I-10. The History of Printed Book Illustration in the West - Advance Reading List

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  • Required Reading

    In preparation for the class, please read (or at least skim chapters 2 through 7) of:

    Harthan, John. The History of the Illustrated Book: The Western Tradition. London: Thames and Hudson, 1981; paperback edition, 1997.

    While you’re working your way through Harthan, take a break from time to time to read the following shorter pieces on prints and printmaking:

    Goldman, Paul. “The History of Illustration and Its Technologies.” In The Book: A Global History, edited by Michael F. Suarez, S.J., and H.R. Woodhuysen, 231–243. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.

    Griffiths, Antony. Prints and Printmaking. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1996. Skip the parts that concern only “art” prints if you like (i.e. start reading at p. 13, and skip pp. 64–76, 106–112). Note the handy list of abbreviations and glossary at the end, starting on p. 134.

    Ivins, William M., Jr. How Prints Look. Boston: Beacon Press, 1987. Read from cover to cover, including the “Notes on a few points of interest” in the back. Prefer the 1987 revised edition (better image quality and a more logical order, though the added examples all concern modern fine-art prints, not prints used in books).

    Avoid Bamber Gascoigne’s How to Identify Prints for the purposes of this course. It is a fantastic reference resource, but skimming its relentless bounty without a particular print to identify is a disquieting experience.

    Note that you do not need to bring these books with you to class.