ENG 350: Senior Seminar
"For the love of books”: introduction to bibliography
January 29: Introduction to Bibliography
What is bibliography?
The hand press and machine press periods
Entry description workshop
Leslie Howsam, The Cambridge Companion to the History of the Book
Study guides: Sojourner Truth, Phyllis Wheatley, Emma Goldman, Yolanda Bonhomme, Rosa May Biillinghurst, Ida B. Wells, Mary Seacole, and Lizelia Augusta Jenkins Moorer
February 5: 500 years of Women’s Work: The Lisa Unger Baskin Collection
Class meets at 6:45pm The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street between Madison & Park Avenues!
Complete and post your study guide PDFs by Sunday night at 10 pm on Blackboard’s “Discussion Board.”
Read all other study guides after Sunday evening, before your visit.
Buy (or arrange a bookshare for) our class textbook (Gaskell).
Watch this video and read about the exhibit (handout from class).
Read the Times article on The Grolier Club’s anniversary, “A Book Haven Turns 100”
February 12: no class - lincoln’s birthday
Write your Grolier Club Field Report and post on Blackboard
february 19: Paper
Read Leslie Howsam, “The Study of Book History” (handout)
Quiz on Bibliography Basics from Class 1
Read Gaskell 57-77 and/or McKerrow 97-108, 73-96
Just for fun: “Papr” video from The Colbert Show
February 26: Type, Composition, & imposition
Study for Quiz on Type and Paper
Read Gaskell 9-39, 40-56, 81-87, (Type, Composition, and Imposition) or McKerrow 6-24, 175-199, 288-318
Type report: research a font of your choice (from any era) and write up a one-page informational report.
Read a chapter of your choice from A.F. Johnso’n’s Type designs: Their History and Development: Introduction; Roman; Italics; Script; or Advertising Type
No regular Wednesday class.
Watch Videos:
Fonts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOgIkxAfJsk
A Brief History of Type: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XohCW4ecYyg
How to measure type:http://moodle.etcportal.org/mod/book/view.php?id=2297
Composition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iGqHIqBzis
Friday, March 6: New York International Antiquarian Book Fair
Class meets at the Park Avenue Armory on 643 Park Avenue between 66th and 67th Streets at 4 pm.
March 11: the center for book arts
Class meets at 28 West 27th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue at 7pm.
Field Report due on a bookstall or artifact from the NY Antiquarian Book Fair.
Make-up Field Reports:
If you missed the NY International Antiquarian Book Fair, you may make up your field report by researching one of the following topics and writing up a field report on this instead. Your job is to learn as much as you can about the topic and condense it in a journalistic way for your classmates to understand.
Be sure to follow the regular guidelines for our field reports. Format everything beautifully on one page. You'll be asked to present this information by reading the field report aloud in class. Be sure to include an image!
1. The Schomburg Collection at the NYPL -
2. The Pforzheimer Collection at the NYPL -
3. Richard Minsky & The Center for Book Arts -
4. Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Read the section on tidying books. -
5. Henry VIII, the Tudor & Stuart periods, and the English Reformation -
6. The Bibliographic Society of America -
7. The platen press and other machinery (use Gaskell & McKerrow as sources) -
8. Volvelles & Manicules -
9. Edition, issue, & state
10. Arthur Schwarz, "A Book Collector Builds A Life" - (chapter in a book. Please PDF the essay and send it to me to share with the class.)
March 25: our digital world & Type review
This will be our first Zoom session in our transition to online classes.
Reading together: Anne Fadiman, “Marrying Libraries.” Or, give your eyes a rest and listen to the essay here, courtesy of Jennifer M.
Class sharing: Font reports
Review: Type, type setting, & typefaces. Gaskell 9-39, 40-56, (Type and Composition) or McKerrow 6-24, 175-199, 288-318
Group work: comparing typefaces
Videos: review videos
A Brief History of Type: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XohCW4ecYyg
How to measure type:http://moodle.etcportal.org/mod/book/view.php?id=2297
Composition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iGqHIqBzis
A helpful site with a chart of typographic terms: https://www.fontsmith.com/blog/2016/06/29/the-a-z-of-typographic-terms
HW: Read Gaskell, 81-87, 118-141 and 146-153
Read Leah Price, What We Mean When We Talk About Books: Introduction and Chapter 1: “The Real Life of Books.” Choose a passage that stands out to you and write a 3-paragraph reflection, to be posted on Blackboard and read aloud next week.
Review videos and notes for a simple quiz on type.
April 1: Presswork & Bookbinding
Review from last week and quiz on type
Discussion: Leah Price, What We Mean When We Talk About Books: Introduction and Chapter 1: “The Real Life of Books.”
Lesson: Gaskell 81-87, 118-141 and 146-153
Class sharing: Center for Book Arts recap
Group work: Volvelles & Manicules; Richard Minksy & The Center for Book Arts; Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Video: Gutenberg Printing Press (inking): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLctAw4JZXE
Instagram posts (see images on Gaskell, 263 + 264)
Class activity: Make your own book. See image on page 83 of Gaskell.
HW: Read Anne Fadiman, “Never Do That To a Book”
Email me an Insta-worthy photo & caption from the book fair or related to something you’ve learned about typeface/fonts
Study for quiz on printing press. Catch up on any missing assignments and post to Blackboard.
April 8-10: spring break
No class until April 16! Take a break and don’t think about bibliography for 7 whole days!
(But anyone who’s fallen behind can take the next 2 weeks to catch up on assignments and post them on Blackboard.)
APRIL 15: our asynchronous “No SPRING bREAK” Class
This week’s class will be asynchronous, meaning you can do it on your own time. However, I will still be around at 6pm to answer any questions or talk you through the the material.
1) Watch American Animals (2018 film) OR read the rest of Leah Price’s book. Write your digital essay response to either the book or the movie.
American Animals (2018) is available on HBO+, or try fmovies.to, 123movies.com, or series9.io if you’d like to watch it on your own time.
For those who want to watch it together, we will be streaming it on April 15 at 6 p.m. in class.The rest of Price’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Books is available here: Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5 + endpapers.
2) I will present the three major assignments for the rest of the semester. Make sure you understand the final assignments and plan what you’ll do to complete them by end of term.
HW for next week: Read Gaskell 154-159, 266-273 on Illustration Processes for next week.
Read Anne Fadiman, “Never Do That To a Book” if you haven’t already.
Read The Vanity Fair article on the theft of Audobon’s Birds here.
Read about a different copy of Audobon’s Birds for sale at Christie’s here.
Please use this week to catch up on any and all missing assignments. Post them to Blackboard.
April 22: illustration processes
Review on printing press. Quiz on printing.
Lesson: Download skeleton notes here. Add more details on your own throughout today’s class! Gaskell 154-159, 266-273
Group Activity: Relief v. Intaglio; woodcuts; burnishing & engraving; drypoint, etching, mezzotint, stipple, aquatint, color plates
Lesson: How to Print an Intaglio Plate; From Paper to Copper: Engraving; Wood engraving; William Blake’s engravings; Lithographs; Woodcuts
Some helpful glossary pages: https://fleuron.lib.cam.ac.uk/glossary
Discussion: American Animals or the rest of Price’s book.
Organize work on Digital Projects. Our CUNY Academic Commons Page: https://rarebooks.commons.gc.cuny.edu
HW: Read ”What and Why First Editions”
Read Anne Fadiman, “Words on a Flyleaf”
Read Arthur Schwarz, “A Book Collector Builds a Life.” Browse other essays in the book collection on Google Books.
Study for quiz on illustration processes. Choose and revise your Digital Essay.
Select a photo and write a short bio for the “Members” page of CUNY Academic Commons. Email it to me.
april 29: collecting & provenance
(Asynchronous class option below. Synchronous class features special guest lecturers Prof. Jane Cleland & Arthur Schwarz.)
Watch this video on Presswork at RBS
Quiz on Illustration Processes: Download it here. Please PDF the document with your answers and drop it in your Dropbox (or email it to me as a PDF).
”Blooks”: read this blog post and watch this video.
Lesson: Edition, Issue, State: read this article thoroughly. List, learn, and understand the terms as you take notes.
Read what was recently in the news: L’Affair Astrophil! “A Billion-Dollar Scandal Turns the ‘King of Manuscripts"‘ into the "‘Madoff of France’”
Synchronous class activities:
Guest lecturers: Prof. Jane Cleland, former bookseller; Arthur Schwarz, collector.
Prof. Cleland’s handout available here.
If you need, brush up on your 16 c. English history & Henry VIII here.
Presentation on Schomburg Collection (Moesha).
Discussion: “A Book Collector Builds a Life”
Group Activity: Searching ABE books, create a wishlist of 5 items given a budget of $5,000. Come up with parameters for your group’s own collection.
8 pm: Final paper planning & office hours
HW: Study for the quiz on collecting.
Read Howsam, “Book History in the classroom”
Digital essay due.
Create your own study guide for the Final Exam. Review the syllabus and your class notes.
Decide on your paper topic and create an outline. Avail yourself of office hours or email me to run final paper ideas by me.
May 6: SPECIAL Virtual Tour & Final Exam Review
Quiz on Collecting & Bookselling.
Special private collection tour guided by Eric Holzenberg, Director of The Grolier Club
Discussion: “Book History in the classroom”
Presentation: Bibliographical Society of America; Henry VIII
Final Exam Review
May 13: Digital Project & FInal Exam
Canceled Trips:
April 1: PForzheimer Collection: Shelley and His Circle
NYPL Main Branch, Schwarzman Building at 475 Fifth Avenue, between 40th and 42nd Streets.
April 17: Christie’s fine books and manuscripts
April 29: Eric Holzenberg private collection
Class meets downstairs of the Fordham Road 4 subway station at 6:15 p.m.
Field report on Christie’s trip due