OVERVIEW

The printed book is an artifact produced with the use of precise technology. The printed book is also one of the most efficient media for the storage and transmission of knowledge. The printed book is a commodity that is conveyed by the book trade by obeying commercial rules and practices. The teaching of History of the book and publishing analyzes these three aspects of the book allows to fully understand the mechanisms of production and dissemination of the book with particular attention to the hand press period.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Aim of the course is gaining knowledge about the main technical characteristics, commercial methods and cultural dynamics of Italian book publishing in the XV-XIX centuries; a specific focus will be given on the relationship between book and library understood as a descriptive and bibliographic paradigm and not just as an institution. Gaining general knowledge of Italian publishing with the identification of the content, development, evolution, modernization, intellectual and financial characteristics of national commercial publishing between the 19th and 20th centuries.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Participation in educational activities and / or individual study will allow the student registered for 6 cfu to:

• gain awareness of the problems associated with the history of books and publishing;
• know and understand the mechanisms that lead to the production and dissemination of the book from Gutenberg to the e-book;
• be able to critically analyze a printed book in its material components and their reflection on the transmission of the text.

For students registered for 9 credits, the learning outcomes will be, in addition to those listed above, also the following:

• acquire critical awareness of the book and the transmission of printed texts

• know the lines of development of Italian publishing with an understanding of the different publishing strategies

• acquire the specialized vocabulary and technical terminology of the field

PREREQUISITES

No prerequisite is required for this teaching, except for normal historical and literary knowledge.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures with the direct involvement of students in the analysis of the artifacts that will be used during the lesson.

Lessons will be held in person.

Attendance at lessons and activities is highly recommended. Non-attending students are asked to contact the teacher to arrange a different program.

All the students are requested to register on the Aulaweb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Book History: definition, object and methods. The hand printed book. invention of the press with movable types; materials for printing: paper, vellum, silk; fonts, typographic ink, printig press.
The phases of the production of the book. Creation and design. Printing expenses. Dedication. Company to print. Publisher and printer. Editorial brand. Edition contract. The making of the book: the typography, the typographer, the stoneman, the format of the book, the forme. The tape case. The forme and book formats. The collational formula. The typographic press and printing operations. The sheet: edition, impression, issue and state.
The component parts of a book: the title-page, the frontispiece, preliminaries, the colophon.
Book ornamentation: decoration and illustration. The print page: the running title, catchword, signature, page dimensions.
The system of privileges.
The packaging of the book: the bookbinding.
The circulation of the book: the book trade: booksellers, stationers, colporteur.
Users of the book: readers, collectors and users.
Bibliographic control and civil and religious censorship.
The evolution of the book as a product.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

– Marco Santoro, Storia del libro italiano: libro e società in Italia dal Quattrocento al nuovo millennio. Nuova ed. riv. e ampliata. Milano: Bibliografica, 2008. (Bibliografia e biblioteconomia, 83).

– Lorenzo Baldacchini, Il libro antico: storia, diffusione e descrizione. 3. ed. - Roma: Carocci, 2019. (Studi superiori; 1168).

The texts that will be analysed will be made available on Aulaweb and in class.

The bibliography indicated above is to obtain 9 credits for non-attending students while for 6 credits it is sufficient to prepare the text by Marco Santoro

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GRAZIANO RUFFINI (President)

STEFANO GARDINI

VALENTINA RUZZIN (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

16 September  2024

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will verify the acquisition of the theoretical and methodological aspects of the history of the book, as well as the ability to deal with the analysis of some artifacts analyzed in class and to recall the fundamental aspects of their production. It will also verify the ability to use the correct technical terminology.

The basic threshold is understood to be reached in cases in which the student demonstrates that he has substantially understood the theoretical and methodological aspects, that he knows at least the fundamental aspects of the history of books and publishing, that he knows how to act correctly in the face of a copy and to use the technical terminology necessary for the purpose

The threshold of excellence is understood to be reached in cases in which the student demonstrates a profound mastery of theoretical and technical aspects, has made the aspects of the history of the book and publishing his own, tackles the analysis of a specimen with confidence, being able to independently deduce the choices made technically for its realization, and master the technical terminology of the discipline.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Erasmus students not proficient in Italian may request a substitutive bibliography, and take the examination in French