History of the Renaissance Book
August 15 – 19 2021 at UCLA
Description: This course will serve as a comprehensive introduction to the history of the book in early modern Europe, from the beginning of the fifteenth century to the middle of the seventeenth. Our goal will be to use the holdings of the UCLA Research Library, with a focus on its Aldine collection, the Getty Research Institute Research Library, and the Huntington Library to learn to ‘read’ a Renaissance book, both as a physical object and as a carrier of cultural values. We will examine in turn how these books were produced, how they were distributed, and how they were used by those who bought and read them. Topics include
- the transition from manuscript to printed book,
- the mechanics of early printing,
- famous scholar-printers,
- editing and correcting,
- woodcuts and engravings,
- typeface and its meaning,
- the popular print,
- bindings,
- the Renaissance book trade,
- censorship,
- the formation of libraries, both individual and institutional,
- marginalia as clues to reading practices and information management, and
- researching a Renaissance book, using both print and online sources.
The course is intended for special collections librarians, collectors, booksellers, and scholars and graduate students in any field of Renaissance studies and library science. Scholarship aid is available.
Recommended reading|Primary text:
Andrew Pettegree, The Book in the Renaissance (New Haven and London, 2010).
For more information and how to apply please visit: http://www.calrbs.org/admissions/
For inquiries email: calrbs@gseis.ucla.edu
