Terry Belanger
No. 23: Book Illustration to 1890.
21-25 July 1997

1. How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Pre-course readings were absolutely critical. 2: Invaluable as preparation. 3: Very useful. 4: Very useful. The book required was the book used in class. 5: Indispensable for this course. Perfect amount of material. 6: The pre-course reading was essential to the course. 7: Bamber Gascoigne's is a wonderful book and I'm so glad I read every word of it. I will keep my copy to hand now that I know the contents so well. I didn't get to read anything else, but I have the list. 8: Gascoigne was good; a little overwhelming when you approach it at once, but more manageable than a long list of materials. 9: Gascoigne was helpful as an introduction. 10: Extremely useful. 11: Somewhat useful very difficult to absorb without samples. 12: Indispensable.

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: Yes. 2: Yes. The exit reading list in particular will be very helpful. 3: Yes. 4: Even though the network server went down, materials were distributed. 5: Yes. 6: Anticipate that the bibliographic material will be useful in further study of the subject. 7: Yes. 8: Very much so. 9: Yes. I intend to obtain the texts used in class. 10: System problems caused them to be delayed, but the reading list looks very good. 11: Hope so. 12: Yes. However, I understood that there might have been more handouts if the computer system had been working properly. That would have been nice.

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

1: Absolutely. 2: Just right. 3-4: Yes. 5: Wow, what a week! Yes, yes, yes, more than I hoped for. 6: The content was extremely stimulating and the interchange with participants of other courses was an added bonus. 7: Yes. 8: Wonderful. 9: Over my head, but this was my fault. 10: Perfect. 11: Yes. 12: Yes. In fact, we were mostly quite overwhelmed most of the time.

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: Yes, although the course may have sought to cover too much, and suffered (although only slightly) as a result. 2: Yes, definitely. 3: Yes it met expectations. Much too much information in a short period of time. 4: Yes. 5: Yes, see #3, above. 6: The course more than met my expectations. Description was adequate. 7: Yes. 8: In so many ways; this was probably the best RBS course I've had so far: the information was well-presented and the time was well-managed. I liked the combination of lecture, lab, and especially the study time we were allowed with the BAP print collection. That was most helpful. 9: It far exceeded my expectation. 10-12: Yes.

5. What did you like best about the course?

1: Excellent content, practicality of approach, fine interaction among students. 2: Expertise of the instructor, outstanding collection of materials for teaching the course, nice balance of in-class study of prints, guided independent study, and hands-on experience with printmaking methods. 3: Hands-on experience with prints very, very good. 4: Hands-on experience. Lab sessions were very helpful and necessary. 5: The quantity and variety of materials we looked at, TB's extraordinary organization, and the very useful interaction between all. 6: The multiple examples and historical context of the changes in processes. 7: Seeing examples first hand; not having lectures and slides for four periods of the day, five days in a row I liked the time to review and the hands-on lab; TB's stories; making drypoints, etchings, and linocuts. This course is not as exhausting as most RBS classes. 8: The hands-on work and the study time with the BAP print collection was especially helpful. The before/after quiz was great: I really feel like I've learned something here! 9: Exposure to otherwise unobtainable riches. 10: Working with other students on difficult identification problems. Creating actual prints. 11: All the examples. 12: The repartee among TB, my classmates, and myself: always focused on the issue at hand, but nonetheless spontaneous, free, and de bon esprit.

6. How could the course have been improved?

1: I could have examined even more prints and might have benefitted from examining easily confused techniques in side by side sets. 3: Possibly with a field trip to Bayly Print Department? 5: Really can't be, but I'd love another week of it or a follow-up in six months. 6: More time a second week incorporating information on contemporary papermaking technology. Annotation of the examples would be useful for self-study. 7: More tricky examples. 9: Twice as long. 10: Hard to see how, short of increasing it to two weeks. 11: Have simpler drawings to follow for our own lab work. 12: A chronological chart of various illustration methods handed out on Day 1 would have helped us grasp the tremendous onslaught of information, especially since TB emphasized dates as aids to identification process. Also, give us more room to write on the illustration test answer sheets.

7. Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class, e.g. Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner and videos, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, printing demonstrations, &c.

1: Fine. 2: Great. 3: The food was greatly improved on Sunday night. 4: I always enjoy the outside activities. Booksellers expect RBS students and are cordial. 5: Really a great balance between everything. 6: Although not within the scope of the course, a tour of the digital/electronic centers as an option would have been of interest. 8: It was all enjoyable; the only thing I missed was the Sunday tour, but all else was fantastic. 10: I enjoyed the evening lectures very much this year. The Rotunda exhibition is delightful. 11: Enjoyed the videos, but would have preferred the Gary Frost film last, as I (and many others) had already seen it. 12: Mighty fine!

8. Any final thoughts? Did you get your money's worth?

1: An excellent course; come prepared. Absolutely. 2: The course exceeded my expectations and was well worth the time and money. I learned lots, met many nice people, and fully enjoyed the grueling experience. 3: Yes, I did, and I would take it again and recommend it to friends. 4: Get a lot of rest beforehand. Do the reading. I would have been lost without having done it. Money's worth? TB has incredible knowledge of the subject and a wonderful sense of humor. 5: Yes, yes, take this course: an intaglio is worth a thousand words. RBS is so well-run it's a treat and a privilege to be part of it. Thanks. 6: I purchased equipment which I thought would be useful, but discovered there were better items available. If only I had waited! It was a wonderful week! 7: Do read Bamber Gascoigne; yes. 8: This has been an excellent course and I'll recommend it to everyone I know who has an interest in prints and/or book illustration. 9: Definitely. 10: Most definitely. 11: Take it! Yes (well, my institution's money). 12: See your ophthalmologist shortly before coming to RBS: your eyes will get a workout. Yes, I got my institution's money's worth.

Number of respondents: 12

PERCENTAGES

Leave	Tuition	Housing	Travel
Institution gave me leave	Institution paid tuition	Institution paid housing	Institution paid travel
58%	42%	33%	25%
I took vacation time	I paid tuition myself	I paid for my own housing	I paid my own travel
0%	33%	42%	50%
N/A: self-employed, retired, or had summers off	N/A: self-employed, retired, or exchange	N/A: stayed with friends or lived at home	N/A: lived nearby
42%	25%	25%	25%

There were 12 students: five rare book librarians (42%), 3 antiquarian booksellers (25%), two conservator/binder/preservation librarians (17%), one book collector (8%), and one teacher/professor (8%).