I-20: Book Illustration Processes to 1900
7-11 January 2008
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Essential; but they were the sort of resource that needed (and will continue to need) re-reading. 2: It was very helpful to have read Gascoigne [How to Identify Prints] before attending class. 3: The reading is useful, but it needs to be coupled with original materials. Otherwise, Bamber Gascoigne makes for a dry reading. 4: The pre-course reading was essential preparation for the course itself. 5: Very useful, and I am very glad to have this book, and am eager to check out the exit reading list. 6: Essential. 7: Necessary to keep pace with the class. 8: Reading the Book [How to Identify Prints] was essential to beginning to understand the subject. 9: Extremely useful.
2) Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class appropriate and useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: Very useful. 2: The materials assembled were awe-inspiring in terms of the amount of work and expense that clearly went into assembling them. 3: Yes. Thank you for the handbook, and additional reading lists. 4: Yes. 5: Absolutely. 6: Very. 7: Yes. 8: Yes. I only wish we could get examples to go with each topic. 9: Extremely useful.
3) What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?
1: Hands down the remarkable array of original prints to work with. Most useful to me will be the earlier illustration processes, but it was all extremely interesting, and appropriately pitched intellectually. 3: Processes popular between 1800-1900. 4: Examination of actual examples of prints executed in the different processes covered in the class—there is no substitute for this type of teaching. 5: The course a continuous engagement with original materials—something I needed very badly for my professional growth. This delivered superbly. 6: Different methods of differentiating and identifying hand press and process printing illustrations are of great importance to me as a collector of illustrated books. While the level of the course was somewhat above my abilities, it has given me a start, and a vast array of sources from which to learn more. 7: The entire course was relevant, as the majority of my books fall within the time frame covered. 8: The history of the processes, and the context of the books from which the prints came. The level was good and stretched my knowledge. 9: Looking at real prints under the guidance of TB.
4) N/A
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: The examination of the prints, coupled with the instructor's comments and tips, made for a very useful series of sessions. 2: TB's anecdotes and metaphorical explanations really helped make the information encountered in Gascoigne come alive. This has been my best RBS experience—and they've all been good. 3: Handling tons of packets/images. 4: Again, the constant references to actual examples of printing processes. The course was also well organized. 5: I liked the direct, intensive engagement with real materials. This was crucial. I also enjoyed the other people in the class. 6: The way it was taught: couldn't have been more challenging, amusing, and fun. 7: The ability to examine examples of all styles of prints studied. 8: The examples, [TB's] stories, and interaction with other students. 9: Seeing several different examples of the same process, at different levels of craftmanship.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: Perhaps a little more opportunity for discussion and suggestions. 2: Perhaps include a video of process demonstration? 3: The course might have benefitted from having a group discussion time. Coffee breaks allow for chit-chat, but not shop talk. 4: Perhaps more (even more!) examples of some of the more difficult/unusual processes could be provided. 6: I can't imagine if one is limited to five days and I couldn't have taken more; it was so intense a learning experience. 7: Would have liked to have seen a selection of prints along the lines of section 55 ["Differences", from How to Identify Prints] out for comparison. Going along with Bamber Gascoigne in a linear way is fine, but the comparison would be of enormous value; especially since it was a tad intimidating to risk "contamination" of [RBS illustration packets] when trying to search through the well-organized groupings of packets. 8: Trying to make [labs] some of the printing processes; and time to discuss the items with the other students before being told what the printing processes were. 9: I would have liked to compare processes with real examples. We covered them one at a time, but putting related processes together, e.g., several of the photographic processes, would have helped in identification.
7) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS teaching collections and of materials owned by the Grolier Club. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?
1: The Mylar enclosures seemed to work well for this class. 3: N/A. 4: The fragility and size of some materials made handling risky—an unavoidable aspect of this type of instruction. The instructor was vigilant in his supervision of the course participants, however. 6: None. 8: None.
8) If you attended the Tuesday night lecture, was it worth attending?
1: A thought-provoking lecture from a distinguished librarian. 3: The lecture was light, and I enjoyed meeting the Grolier Club members. 4: N/A. 6: Yes. 8: Absolutely. 9: N/A.
9) Did you get your money's worth? Any final or summary thoughts, or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year?
1: Most certainly. Rare Book School always delivers! 2: Absolutely money well spent (not my own, of course ..., but ... ) Definitely take this course if you have any interest in illustration techniques. I'd bet that the class would be helpful to people of various levels of sophistication in illustration process identification. 3: You bet. I am very grateful. To benefit most from this course, the student needs to have some exposure to the material prior to attending; otherwise it might be hard to learn at the rate the processes are introduced and examined. 4: Yes—this class should prove invaluable to me during the course of my daily work. 5: Absolutely. My only advice would be to be prepared for intense immersion. If that's what you are looking for—and I was—this course is excellent in every way. 6: Yes, very much so. See above. 7: Yes, the course was a good value. I would suggest adding an additional chart to the syllabus: showing the book illustration processes and their respective characteristics, and including a list of the "ten most important things to remember," when identifying a print. 8: Yes. I cannot wait to take another course at Rare Book School. 9: Yes.
Number of respondents: 9
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
33% 33% 11% 11%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
11% 56% 22% 22%
N/A: self- N/A: Self- N/A: stayed N/A: lived
employed, re- employed, with friends nearby
tired, or had retired, or or lived at
summers off scholarship home
56% 11% 67% 67%
There were 3 rare book librarians (33%); 2 teachers (22%); 2 full-time students (22%); and 2 book collectors (22%).