Course Description

From Gutenberg to the present; introduction to publishing, printing processes, book design (typography, illustration, binding) and distribution.

Prerequisite: LIS 701.

Required texts

Philip Gaskell.
A new introduction to bibliography.
New Castle, Del.: Oak Knoll Press, 1995.
Paperback, ISBN 1–884–71813–2.

Other selected readings will be provided in class.

Geography

Class meetings will take place in the Lenhardt Library and adjacent rooms at the Chicago Botanic Garden, see http://www.chicagobotanic.org/library/index.php. For directions, see http://www.chicagobotanic.org/visit/directions.

Objectives

The book is one of the most important inventions of all time. In this course, you will explore the history of the book from the fifteenth century to modern times, examining its construction, content, and uses over five centuries.

Students in this class will work with a variety of books originally printed from 1483 to the present to understand how printing and publishing changed over time. The physical production of books will be examined as well as the changing relations between authors, publishers, and their readers. The impact of books on society, largely with a focus on Western Europe, will be treated, with a special emphasis on the role of books in the dissemination of scientific discoveries and ideas.

Specifically, students in this class will

• understand how to examine a book in order to decipher its history and context;
• recognize broad trends in publishing over the past 500 years; and,
• develop an appreciation of books as objects, as historical documents, and as significant intellectual and cultural resources.

Assignments

All students are expected to participate in discussions during class meetings, and complete all readings as a basis for discussion. These discussions and team projects will be used as the basis for evaluation.

Team projects: Over the course of the semester, the class will be divided into teams, consisting of several students per team. There will be two projects over the course of the semester. The first team assignments will be based on books from the Library of the Chicago Botanic Garden published between 1483 and 1601 (Project I). For the second project, books from the collection will be selected as representatives of books produced between 1602 and 1800 (Project II). Each team will then begin their efforts in class by examining the book in detail. Members of each team will decide which aspect of each book will be the focus of the team research paper: the author; the printer; the illustrations; the binding; the subject matter of the book itself and its historical significance; or some combination of all of these topics. Each team will then have several weeks for further research, with presentations ultimately made in class of each team’s findings. Each team will e–mail a paper, no longer than 10 double–spaced pages in length, to the instructor, with the results of their research on their assigned book. Total points for each team project = 40 points; Two projects will be completed in the course of the semester for 80 possible points.

Here is an example of an assignment for a team:

Discussion

During formal class sessions, there will be ample opportunity for students to ask and answer questions. All members of the class are highly encouraged to participate and will be rewarded accordingly.
Total points available for Discussion = 20 points.

Assessment

A grand total of 100 points is available to each student for two team projects (40 points per project = 80 points) and class discussion (20 points).

Team projects give each student unique opportunities to work with rare books (and in some cases, journals) rarely accessible to students. Directed research on selected books from the collection allows students to understand specific books as historical objects and as documents encapsulating specific events and trends in intellectual history. Hence, students will develop an appreciation of scholarship in a number of diverse areas, related to the history of the book. These team projects will provide to each student in each team a maximum of 80 points for the semester.

In each class, there will be abundant opportunities to ask questions of the instructor and to answer queries from the instructor. Your efforts in stimulating discussion will earn an additional 20 points; if you fail to ask or answer queries, your opportunities to earn these points will be greatly diminished.

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. Team projects will require equal efforts by all members of each team; failure to complete assignments as part of a team will be penalized accordingly.

Academic Integrity Policy

Students of the University must conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to maintain academic integrity will not be tolerated. For further details, please see 2007–2008 Dominican Student Handbook and Planner, p. 20.

Syllabus

Readings required in advance of the first class meeting on January 26:
Gaskell, pp. 118–153 (presswork; the warehouse; binding).

Saturday morning, January 26:

• Introduction; How to look at a book.
  Tasks: The stories of several different books will be described in class, using in part each book as evidence.
• Anatomy of a book (terminology)
  Tasks: Several varieties of books will be examined in class (editions of Evelyn’s Sylva and Gerard’s Herball), in order to understand the production, layout, and history decipherable in each book.

Saturday afternoon, January 26:

• Books before Gutenberg; Gutenberg’s Revolution: Typography and mass production; Impact, 1455-1501.

Sunday, January 27

• Team research on books from the collection of the Library of the Chicago Botanic Garden published between 1483 and 1601. Brief reports from each team at 3:30 PM.

Monday, February 11: First team reports due no later than 5 PM as attachment in e–mail message to ejv [at] dom [dot] edu

In advance of class on Saturday, February 16, read Gaskell, pp. 154–185 (decoration and illustration; patterns of production; the English book trade to 1800).

Saturday morning, February 16:

• Project reports.
• Illustrations in books: Woodcuts and engravings.
  Tasks: Review of illustrations in a variety of books published between 1500–1799.

Saturday afternoon, February 16:

• The rise of science, 1501–1799 and the invention of scholarly communication.
  Tasks: Examination of botanical monographs and early scientific periodicals.

Sunday, February 17:

• Team research on books from the collection of the Library of the Chicago Botanic Garden published between 1602 and 1800. Brief reports from each team at 3:30 PM.

Monday, March 10: Second team reports due no later than 5 PM as attachment in e–mail message to ejv [at] dom [dot] edu

In advance of class on Saturday, March 15, read Gaskell, pp. 189–200, 214–250, 266–273, 289–310 (survival and change; paper in the machine–press period; edition binding; processes of reproduction; printing practice in the machine–press period; the book trade in Britain and America since 1800).

Saturday morning, March 15:

• Project reports.
• The rise of books for children.
  Tasks: Examination of books created for children printed since 1800.
• Books by machine, 1801–1900: Readers and the rise of copyright and modern publishing.
  Tasks: Review of books, magazines, and newspapers created for consumption and disposal.

Saturday afternoon, March 15:

• Future of the book.
  Tasks: Review of digital books and Internet–based journals.

Sunday, March 16:

• Examination by teams of books published between 1801 and 1900. Brief reports from each team at 3:30 PM.