41: History of Bookbinding [B10]
13-17 June 2005
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: The pre-course readings were excellent. I found Margaret Lock and Paul Needham were easier to read first, then went on to Mirjam Foot and Nicholas Pickwood. 2: Most were very useful. Those with detailed discussions of a lot of specific bindings and their binders will make a lot more sense now. 3: Extremely useful. Excellent and needed background for the course. 5: The readings were useful in that they gave me an overview. Although I didn’t have the chance to read everything, what I read was somewhat helpful. 6: I found that the pre-course readings were more helpful after taking the class. Readings made more sense afterwards, i.e. terminology, &c., when you could relate to physical examples shown in class. 7: Very good start. 8: The pre-course reading list was a bit intimidating. I would suggest a smaller list of books as many of the items were expensive and difficult to obtain. 9-10: Very useful. 11: We only had three items on the list; our fault to be sure, and I did not give myself enough time to ILL the material.
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: Wow, were they ever! Great handouts that will be useful reference for identifying leather types, trends in decorative styles, tools used, &c.. 2: Extremely helpful. The bibliography distributed does not include some of the books discussed in class on Friday. 3: Yes!! The value of the course materials became more apparent with each passing day. 4: Excellent, quite outstanding. Time line very revealing. Illustrations especially those in color remarkable. 5: Yes, they were. 6: Yes, very. Will be great reference tools at work. 7: Useful references for the future. 8: Absolutely! 9: Very useful. 10-11: Yes.
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: The intellectual level of the course was perfect. Jan Storm van Leeuwen’s survey was incredibly helpful to me as now I have a much better idea of how to establish dates for bindings. The identification of leathers, ornaments, and stylistic trends will, also, aid me in my work. 2: Several aspects especially helpful: broad sweep of coverage of binding history; covering some parts of materials and techniques, papers, description and binding study as well as period-by-period and country-by-country detailed review; and personal details of history related by instructor. 3: The extremely useful information on the development of book binding “designs” and changes. Intellectual level of course quite high, but completely appropriate. 4: Every hour was interesting. 5: Although I don’t expect to encounter many luxury bindings, so commonly represented in this course, I believe that gaining a general understanding of binding structures and designs will enhance my knowledge and skills. The intellectual level was high and very appropriate. 6: Everything: terminology, hands-on experience, being able to ask specific questions pertinent to my collection and problems within collections. 7: Intellectual level was appropriate. Overall general and thorough introduction to the topic with all aspects well integrated into the whole. 8: Book binding descriptions; Leather, cloth, paper type identification; JSvL was great. 9: All aspects. Yes. 10: Working on binding descriptions. It would be nice to spend a little more time on this. 11: The parts dealing with 19th century copies and derivations were most useful. This is what I have the most of in my own shop.
4) If your course had field trips, were they effective?
1: Our trip to Special Collections was a wonderful opportunity to begin putting our newly acquired knowledge to use; I liked how JSvL asked us to try and identify various aspects of the book, so we had a chance to see what we could make of the bindings on our own before he gave his authoritative analysis. 2: Time in Special Collections extremely helpful. Time in Tibet, also, very helpful. Book-sewing tape first day very helpful. 3: Yes. Examples were very well chosen to illustrate points made in the general historical survey. 4: Very well spent. Beautiful viewing conditions in the new library. 5: Very well spent! Although slides are always important in this type of course, there is nothing that compares with actually seeing the bindings first-hand. 6: Yes. Examples were an important part of this course and the more we saw and discussed the more helpful it was. 7: Best part of the course! 8: N/A. 9: Extremely so. 10-11: Yes.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: JSvL’s pacing and structure for what is an overwhelming stretch of history. The slides were very helpful, as were the sessions in Lower Tibet. JSvL’s ability to clarify specific details is excellent. I was inspired by his enthusiasm and rigorous standards, but at the same time not afraid to make mistakes while learning in class as his student. 2: The fantastic instructor and his wonderful way of teaching. 3: Sheer amount of historical information presented by professor, and his willingness to explain further details when necessary. JSvL is an excellent instructor. 4: Beginning with a wonderfully poetic evocative introduction, JSvL kept us all fascinated and unconsciously learning through a combination of slides, body language, emphasis, stories of colleagues, and exercises to test our knowledge. 5: Several things: JSvL’s enthusiasm for rare book bindings is infectious! He is also humble enough to admit when he does not know everything about a binding, which is very refreshing. I, also, find that the printed out introduction and accompanying illustrations will be very useful reference back home. 6: JSvL is an excellent teacher and very approachable. Answered questions clearly and precisely. 7: Enthusiasm and dedication of the instructor, visit to Special Collections, other hands-on elements. 8: It was an absolute pleasure to have JSvL as an instructor. He is a captivating speaker with a great personality and sense of humor. I am sad I won’t see him tomorrow... 9: The wealth of materials presented plus the volume of information given. 10: The great amount of illustrations and actual examples used in the course. 11: The best part is going to Tibet and actually handling the materials. A book handled is a book never forgotten. I am a hands-on guy.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: Sometimes it was hard to follow JSvL’s lecture while the Allen baskets were being passed around with specimens of paper or examples of bindings; perhaps a label could be passed around in the basket with the paper specimen or book? 2: Was great. 3: Hard to say. Possibly more hands-on types of examples, if they were available would be helpful early in the course. 4: Sometimes I wondered if styles could be followed right through, as discussions, in all the countries concerned rather than jumping back to beginning for each country? I know this will be improved, but some of the slides are very poor. 5: Sometimes I felt that binding dates or date ranges could have been included where they weren’t. Other than that, seeing even more actual bindings would always be great. 6: Make it 2 weeks! 7: Perhaps tie design history to other touchstones of book history when possible (maybe build on time line provided) 8: Soda during the morning break. I need caffeinated things other than coffee in the AM. 9: Would have enjoyed more hands-on time to identify skins and leather types, perhaps a lab next time? 11: I would be interested in hearing something about the audience for these books, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. It seems to me that this is a really important part of understanding the material.
7) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS 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: JSvL was (and still is I’m sure) extremely sensitive to the careful handling of all materials. I was extremely impressed by this. 2: Balance between hands-on learning and care of collections seems right to me. 3: None. 4: No suggestions. 5: None. 6: Fine. 7: All carefully done. 9: All possible precautions were taken. 11: Everything seems fine.
8) If you attended the Sunday and/or Monday night lectures, were they worth attending?
1: The Sunday night lecture was a wonderful introduction to the school and its history. Monday’s lecture by Jennifer Monaghan was stimulating. I plan to buy her book. 2: Yes; interesting, but not essential. 3: Sunday was truly worth attending. Monday’s lecture was quite good, but I think many of us were a bit too tired at that point to appreciate it. 4: Both lectures very interesting. Found [Jennifer Monaghan] hard to hear. 5: Yes, somewhat. 6-7: Yes. 8: Monday night was OK. The speaker wasn’t very interesting. 9: Yes, as always. 11: Yes.
9) If you attended Museum Night, was the time profitably spent?
1: N/A. 2: Were there two? On Tuesday: music engraving very interesting; linotype very interesting, binding somewhat interesting, ProScope very interesting. 3: Yes, definitely. 6: Sunday: housekeeping intro good for 1st time students. Monday: found talk interesting. 8-9: Yes. 11: Museum night is the very, very best part of the week. The instructor could run away and the week would still be worthwhile.
10) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final thoughts?
1: Any person who handles bindings, especially those of 1900 and earlier, will find this course invaluable. I feel as if I have acquired a new set of eyes with respect to recognizing and interpreting bindings and can hardly believe I operated in my collection without this knowledge. I plan to take more courses in this subject at RBS with Sue Allen, Christopher Clarkson, and Nicholas Pickwood. Thanks, JSvL! I could not have hoped for a better introduction into this branch of scholarship. 2: Yes. 3: Yes, much more than my money’s worth! My advice would be do take the course, and do the background reading first! 4: I feel my mind expanded, my horizons, temporal and geographic, amazingly enlarged. I look at the world of books differently. I am most grateful for this experience! 5: This course was wonderful and very useful. I’d highly recommend it to anyone with any interest in the subject! 6: I always get my money’s worth; best deal in the library world! 7: Thoughtful, enthusiastically presented overview of the topic. Extremely worthwhile. 8: Absolutely! I would love to come back soon! I hope that JSvL can teach more classes here in the future! I would love to see a binding description class and possibly a tooling class (tool identification) taught by JSvL, of course. 9: Yes. Course is intense, be prepared for the pace. 10: I would recommend this course. I think it would be better to have a larger preliminary reading list for students who truly are just beginning to explore this field. 11: Oh, yes. I hope that heaven is like this, but in San Francisco please!
Number of respondents: 11
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
82% 73% 73% 37%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
0% 18% 9% 45%
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 exchange home
28% 9% 18% 18%
There were:
No. Percentage Occupation
2 18.25% Archivist/manuscript librarian
2 18.25% Antiquarian bookseller
2 18.25% Other (Curator; Wanted to learn about binding.)
2 18.25% General librarian with some rb duties
1 9% Rare Book librarian
1 9% General librarian with no rb duties
1 9% Teacher/professor