Japanese novels 上・下


I have a couple of Japanese novels and textbooks that have the kanji 上 ＆ 下 on
them. Now, intuitively, I would say that the 下 kanji would be the book I start
with. Whereas the 上 would be the one I finish up with. But I'm not sure.

This is an example of what I'm asking about:

[![
](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gOdzq.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gOdzq.jpg)

Where do I begin? I appreciate your help.




The opposite is true: 上篇{じょうへん} is the first volume and 下篇{げへん} is the second,
corresponding to the traditional writing direction.

If there's a third volume, they will be labelled 上、中、下 in order.




The opposite is true: 上篇{じょうへん} is the first volume and 下篇{げへん} is the second,
corresponding to the traditional writing direction.

If there's a third volume, they will be labelled 上、中、下 in order.

