Opportunity for Study at Rare Book School

RBS provides five-day, intensive courses for students from all disciplines and levels to study the history of written, printed, and born-digital materials with leading scholars and professionals in the field.

Our 2013 online application is now available at the Rare Book School website, http://www.rarebookschool.org/.

This year, we are pleased to present more than thirty courses on the history of books and printing. Our offerings this year are particularly rich in the subject of nineteenth century studies, including the following four courses—one of which is new:

L-70. XML in Action: Creating Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Texts, taking place June 17­–21 in Charlottesville, VA. Taught by David Seaman (Dartmouth College Library). In this practical exploration of the creation, preservation, and use of electronic texts and their associated images in the humanities, students will learn about the creation and manipulation of XML texts. This course is ideal for scholars keen to develop, use, publish, and control electronic texts for library, research, scholarly communication, or teaching purposes. For more information: http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/libraries/l70/ 

H-50 The American Book in the Industrial Era, 1820-1940, taking place July 29–August 2 in Charlottesville, VA. Taught by Michael Winship (University of Texas at Austin). This course will focus on the manufacturing methods, publishing practices, distribution networks, and reception and use of books, periodicals, and other printed materials in the United States during the industrial era, roughly from the 1820s to the 1940s. Learn about the evolving relationship between authors and publishers, the role of reading and readers, and the rise of trade publishing in this survey, an RBS favorite for almost twenty years. For more information: http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/history/h50/

L-25 Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books, taking place July 22–26 in Charlottesville, VA. Taught by Joel Silver (Lilly Library). Learn about the many reference sources for researching rare books, particularly related to early printed books; British and American literature; historical Americana; voyages and travels; maps and atlases; science and medicine; and the book arts. Course participants will learn strategies for using resources effectively as well as how to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. The course is intended for special collections librarians, antiquarian booksellers, collectors, and scholars who are interested in learning to investigate rare books. For more information: http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/libraries/l25/

H-40 The Printed Book in the West since 1800, taking place July 22–26 in Charlottesville, VA. Taught by Eric Holzenberg (Grolier Club). This intensive survey of the technological advances in papermaking, illustration processes, composition, printing, binding, and distribution is ideal for those with a strong native interest, but little formal study, in the art and history of the modern book. Charting the rise of industrialization against counter-cultural movements in art and literature, this course offers a splendid history of the book as cultural and aesthetic artifact.

For more information: http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/history/h40/

For a full course schedule, additional course descriptions, and our online course application, be sure to visit the RBS website at http://rarebookschool.org/.