Studying Early Printed Books, 1450-1800

Description

A comprehensive resource to understanding the hand-press printing of early books Studying Early Printed Books, 1450 - 1800 offers a guide to the fascinating process of how books were printed in the first centuries of the press and shows how the mechanics of making books shapes how we read and understand them. The author offers an insightful overview of how books were made in the hand-press period and then includes an in-depth review of the specific aspects of the printing process. She addresses questions such as: How was paper made? What were different book formats? How did the press work? In addition, the text is filled with illustrative examples that demonstrate how understanding the early processes can be helpful to today’s researchers. Studying Early Printed Books shows the connections between the material form of a book (what it looks like and how it was made), how a book conveys its meaning and how it is used by readers. The author helps readers navigate books by explaining how to tell which parts of a book are the result of early printing practices and which are a result of later changes. The text also offers guidance on: how to approach a book; how to read a catalog record; the difference between using digital facsimiles and books in-hand. This important guide: Reveals how books were made with the advent of the printing press and how they are understood todayOffers information on how to use digital reproductions of early printed books as well as how to work in a rare books libraryContains a useful glossary and a detailed list of recommended readingsIncludes a companion website for further research  Written for students of book history, materiality of text and history of information, Studying Early Printed Books explores the many aspects of the early printing process of books and explains how their form is understood today.  List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Overview Getting Ready to Print At the Press Also at the Press After Printing The Economics of Printing Part 2: Step?by?Step Paper Type Format Printing Corrections and changes Illustrations Binding Part 3: On the Page Advertisements Alphabet and Abbreviations Blanks Dates Imprint Statements Edition, Impression, Issue, State, Copy Initial Letters Marginal Notes Music Pagination and Foliation Preliminary Leaves Press Figures Printer?s Devices Printer?s Ornaments Privileges, Approbations, and Imprimaturs Signature marks Title Pages Volvelles and Movable Figures Part 4: Looking at Books Good Research Habits Handling Books Appearance Contents Page Features Usage Digitization Part 5: The Afterlives of Books Loss Rates Catalog Records Books in Hand Books on screen Conclusion Appendix 1: Further Reading General Bibliography Printer?s Manuals History of the Book Book Trade Manuscripts and Paleography Handling Books Catalogs of Early Hand?press Books Catalog and Imprint Resources Paper Type Format Printing Corrections Illustrations Bindings On the Page Advertisements Collation Formulas Edition, Impression, Issue, State Press Figures Printer?s Devices Printer?s Ornaments Signature Marks Title Pages Volvelles Afterlives Digital Collections Appendix 2: Glossary Index End User License Agreement