No. 41: European Decorative Bookbinding
3-7 August 1998
|
1) How useful were the pre-course readings? 1: Good. 2: It was a great syllabus, and, although the readings on it included more than we could cover in a week, I appreciate having it as a guide for continuing to follow up on the subject. 3: Excellent. 4: Very. 5-6: Very useful. 7: Quite, though all were familiar. 8: The pre-course readings were very useful, although it would have been helpful to perhaps have included some historical readings. Granted there is a dearth of books on this subject, but perhaps articles? 9: Very good for background. 10: I read the Needham and Goldschmidt books rather quickly, but noticed that many of the slides used in class were the same as in the books. 11: Very useful. 12: Very useful and relevant. 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. 3: We received no handouts until the last day (copies of price lists). Suggestion: It would have been very helpful to have had a packet of photocopied (or drawn) book designs - on which personal notes might have been written during the lectures. 4: Yes (but we could have used more, see no.7, below). 5: Yes. 6: The course consisted of slides and lectures; there were no handouts or course syllabus. 7: Yes. 8: There were no handouts (except for a few price lists). It would have been very helpful to have had one or two handouts on styles/techniques as well as an outline of the structure of the course itself, which was interestingly but unconventionally arranged. 9: Yes. 10: The only handouts we received were three, distributed in the last 20 minutes of the last day; they were not especially helpful. I would like to see the well-prepared lecture notes published and handed out. 11: Minimal. A list of books viewed at the Folger and UVa Special Collections would help - more time to listen while looking at the books. 12: Yes. 3) Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate? 1: Yes. 2: Very high - challenging, but appropriate. 3-4: Yes. 5: Yes, challenging, but not overwhelming. 6: Very good. 7: Yes. 8: Yes. 9: Yes. 10: Probably not; I would have to reread the course description. 11-12: Yes. 4) If your course had field trips, were they effective? 1: Yes!! Excellent (we went to UVa Special Collections and to the Folger Shakespeare Library in DC). 2: Extremely useful, essential in fact. It was good to see the books close up, because you could examine the craftsmanship more closely than in a slide or an illustration in a book. 3: Ours was a class highlight. FM's comments added depth and details. His instant rapport with the class (as well has his long established appreciation of the instructor) suggests that he might be an excellent candidate to become an RBS instructor. 4: Yes. 5: Very much so. Decorative book binding can best be learned only by seeing actual examples. 6: The field trips to Special Collections for half a day and the day trip to the Folger Shakespeare Library were very good and the time well spent. 7: Yes. 8: Yes. Both the trip to Special Collections and especially the trip to the Folger were extremely helpful and informative. 9: The Folger trip was very worthwhile. The Folger staff were extremely welcoming and accommodating. 10: The trip to the Folger was exceptional. The person who was assigned to help us, Frank Mowery, was exceptional and contributed much to our visit. 11: Yes. (Lighting in Special Collections was a bit too low, even for a preservation advocate; less than readers have). 12: Yes. 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: Yes. 2: It actually covered a wider range that I had expected. It was described, I believe, to cover 1500-1800, but really covered 700-1900. But I was pleased about that. 3: Yes, although from the standpoint of course content, I think one could take this course fairly easily without taking Nicholas Pickwoad's first. More background for any subject is better, but the technical aspects were not so advanced as to require a knowledge of binding structures. 4-9: Yes. 10: I do not think so, as MF read her well-prepared notes, and only occasionally did she talk about an interesting experience or personality related to our subject. I wish she had spoken extemporaneously more often. 11-12: Yes. 6) What did you like best about the course? 1: The instructor's organization of her materials, her sense of humor, and her way of thinking about the subject - looking at the broader implications of studying bindings. And, of course, her knowledge of the subject, and her approachability when we had questions or wanted to discuss something. 2: I enjoyed the opportunity to see how bookbinding historians analyze books to attempt to learn about their creators. It was a delight to have MF's guidance through this process. She is wonderful. 3: The humanistic approach - linking the bibliographical, historical, art, and architecture of the times to the binding styles and marketing practices, making it apparent the ways in which binding contributed to the spread of learning. 4: 1) The field trip to the Folger - a) books shown were superb and MF shared her wide knowledge in a very relaxed and extemporaneous manner; b) time in the bus allowed for conversation with MF and other students. 2) Other students. 5: The instructor's openness and willingness to answer questions in a friendly and informal atmosphere. 6: The depth of knowledge possessed by the instructor and her willingness to always answer any and all questions. 7: MF's extraordinary command of her chosen subject, her excellence of presentation, and the delightful nature of her personality. The visit to the Folger and viewing the 70+ bindings (accompanied by MF's comments) was unforgettable. 8: I very much enjoyed/appreciated the contextualization of decorative style and technique into a broader historical background. By this I mean that I think that the break away from strict regional and chronological order made it possible to get the mind going in several directions at once, providing an excellent (if often overwhelming) context for the study of bookbinding history, as well as opening new areas of inquiry for the future. Very exciting. 9: The opportunity to hear MF discuss at length her research in an informal setting. 10: The slides of bindings, even though many were repeated and found in the pre-course readings. Our class was the most serious group of students I've ever been with. At night, many of them went back to their rooms to read more on the reading list. Many were on the Lawn and I never saw them. 11: Folger visit. 12: The visit to the Folger Library was a wonderful experience. But perhaps the best thing about the course is its instructor and her wealth of knowledge and emphasis upon looking at bookbinding in a historical context. 7) How could the course have been improved? 1: Maybe sometimes a little less reading of the lectures - although most of the time she was very animated and interesting. 2: Perhaps it might have helped to have an outline of the material to be covered and names and dates of binders covered. It was great, though, and I can't think of any other suggestions. 3: I would love to see the lectures published. Two volumes - one text, one plates (those shown in class supplemented by others). I would have preferred less reading of lectures. All the content was excellent and extremely well-prepared. 4: MF's notes (which are excellent) could have been photocopied and read before class. As it was, she had to read the notes and this put her under enormous pressure to finish each session and allowed little time for student-faculty exchange. 5: Make it two weeks long and spread the material out a bit. 6: Another week? 7: In my view, there can be no improvement in MF's presentation. I think that it might be useful to have copies of some of the items from the reading list available for people during coffee breaks, &c. While many of us have them at home, I think it would help to be able to refer to them when fleshing out our notes. 8: As I've already mentioned, the help of handouts would be greatly appreciated. Also, more historical readings, perhaps like those of Howe and Tidcombe, mentioned during the lectures. 10: See no. 6, above. I think MF is extremely knowledgeable, considerate, and well-intentioned, but I think perhaps she is not up-to-date nor comfortable with her material and is perhaps a bit frail to continue at RBS. 12: Perhaps a little less time spent on the details of the prices of bindings, but overall, there really isn't too much room for improvement. 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 instructor was VERY aware of proper handling of rare materials and was very careful at all times. I was very happy to see that, as I have been in other RBS courses where this was not at all the case. 2: Perhaps have a large table in the MacGregor room so that we don't have to pass the books around in baskets. 4: None. 5: Extraordinary care was taken in all cases; in a few, perhaps the UVa staff were too cautious. 6: Special Collections materials were not handled by our class but passed, very appropriately, in felt-lined baskets. This worked very well. 7: Cloth covered boards for passing around books - a table to sit around - some books don't fit in the baskets provided in Special Collections. 8: Those little baskets for passing books around in Special Collections do not work for large folios. 9: For the course - have students sit around a large table and, using pads, slide materials from student to student. This would reduce the fear of dropping an item. 10: The pads we used at the Folger to slide books around a conference table might be a kinder method than the RBS [felt-lined] bamboo baskets to enable students see the bindings better. 11: The baskets are inadequate for large, heavy volumes. 12: The baskets used in Special Collections for passing books around were often too small for the books and a little too fragile - one broke while in use. Maybe another room with a bigger table could be found and the books could be passed around on mats, the way the Folger does. 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 and videos, evening lectures, Bookseller Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers,, &c. 1: Everything was fine! But was there a demonstration of hand printing this week? If so, I was not aware of it and would have liked to attend. 2: I must not have read my guide well enough, because I wasn't aware of the printing demonstration or the tour of Alderman Etext Center. I'm sorry that I missed them - it's a great idea.3: The lectures this week were the best in every way of those I've ever attended. 4: Evening lectures were fair; Bookseller Night was very good. I did not attend the others. 5: Evening activities were informative and entertaining, as usual. The booksellers here are friendly and helpful. 6: All outside activities were both enjoyable and informative. 8: Lectures were excellent. Break food was adequate, but not noteworthy. The Sunday night dinner was a little scanty for $12. 9: Sunday night dinner is a good idea - good mixer. Bookseller Night is useful, as it gives us an opportunity to explore the Mall area as well as visit the bookshops. However, by Week 4, the inventories seem a bit thin. 10: Loved the Sunday tour and the lectures, Paul Needham's especially. Too bad we missed TB's. 11: The evening lectures are good, Rotunda exhibitions are always interesting, and Sunday dinner is a good chance to meet people. 10)Any final thoughts? Did you get your money's worth? 1: Yes! It is really worth it! 2: Yes, it was great. 3: Yes, I got my money's worth. 4: See no.7, above. I really liked Thursday's field trip: 1) books, 2) time with MF, 3) time with other students. 5: Be prepared for lots of slides, and practice your note-taking ability before coming! 6: The course was top-notch and certainly worthwhile for persons looking for a serious and in-depth examination of decorative bookbinding. 7: Yes, I got my money's worth. 8: Do take it if you can. And especially take it if you have taken NP's course. They are sides of a coin and should not be separated. I most certainly got my money's worth. MF is a remarkable teacher and scholar, and I am happy to have had the opportunity to work with her and catch her enthusiasm for this work. 9: Rest up before coming, and do as much of the recommended reading as possible. Yes, I most definitely got my money's worth. 10: I would not recommend this course unless there is a new instructor. I do not believe it's necessary to have Nicholas Pickwoad's course as a prerequisite unless it's for financial reasons. The Vade mecum was the best ever - it's nice to have a list of numbers inside the front cover, but I did miss the individual room telephone numbers and I miss the year book. Put nicknames, as well as real names, on the badges and make the names in BOLD - it's hard for some of us to read the names. What happened to badge patrol? Many students didn't wear their badges. Also, many students seemed to stop coming to coffee breaks and evening receptions. I met one group of men and women by accident on the elevator the last day and they admitted that they'd been to coffee only once. As always, I met some great new people and got reacquainted with some of the old timers. 12: It is well worth doing the readings before class and brushing up on European history of the period covered. Knowledge of sixteenth and seventeenth century British history is definitely helpful. Yes, I got my money's worth. Number of respondents: 12
There were five (43%) conservator/binder/preservation librarians, three (25%) rare book librarians, and one each (8%) each was an antiquarian bookseller, a general librarian with some rare book duties, a retiree, and attending RBS as a book collector. * This student paid for a locum tenens to cover for him. |