Printed Books to 1800: Description & Analysis (Online)

Course Description

This course is intended for librarians, educators, collectors, booksellers, and others who seek an introduction to the physical aspects of books printed during the hand-press period (i.e., 1450–1830). It covers the identification and description of paper (laid vs. wove, watermarks, sheet sizes); typography (type sizes, fonts, and non-textual material); letterpress composition and printing; illustration processes (relief, intaglio) and their use in hand-press books; bookbinding materials (textile, leather, parchment, paper), methods, and decoration; provenance (personal, library, and book trade markings, inscriptions, and bookplates; the ways in which owners and readers have physically altered books; documenting a copy’s life history); bibliographical description (how to interpret bibliographical descriptions of hand-press books: format, collation, signings, pagination); edition, issue, and state; the use of physical evidence to address broader questions; and online resources concerning pre-1830 books. The course relies heavily on Rare Book School’s rich collection of hand-press books and related artifacts. Students should plan to devote 2-3 hours between each class day viewing videos and completing online exercises.

Note on the online version of G-20

In their personal statement, applicants should describe the extent of their background in the history of books and printing, the nature of their interest in the subject, and how they expect to apply what they learn. There is no formal prerequisite for the course, though students with no prior exposure to hand-press books may be directed to other Rare Book School course(s) before being admitted to G-20v.

Tuition payment is due in full a week prior to the first class meeting. A portion of the tuition payment ($250) will be retained as a deposit should a student withdraw from the course.

Faculty

David R. Whitesell

David R. Whitesell retired as Curator in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia in 2022. He previously worked as Curator of Books at …

Advanced Reading List

Preliminary Advices

Students will get far more out of the course if the advance reading is done carefully and completely. As you go through the reading, jot down what you would like to have explained, or see examples of, in class. Among other topics, the course will cover the basics of descriptive bibliography (format, collational formula, and description of paper, typography, and binding), though with more emphasis on understanding descriptions found in bibliographies and catalogs than on writing one’s own.

Reading List

Required Reading

• Gaskell, Philip. A New Introduction to Bibliography. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972, corrected 2nd printing, 1974; paperback edition, New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 1995. Use any printing except the 1st, uncorrected printing (1972). This is the primary text for the course. Please read pp. 1-185 (“Book Production: The Hand-Press Period 1500-1800”), 313–35, and 368–80. Gaskell can be a dense first-time read, so you may wish to read the assigned sections through quickly, then re-read those describing type, paper, printing procedures, and anything else of interest. Don’t let yourself get bogged down in minutiae, as we will review much of Gaskell in class. Although G-20v does not address the machine-press period (pp. 189–310), you may find it helpful to skim this portion if you have time. [Note: Gaskell is currently out of print, but we understand that Oak Knoll plans to reprint it soon, though perhaps not in time for this course.]
  
• Pearson, David. Provenance Research in Book History: A Handbook. [New and revised edition] Oxford: Bodleian Library, 2019. Despite its Anglocentric focus, this is a very useful introduction to marks of provenance and their identification, with excellent color images.  Please read pp. 1–92, 107–73, and 343–78; browse the rest to the extent of your interest. If you only have access to the first edition (1994 or 1998 printing), read pp. 1–26, 38–70, 82–139, and 274–96.
  
• Pearson, David.English Bookbinding Styles 1450-1800. London: The British Library; New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2005; corrected 2nd printing 2014. Another useful introduction to a complex and amorphous subject. The text and illustrations (many in color) provide an excellent expansion of Gaskell’s limited coverage, albeit only partly applicable to binding styles elsewhere in Europe. Please read pp. x–xi, 1–40, and browse pp. 41–163.

Required Viewing

• The Making of a Renaissance Book. 1969. 22 minutes. Available on YouTube.
  • An excellent visualization of the punchcutting, typefounding, typesetting, and printing processes described in Gaskell.
    
• The Anatomy of a Book: I. Format in the Hand-Press Period. 1991. 30 minutes. Available on YouTube.

Recommending Reading

• Bowers, Fredson. Principles of Bibliographical Description. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1949; several reprint editions; paperback edition, with introduction by G. Thomas Tanselle, New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 1994, reprinted 2023. Anyone with a serious interest in bibliography and book history should tackle this magisterial but challenging work at some point. If you have time, please read Appendix I, then Chapters 5 (skipping over the finer print) and 7 (pp. 193–254, 269–84, 457–62; see also Gaskell, pp. 328–35 for a concise—but not fully accurate—summary of these chapters.)  The basic concepts elucidated by Bowers will be covered in class. Then read (or re-read) Bowers after taking this course, by which time his discussion should make considerably more sense.
  
• Carter, John. ABC for Book Collectors. London: Hart-Davis, 1952. 9th edition, revised by Nicolas Barker & Simran Thadani, New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2016. Use any later edition. A downloadable PDF of the 8th edition (2004) is available free of charge. An elegant and witty guide to essential terminology, well worth reading. Some terms pertain to post-1800 imprints or are rarely used nowadays, but it is useful nonetheless to know these.

Course Evaluations

Course History