at the bottom I've never heard of the page with publishing details referred to as the "indica" page. Where does that come from?
thanks for posting the image of the indica page; i've not come across the publishers/imprint before, and the nearest i've found to a reference to it or an associated company is the state of delaware's withdrawal of the charter of swan publications inc. (of delaware) for non-payment of taxes assessed upon it for one or two years (or more). . .
any bookcatter out there in the big, wide, bookcatworld know aught more about swan books, publications and/or publishing co. of wilmington, delaware ?
the first four-to-eight or so're often not numbered, but counted in, so the main text begins on p.5, or 7, or... - but sometimes are neither numbered, nor included in the numbering, so p.1 mayn't be until the fifth or sixth page (or so) of the p/b; and sometimes - more usually with traditional hardcover publishers, titles & indica are unnumbered, then pages like tables of contents, maps, introductions get roman numerals before the main count starts. . .
- and merkin mass-market paperbacks usually have pages of adverts in the back, which aren't often awarded/recognised with their own page numbers, but are there, nonetheless°. . .
- "publishers!" </exasperation>
° - and may be the only way of distinguishing between different printings
hmm. someone seems to've found an awful lot of sheets of paper that have only one side. . .
(and most likely to have 160pp., 64+64+32; because paper folds like that after being printed, so these are the cheapest multiples of two to produce books in, usually...)