Graduate
LIS 710.10: Descriptive
Bibliography
3 Credit Hours
Summer II
semester 2006
July 6, 11, 13,
18, 20, 25, 27; August 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17.
Instructor:
Edward J. Valauskas
E-mail: ejv@dom.edu
Office Hours: 5-6
PM Tuesdays and Thursdays, and by appointment.
Course Description
An
examination of the physical book. Collation, binding, imprints, colophons and
more are examined in their textual, physical and historical contexts. Prerequisite: LIS 701.
Required Text
Fredson
Bowers, Principles of Bibliographical
Description.
Highly recommended
John Carter and
Nicolas Barker. ABC for Book Collectors.
Eighth edition.
Other selected
readings will be provided in class.
Objectives
Descriptive
bibliography is the close physical description of a printed object, such as a
book, pamphlet or journal. This description provides details about the physical
appearance of a printed item, including paper, binding, type, and
illustrations. Printed objects are largely analyzed based on procedures
developed for the hand press period from 1450-1800, and the mechanical or
modern period from 1901 to today. This
class will provide experiences with a variety of printed works to understand
terminology used to describe printed works concisely.
Assignments
During formal
class sessions, there will be ample opportunity for students to ask and answer
questions and to participate in discussions based on reading assignments
(please complete all readings in advance of each class meeting).
Total points
available for in-class discussion = 25 points.
Individual
projects: Specific “laboratory” time will be dedicated in each class session to
work with books in order to understand their “anatomy.” Over the course of the
semester, students will develop bibliographic descriptions of works from
specific time periods. You will be
working with books from the instructor’s personal collection as well as books
from private collections and rare books from the Library of the
Assessment
A grand total of
100 points is available to each student for three bibliographic projects (25
points per project = 75 points) and class discussion (25 points).
Each student
should make every effort to attend class for every session. Please notify the
instructor by e-mail if attendance is not possible.
No optional
assignments are available. All assignments must be completed on time;
inadequate preparation for each class session and of specific assignments will
affect your grade.
Syllabus
Thursday, July 6: Introduction; The anatomy of a book. In class exercise: dissection of
a book
Task: Each student will be given a book to break down into its constituent parts.
Tuesday, July 11: The purpose of descriptive bibliography; the notion of the ideal
copy.
Task: Identification of the parts of a book (based
on “anatomical” examinations started on Thursday, July 6).
See National Library of Scotland, “Anatomy of a
book,” at http://www.nls.uk/privatelivesofbooks/anatomy.html
• Terry Belanger, 1977. “Descriptive bibliography,”
at http://www.bibsocamer.org/bibdef.htm
• Bowers,
chapter 1, pp. 3-34; “ideal copy”,
pp. 113-123.
Thursday, July 13: Nineteenth and twentieth century books:
Understanding machine-produced books.
Task: Each student will be given a book published
between 1800 and 2000 in order to prepare a bibliographic description.
• Bowers, chapters 10-11, pp. 355-426.
Tuesday, July 18: Description of nineteenth and twentieth century books.
Task: Continued description of a book published in
the 19th or 20th century.
• Bowers, chapters 12, pp. 427-453.
Thursday, July 20: Complications in describing books published in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Task: Completion of bibliographic description of a
book published in 19th or 20th century; bibliographic
research on available copies in National
Union Catalog, OCLC, and other sources.
Assignment no. 1 due Tuesday, July 25 (book and
description provided to instructor at start of class on July 25 at 6 PM)
• review of readings from
Bowers, chapters 10-12, pp. 355-453.
Tuesday, July 25: Seventeenth and eighteenth century books: An
introduction to hand-made books.
Task: Each student will be given a book published
between 1600 and 1799 in order to prepare a bibliographic description.
• Bowers, chapter 2, pp. 37-123.
Thursday, July 27: Seventeenth and eighteenth century books:
bibliographic description.
Task: Continued description of a book published in
the 17th or 18th century.
• Bowers, chapters 3-4, pp. 124-192.
Tuesday, August 1: Seventeenth and eighteenth century books: format
and collational formula.
Task: Continued bibliographic description of a book
published in the 17th or 18th century; bibliographic
research on available copies in National
Union Catalog, OCLC, and other sources.
• Bowers, chapters 5-6, pp. 193-268.
Thursday, August 3: Seventeenth and eighteenth century books:
complications.
Task: Completion bibliographic description of a
book published in the 17th or 18th century; bibliographic
research on available copies in National
Union Catalog, OCLC, and other sources.
Assignment no. 2 due Tuesday, August 8 (book and
description provided to instructor at start of class on Aug. 8 at 6 PM)
• Bowers, chapters 7-8, pp. 269-321.
Tuesday, August 8: Fifteenth and sixteenth century books: Introduction
to early books and incunabula.
Task: Each student will be given a book published
between 1483 and 1599 in order to prepare a bibliographic description.
•
Bowers, chapter 9, pp. 322-351.
Thursday, August 10: Fifteenth and sixteenth century books: sources.
Task: Continued bibliographic description of a book
published in the 15th or 16th century.
• Review of the Octavo
edition of the Gutenberg Bible (compact discs will be handed out in
class)
Tuesday, August 15: Fifteenth and sixteenth century books: technology
and access.
Task: Completion bibliographic description of a
book published in the 15th or 16th century; bibliographic research on
incunabula and early printed books.
Assignment no. 3 due Thursday, August 17 (book and
description provided to instructor at start of class on Aug. 17 at 6 PM)
• Early Printed Books Project,
• Catalogue of Early Printed Materials in the British
Library, at http://www.bl.uk/collections/early/catalogues.html
Thursday, August 17: Presentations.