L597: The History of the Book to 1450

Fall 2000

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Lilly Library

Instructor: Joel Silver (855-2452; e-mail "silverj")

This course will cover the introduction and development of writing, and the history of the manuscript and printed book, from their beginnings to approximately the year 1450. This is a very large subject, and some topics will receive more coverage than others. Although there will be some coverage of the non-Western book, the emphasis will be on the history of the Western book.

Grading:

Grades will be based on a midterm examination, to be taken in class on October 10; a term paper (which will be in the form of an annotated bibliography), to be turned in by the last class meeting; and two journals. Weighting is as follows:

Books noted in the course schedule:

De Hamel: Christopher De Hamel. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts. Second edition. London: Phaidon, 1994. If you can, you should buy this book, which is available for purchase at the Friends of Art Bookstore.

Avrin: Leila Avrin. Scribes, Script and Books: The Book Arts from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Chicago and London: American Library Association and The British Library, 1991. This book is expensive but is well worth buying, if you can afford it. A few copies are available at the Friends of Art Bookstore.

Course Schedule:

Assigned readings should be done before the class session for which they are assigned. All assigned books and articles will be on reserve at the SLIS Library and will also be available in the Lilly Library Reading Room. There will also be a few additional articles or book chapters assigned (other than those listed), especially related to topics for which no assigned readings are indicated below.
Tuesday, August 29: Introduction
Thursday, August 31: The Origins of Writing; Introduction to Cuneiform
Avrin, pp. 1-34, 63-79.
Tuesday, September 5: Cuneiform (continued); Writing and the Book in Egypt
Avrin, pp. 34-43, 81-99.
Thursday, September 7: Writing and the Book in Egypt (continued)
Tuesday, September 12: The Hebrew Book; The Development of the Alphabet
Avrin, pp. 101-137, 45-61.
Thursday, September 14: No Class Meeting
Tuesday, September 19: Writing and the Book in the Greek World
Avrin, pp. 139-157.
Thursday, September 21: The Book in Ancient Rome
Avrin, pp. 159-184.
Tuesday, September 26: From Scroll to Codex
Avrin, pp. 205-229.
Thursday, September 28: No Class Meeting
Tuesday, October 3: No Class Meeting
Thursday, October 5: Review
Tuesday, October 10: Midterm Examination
Thursday, October 12: No Class Meeting
Tuesday, October 17: Introduction to Medieval Manuscripts
Journal 1 due.
De Hamel, pp. 1-41.
Thursday, October 19: Introduction to Medieval Manuscripts (continued)
De Hamel, pp. 42-107.
Tuesday, October 24: The Universities and the Rise of the Medieval Book Trade
De Hamel, pp. 108-167.
Thursday, October 26: No Class Meeting
Tuesday, October 31: The Medieval Book and Book Trade (continued)
M.D. Clanchy, From Memory to Written Record: England 1066-1307. Second Edition. Oxford: Blackwell, 1993. Chapter 4, "The Technology of Writing, pp. 114-144.
Thursday, November 2: Papermaking and Bookbinding
Avrin, pp. 283-325.
Tuesday, November 7: The Manuscript Book in the Islamic World and in The Far East
Avrin, pp. 261-282.
Thursday, November 9: No Class Meeting
Tuesday, November 14 - Thursday, November 16: No Class Meetings
Tuesday, November 21 - Thursday, November 23: Thanksgiving Break -No Class Meetings
Tuesday, November 28: The Printed Book in the Far East
Thursday, November 30: Humanism and the Fifteenth-Century Book
Journal 2 due.
De Hamel, pp. 168-257.
Tuesday, December 5: Conclusion
Term paper due.

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Last modified: 08/29/2000