1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Invaluable -- without them, I would have not have had the vocabulary. 2: Excellent. 3: They were quite useful. 4: Very useful. Some I will read through again; others I will certainly use for reference. 5: Very useful for background in a field I had only small knowledge. 6: Pretty useful. I found reading Gaskell (not on reading list) on the hand press period particularly helpful. Kilgour and Carter were both esp. interesting to me. 7: Very useful; I appreciated MA's not using them in class but instead building on them. 8: Good. 9: Useful, but more useful to re-read as the course proceeded. 11: Very useful. 12: They were extremely valuable and pertinent. 13: Quite helpful.

2) Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?

1: Absolutely -- the listing of slides made my spelling accurate. Most helpful will be the exit reading list. 2: Absolutely first-rate. 3: The syllabus was well worth keeping, with excellent suggestions for extensive future reading. In class it served well as a guide. If possible it would be nice to have photocopies of some of the slides for study and reference. 4: Yes, very much so. I really appreciated having the lists of slides and names, so we could immediately see spellings, &c. 5: Yes -- most useful and more so I am sure in future reading and learning. 6: Yes. Outlines/slide lists are great references. Would have liked more time for "museums" and 3-D Carter. 7: Yes, I will definitely keep them. 8: Yes. 9: Oh yes -- just wish I'd received them before the course started. 10: The workbook with slide lists and bibliographies were very useful during lectures. 11: Yes. 12: Yes. Especially the bibliography and type info. 13: Yes.

3) Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate?

1: With a wide variety of backgrounds, the members of the class interacted helpfully with each other. But major factor in the successful chemistry was the instructor, who was quick to provide information, answer questions and keep us energized. 2: Very high and just right for all of us -- or so it seemed. 3: Absolutely. 4: Yes. Even though I knew some of the material, the instructor cleared up some confusion and misconceptions. He also consistently provided nicely conceived contextual information. 5: The level made me push harder and I am impressed by the generosity of all in bearing with my lack of knowledge. 6-7: Yes. 8: Appropriate. 9: Very much so. In fact I felt like the class dunce; everyone else was considerably more a) experienced and b) knowledgeable. 10: Indeed. 11: Yes. 12: Very. 13: Yes, I felt challenged but not overwhelmed.

4) If your course had field trips, were they effective?

1: Absolutely -- we saw what we were discussing in the classroom. 2: Yes. 3: It was very well spent -- the examples shown were central to the teaching, and there was great focus during Special Collections viewings. 4: Absolutely! it was a thrill to see books that I have read about or seen facsimiles of. These materials must be seen first-hand to be appreciated. 5: Absolutely. 7: Very nice to be able to use the Special Collections. 8: Very well spent. 9: Yes! 10: Absolutely. Time visiting Special Collections was very useful. 11: Extremely well spent. 12: Very well spent, apt and enjoyable. 13: Yes, I enjoyed the Special Collections sessions -- but better handling procedures needed to be demonstrated.

5) Did the actual course content correspond to its RBS brochure description and Expanded Course Description (ECD)? Did the course in general meet your expectations?

1: The course exceeded its described promise -- in providing historical and intellectual context for the techniques of printing. 2: Absolutely. 3: Yes. 4: Yes, very much so. 5-6: Yes. 7: Exactly; MA made a real effort to give us what we paid for, and checked throughout the week to make sure we were satisfied. 8-13: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: Enthusiasm of the instructor. 2: MA's very thorough historical and social explanations and context of each period of printing history. MA's sense of humor, his passion for the subject and the depth of his knowledge. I loved the course! What a splendid instructor. 3: The teacher's knowledge of and identification with the subject, and the spontaneity of his comments on examples. Also, he has a way of finding something new and interesting in even erroneous observations by class members. There is food for years of thought here. 4: MA is a spirited and gifted lecturer. I appreciated his organization, clarity and his passion for the subject. I took copious notes, mainly so that I could remember how he organized his lecture. 5: The enthusiasm, good humor and tremendous amount of information always joined to the seriousness of the subject matter. 6: The access to the physical examples in museums, in the BAP, movies, 3-D Carter and Special Collections were particularly great. Instructor's synthesis and enthusiasm. 7: MA's love of the subject illuminated the course. He is accessible and friendly, obviously deeply knowledgeable, and wears nice Italian sandals. The hands-on Special Collections visits were invaluable. This class was especially rich in student knowledge -- we were a diverse group and everyone brought something to the table. 8: The instructor's knowledge and enthusiasm for subject, his love of the materials and commitment to importance of book history. 9: I learned so much, specifically exactly how much more I need to learn. 10: MA's well-prepared lectures, slide presentations and Special Collections visits. All very organized. 11: The enthusiastic, well-illustrated and narrated presentation; the lecturer's vast knowledge in related fields. 12: The overall structure of the course was good, and the discussions of the origin of typeface was very interesting and helpful. 13: Highly informative and entertaining lectures and demonstrations that promoted critical thought.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: The pace of the course was fast in order to cover the material. I could have used a little more downtime. 2: My only suggestion is to give us a little more time for lunch and breaks. 3: It was first-rate -- it might even be lengthened, as there is so much ground to cover. 4: My only suggestion for improvement would be to somehow change the class assignment presentation. It is difficult to engage the entire class in these. The assignment itself, however, was valuable. 5: More time to try to absorb information -- which I shall now try to do over the summer by reader notes and reference books and other readings suggested by MA. 6: While I'm amazed by the instructor's enthusiasm/energy and very much appreciated that, perhaps a bit less enthusiasm for type. 7: I wouldn't change a thing. 8: Really needs to be a semester-length course. Much to learn and piece together in a week's time. 9: I cannot presume to address this. 10: More condensed museum display spanning the week's lectures that stays up all 5 days. 11: Can't imagine -- except perhaps for providing a sheet of examples of the various type faces for reference. However, they are in the recommended texts. 12: The initial lecture could have overviewed the course better and been less diffuse. 13: Better use of time, especially the length of lecture, which needs to account for questions and comments by students.

8) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the BAP's teaching collections and of materials owned by UVa's Special Collections. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?

1: The "museum" exhibitions were very helpful and well-explained. The books our class used for the individual study exercise were in tatty condition. 2: Seemed very careful by both instructor and classmates. 3: None. 5: It was wonderful to be able to handle the material which provided a very personal experience. 6: None. 7: None -- we were very careful, and the materials were well-stored. 9: Security was excellent. (Perhaps, speak briefly to the care and handling of rare books.) 10: No suggestions. 11: Were handled very well and always in a timely way. 13: Snakes, book supports all the time, washing of hands, use of pencil rather than pen.

9) Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class (eg Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, Video Night, Study Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, printing demonstrations, &c.).

1: The video tapes of the history of the alphabet were repetitive of the reading required for our class. The variety of activities within the classroom was very helpful. The Rotunda visit was more useful to see the space than the exhibit itself. 2: Enjoyed all of them, but due to lateness of class we missed much of Bookseller Night. 3: I particularly enjoyed the hand-press printing demonstrations -- these are essential to understanding the process. The Rotunda exhibit was good as well. 4: I appreciate having these activities -- my only comment is -- so many activities, so little time! I wish that I had had more time to look at 3-D Carter and other BAP teaching aids. 5: The tour was overwhelming -- hard to get my bearing, but that may be just my problem. The outside events were wonderful additions and expended my vision. 6: Enjoyable and good opportunity to meet folks and learn more. 7: GA would be interesting no matter what his subject -- the man is a wonderful speaker. Bring back the vans for Bookseller night. 8: I enjoyed the videos and GA's lecture. The Rotunda exhibition was nice, but it seemed to me that the organizer was not clear about what he way trying to accomplish with it and put together all books that somehow dealt with gold. To me this was a little too simplistic to be effective. 9: I was at a disadvantage (of my own making, admittedly) in having made commitments. What I did do, I thoroughly enjoyed. 10: GA's lecture was outstanding. Preferred the 3 lectures a week routine versus this year's two a week. MA gave a thorough presentation on the hand press. 11: It poured rain on Bookseller Night! Can you do something about that? 12: I enjoyed the extras, especially the Rotunda exhibition, but thought the social time needed a better venue, we were cramped in the BAP offices.

10) Any final thoughts? Did you get your money's worth?

1: Absolutely. 2: In summary -- my experience was wonderful. The level of instruction very high. The course was even better than I expected it to be. 3: It was a great experience, a semester in one week. I will recommend it to my co-workers. 4: Yes -- I definitely got my money's worth, as did my institution. It was an informative and a very fun class -- what more could one want? MA is a truly gifted instructor. 5: I would recommended this course to anyone interested who has the stamina -- all more than I anticipated, and MA was a joy each day offering his wealth of knowledge. 6: Yes [got my money's worth]. 7: I sold my own (small) collection of books to attend RBS this year, since my employer backed out at the last minute. It was well worth the sacrifice. This course has given me an excellent template for future learning. 8: Got my money's worth. I would take this course before taking any others because it would be good preparation for others one might take. 9: Yes, I did certainly get my money's worth. I would like to take a successor course on The Book, plus learn about bibliography. 10: This class is a thoughtful investigation into the rationales and history of the book and print development. Not a boring moment in the batch. I highly recommended it for anyone with an interest in early printed books. 11: Be sure to do the readings, well worth the investment. 12: Yes, I got my money's worth and I highly recommend the course.

Number of respondents: 13

There were two general librarians with some rare book duties (15%), two antiquarian booksellers (15%), two retirees (15%), two rare book collectors (15%), one rare book librarian, one teacher/professor, one conservator/binder/preservation technician, one MLS candidate and one museum curator (8% each).

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