HIST 623B The History of the Book
This course surveys the history of the book in its worldwide context as both material artifact and text. With attention to the history of reading and writing, the course looks at book production in its cultural, social, and religious contexts. Topics include methods of book production (materials, techniques, tools), the history of libraries, the development of printing in the early modern period, and writing and reading in the age of electronic media. Attention will be paid particularly to the development of book production and book culture of the medieval and early modern periods.