Topics in English and American Literature and Culture - The Book Lab

L208 — Spring 2022

Instructor
Patricia Clare Ingham
Days and Times
11:30a - 12:20p MWF (3 CR)
Course Description

(An ASURE discovery lab course.) 

This is a class on book design, from chapbooks to chapter books; miniature books to giant books; picture books to comic books. We will study the book as physical object and package for pictures and words, learn about the history of how books have been designed, and consider what makes a beautiful book. We'll examine books at the Lilly Library, including Caxton’s King Arthur stories from 1485, and the gorgeous 19th century edition of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Does inventive page layout (in comics or pop-up books, etc.) change the reader’s experience in a way that can’t be duplicated in digital form? As your final project, you will design your own book!