Michael Turner

No. 44: Publishing History, 1775-1850

2-6 August 1999

1) How useful were the pre-course readings?

1: Very useful. 2: Readings were very useful in providing context for the course contents. However, it would have been helpful if the instructor had referred to them more during the course of the week. 3: Quite relevant, although somewhat ambitious. I didn't get through it all. 4: Very helpful and relevant; much better class discussion if the participants have done the readings. 5: Interesting and applicable. I especially enjoyed The English Common Reader. 6: Very useful, particularly The English Common Reader. 7: Feather and Altick were particularly useful. 8: The works were well chosen. 9: The pre-course readings were entirely relevant. 10: Quite useful. 11: Very.

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: No syllabus; materials were appropriate. Binder a nice touch. I would have liked a few handouts of items shown, but didn't get them. 2: There was no course syllabus - the course would have been better if there had been one. The workbook contains useful bibliographies and other information, but could have been expanded to include more of the examples we were shown as slides. 3: Yes, on both counts. 4: Yes, particularly for research and further readings; slide material was very interesting. 5: MT's aide-memoire will be a valuable addition to my RBS collection. I anticipate my post-course reading will further increase my knowledge about British publishing. 6: The aide-memoire in the workbook will be very helpful in providing sources for additional reading on this subject. 7: Relevant, and should be useful for future study. 8: The packet will be a valuable resource for me in my work. 9: A booklet was distributed with many useful bibliographies, articles, &c. that I will get back to at my library and read or refer to. 10: Yes. 11: Relevant, and will be useful in the future.

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

1-2: Yes. 3: Quite so, even sometimes challenging. 4: Yes, introductory, but with expectation that you've done the reading. 5: Highly appropriate. 6-7: Yes. 8: It was just right. 9: Very appropriate. Our instructor was a wealth of information. 10: Fine. 11: Yes.

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

2: One short field trip to look at printing presses in Special Collections did not seem entirely relevant to the topic of the course. 3: We went to see the presses outside Special Collections. 5: Yes - we had only visited Special Collections to view the presses there to gain knowledge about the printing presses. 6: We only went - during lunch - to see the printing press demonstration. 7: We made one short visit to Special Collections; viewing the iron press was useful. 9: Saw the hand-press demonstration (I'd seen this before in other classes). 10: N/a.

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: Corresponded roughly to the brochure description. Why was the ECD shorter than the brochure description? 3: Yes, for the most part.4: Yes; make clear it's strictly British. 5-9: Yes 10: Not quite. This was not a course in "British Publishing History, 1775-1850," but a seminar on selected aspects of research into book trade history, with a focus on the c18 periodical press. 11: Yes.

6) What did you like best about the course?

1: Could be flexible, if wanted, but class was happy with MT's presentations; MT's knowledge, expertise. 2: Section on publishers' bindings/packaging of books; section on ephemeral publications. The instructor was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the field and invited student participation. The slides were useful (but there were too many, especially of the Stationers' Company archives!). 3: Expertise of the instructor, classmates congenial with varied backgrounds. 4: Instructor - many relevant and interesting personal additions to formal class presentations. 5: MT's exhaustive knowledge of publishing. 6: 1) The explanation and slides of the Stationers' Company archive volumes. 2) Printing ephemera (slide illustrations) of items of interest for this period from the John Johnson Collection. 7: Instructor's anecdotes. 8: The student presentations were an excellent idea. 9: The instructor and the areas that he covered; personal anecdotes. 10: MT's anecdotes of legendary bibliographers. 11: For me, learning new things, learning how much I thought I knew and understood but in fact did not. Therefore, I will revisit.

7) How could the course have been improved?

1: More non-slide visuals, such as examples of publications, &c., and/or trip to Special Collections; a syllabus. 2: Although the research involved in preparing for the student presentations was a useful exercise for me, the class time might have been better spent with more lecturing. One period each day was taken up with student's presentations - better organization of the materials and a course syllabus would have been definite improvements. 3: Regarding the session on type founding, I would rather have enjoyed holding a mold, block of type in various stages of being formed, &c. I would like to see a stereotype plate, stereotype plaster mold, &c. Does BAP have these things? (Probably.) 4: Make a specific requirement for the preparation of a report on a publishing figure and give general expectations ahead of time, ie 15-20 minute oral presentation on both figure and the sources found. 5: Perhaps you could include a Museum session where we could look at books from Alderman that are published by the publishers chosen for reports. 7: In a few cases, some of the material covered (paper making, type-casting) was probably familiar to most folks in the class. Concentrate on the improvements/changes in technology related to these processes. 8: The slides were great! Perhaps they would be still more digestible, however, in smaller chunks - ie 30 minutes slides, 15 minute lecture, 30 minute slides, 15 minute lecture or activity, &c. 9: ? 10: A syllabus would be helpful. 11: Maybe a little more structure - but this may be because I learn better that way - others may not.

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 class didn't have any! 2: N/A. 3: We didn't really handle old, rare, or fragile materials, although I am shocked and disappointed to see a café, of all things, in Alderman Library. How could this have happened? 4: Not applicable. 5: None. 6: N/A. 9: We primarily used slides and library books as references, rather than Special Collections or rare books. 10: N/A.

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: I enjoyed Sunday Night Dinner (it's a nice start), saw the videos, attended all lectures - enjoyed them. Nicely done. 2: Enjoyed all of the above. 3: Everything is so well thought out and organized, and there are staff members about who know the answers to questions. Good job! Rotunda exhibit is amazing. Lectures enjoyable and pertinent to courses offered. 4: The printing demonstration is always a good review; good to hear original research, well presented. 5: Booksellers Night, Sunday Night Dinner, and the evening lectures are not to be missed! 6: Sunday Night Dinner is a great chance to meet classmates and others at RBS for the week before beginning the full daily schedule. 9: Enjoyed everything, especially Bookseller Night and the Rotunda exhibit. Meeting new people and interacting is always beneficial. 10: The Rotunda exhibit was particularly engaging, as was the printing exhibition. 11: I attended both receptions and every lecture; they were enjoyable and informative.

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

1: I can only recommend it highly. RBS and being here at UVa is worth the trip and the money. 2: The course seemed somewhat disorganized - lack of syllabus was a problem. More seriously, the instructor did not seem to have enough material to fill the whole week, and seemed to run out of things to talk about several times during the week. 3: This is my seventh RBS course. That should say something about the whole RBS experience. 4: Do the readings; come with several questions in mind and be prepared to participate. 5: A wonderful course! You will learn a lot. 6: This is a particularly good course for those students interested in the impact of the Stationers' Company on the c19 book trade. It is well worth the time and price. 7: RBS always delivers.... 8: MT's knowledge and wit made this course a delight. 9: As usual, Rare Book School is well worth the money. It's always exhausting, but that just means you're learning and absorbing at a high rate. 11: Register very early - get the reading lists and read everything.

Number of respondents: 11

There were five general librarians with some rare book duties (45%), two full-time students (18%), one rare book librarian (9%), one antiquarian bookseller (9%), one retiree (9%), and one book collector (9%).