No. 23: Book Illustration to 1890

19-23 July 1999

1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Very useful. 2: Essential. 3: The readings were very good. I am not sure, without examples, that other texts would have been better. I certainly did better on the pre-test on Monday (July 19th) than I would have on Friday (May 19^th), two months earlier. 4: Extremely. 5: I would have been lost without them - they were absolutely necessary for providing a context. A list of other books, like the bibliography we got with our syllabus, would be useful, too. 6: Gascoigne was indispensible. Mayor was much less useful. 7: The pre-course readings were appropriate and interesting. 8: Immensely. I felt very prepared and ready to move on further. 9: Essential. 10: Perfect. 11: Excellent.

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

1-2: Yes. 3: Excellent Exit Reading List. The packet and syllabus are perfect for pursuing the topics covered further. Having the reference materials in class (on the Exit Reading List) was tremendously helpful. 4: Yes. 5: Yes. I plan to use them immediately. 6: Very useful, and will be heavily used after my return home. 7: The course was excellently organized, and we adhered to the schedule so that all items were covered. Class handouts will be extremely helpful, as will the bibliographies. 8: By all means. 9: Very useful. 10: Will be very useful. 11: Yes.

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

1-2: Yes. 3: Very much. 4-6: Yes. 7: Quite appropriate. Expectations of sense, and ignorance, were balanced. 8: Yes. 9: Completely. 10: Yes. 11: Very.

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

1-2: Yes. 3: Yes. It was everything I anticipated. 4-11: Yes.

5) What did you like best about the course?

1: The practicums, the illustration test we took Monday and Friday, and (of course) the chance to look at all of the prints. 2: Time was not wasted. This was so well prepared - very thoughtfully, too. Thanks for giving us access to some rather expensive materials. I appreciated the first-class loupe (30x). TB is a very amusing guy. 3: The illustration packets are so helpful! What a tremendous collection. The course would be meaningless without them. Thanks. 4: The range of original materials offered for examination, and exposure to the instructor’s unique manner of investigation. 5: The hands-on experience with actual materials. I try to do this in my own work, and it was great to experience this from the other side. Further, it is the nature of this subject matter, and you get at it no other way. 6: The outstanding teaching ability of the instructor. Information was delivered with authority, good humor, and with appropriate examples. 7: I liked the combination of learning about the processes and their identification, complemented by the hands-on labs where we tried to create some of our own illustrations (which gave me an appreciation of the process). 8: The plethora of images and techniques of the processes directly related to the pedagogical parameters. 9: Looking at the packets and listening to the commentary on them, as part of the systematic progression of the course. 10: The hands-on examination of samples and experiments with printing processes. 11: The opportunity to see so many examples.

6) How could the course have been improved?

1: More time in the day to look at the wonderful resources provided for the course - actually, I wish this was a two-week course. 2: Use a TA who really cares about the course content. 3: If this was 1899 instead of 1999. There was a lot to consider, with processes running into the c20. I am sure some folks came with a particular process in mind (for learning in detail). Perhaps have a session allowing folks to express their individual interests, and have TB discuss them. 4: 1. More frequent use of "self-test" packets (on limited topics, maybe?). 2. One or two changes in seating during the week. We tended to work in pairs, and sharing with more than one participant would have been interesting. 5: I wish we could spread it out over more time. I found that it was a struggle to digest so much unfamiliar information so quickly. 6: Through a demonstration of lithographic printing, and a lab on engraving with a burin. 7: Quite helpful as it is. 8: Wigs and make-up. 9: It would be good to have a bibliographical checklist - as far as this is possible - of the materials looked at. I managed to take down most of the references (to books, magazines, &c.) so I can check them again at work, but I didn’t get them all. 10: N/a. 11: I don’t know enough about the subject yet to have an opinion. I would enjoy repeating the course.

7) 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?

2: Do the large folders back to front. 3: I saw no real need for special directions within our class. 4: I think this was done very well. Due consideration was given to the material, and we had ample opportunities for the necessary examination of the objects. 5: This was not an issue. 6: None. 7: I liked the packet concept. It was helpful for each of us to really be able to examine each type of illustration. 8: N/a. 9: I thought the procedures struck the right balance between protecting the materials and allowing free access to the students. 10: Fill the large set folders from the bottom, rather than the top. By the end of the course, we had to lift the whole week’s stack to file the new packets at the bottom. 11: None.

8) 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 and videos, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, &c.

1: The lectures were enjoyable and provocative, to say the least. 2: Lectures were fantastic. Booksellers couldn’t really make a profit on Bookseller Night (do they see us coming?). Lovely receptions. 3: I looked forward to the videos. The lectures were tremendous, even when controversial! I enjoyed the opportunity to see the exhibits! 4: The Sunday Afternoon Walking Tour should include a map which we could follow on the tour, numbered with the sites visited. It was good to see where things were, but not easy to orient them to each other. Other events were highly satisfactory. 5: I am not an easy mixer. They were pleasant enough, but they were not what I was here for. Dinners downtown with others were more useful, in some ways. 6: All of the activities outside of class were very enjoyable - both informative and entertaining. 7: I always love the exhibits. The other activities were well organized, and took advantage of a wealth of resources. 8: The Rotunda exhibit was whimsical and focused. Any other free time was spent on a treadmill. 9: All of these were enjoyable and interesting. 10: Great (nights on the Lawn). I’ve already seen the videos, so I didn’t go again. 11: High quality, and very enjoyable.

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

1: Just remember, you’ll leave more confused than when you came in! That just means you’ve learned something that you haven’t fully digested yet. Definitely got my money’s worth! 2: The practical knowledge I gained was not only well worth the money, but it is truly unattainable in a setting that does not require degrees in fine art, &c. You are the one and only. 3: This is a must for rare book folks. There were many moments of "ah-ha!" My goal in taking this course was to learn more about illustration in books: I never realized there were so many! This is well worth every penny, considering the extensive collection of illustrations used as examples. 4: I did get my money’s worth, as I was assured by those I spoke to who had taken the course before. However, despite the instructor’s protestations, it is not a course for the ignorant. Preparation is essential, and, it seems to me, the more the better. Perhaps this varies from year to year. 5: Read the reading first. Yes, I did get my money’s worth. An excellent course. 6: An excellent course that everyone in the rare book field should take. I will unhesitatingly recommend it highly to my colleagues. Excellent value for the money. 7: This is an interesting and helpful course. If you work with illustrated materials, you will really want to try it. 8: Sign up now. Space is limited. Sure I got my money’s worth. 9: This is an excellent introductory course, and it opened one’s eyes (and mind) to the astonishing complexity of the subject. 10: I know from experience how much preparation is required for hands-on learning like this. The instructor and the staff’s extensive efforts were well appreciated. 11: Yes.

Number of respondents: 11

There were six rare book librarians (54%), two antiquarian booksellers (18%), one general librarian with no rare book duties (9%), one actor/visual artist (9%), and one student with a general interest in rare books (9%).