Goals:
- Introductions to class-members, course, activities.
- Introduction to letterpress as both historical and contemporary practice.
- Introduction to terminology, rare books, and printing.
- Prints (3):
- Printing Terms broadside (collaborative class print)
- Wood-type broadside (demonstration print)
- July 4th ephemera (collaborative class print)
- Including documentation, as supplied by lab-members.
Sunday, June 30: Opening Day
Before our first meeting, complete the following:
Viewing: Stephen Fry/BBC: The Machine That Made Us, available via youtube here. Note: this film is approximately one hour long; please watch at least the first half, and complete the film before Monday night. We will vsit the Rare Books Room on Tuesday, and this film will be helpful preparation.
Reading: Review syllabus as available.
Writing: Journal assignment:
Respond to the Fry documentary. Consider Fry’s efforts to recreate Gutenberg’s press and process. Were you familiar with this story? What surprised you about the process? How does this change or affect your experience of print?
Group Work/Planning: N/a
Monday, July 1
First class session. Chambers 1003.
Brief introductions: name, hometown, interest in this course and other JE course; any printing experience, etc. Discussion of the goals of the class. Discussion of assignments and activities. Important letterpress terms and history (hand-out). Discussion of Fry; sharing of journals. Prepare for visit to Rare Book Room on Tuesday.
Homework:
Viewing: Otis College: Typographic Terms, available via youtube here.
Reading: Lupton, 12 – 29 (Thinking With Type) here; letterpress terminology here.
Writing: Take notes on typographic terms of interest, for use in this week’s broadside.
Group Work/Planning: Prepare for our Printing Terms broadside and our July 4 broadside:
Identify a sentence, phrase, or definition that you will want to set in metal type for a collaborative class broadside, typeset on Wednesday/Thursday, and printed on Friday. Here’s an example of what we’ll make:
We will also print a July 4th broadside; begin thinking as a class about what phrase will be most appropriate to set in large wood type.
Tuesday, July 2
Second class session. Meet in the Rare Books Room (Library). We will meet in the Library, on the second floor. At the top of the stairs, turn left to find the Rare Books Room. We will gather in the Rare Books Reading Room to meet Special Collections Librarian Sharon Byrd.
After a brief introduction to Rare Books, we will move to the Davidsoniana Room (next to Rare Books) to review some materials I have gathered; these will include rare and historical editions as well as more recent artists’ books. For the remainder of the session, we will review these items, and you will take notes on your experience. Preview the journal assignment (below); these notes will be necessary for you to complete that assignment. Journals will be collected on Thursday this week, and returned on Friday in preparation for a longer weekend writing assignment.
Homework:
Viewing: Vocational and informational films on typesetting, available here and here.
Reading: Kyle Schlesinger, “A Look at Some Contemporary Broadsides,” available here.
Writing: Journal assignment:
Describe in depth one of the objects you viewed. Pay attention to all aspects of the object’s physicality: how would you write about this object to someone who hasn’t seen it, or who can’t see it?
Group Work/Planning: Prepare for class broadside activities:
Each class member should review their notes from readings and viewings, and select what they will set in metal type. Short definitions and quotations work best; remember, each letter is a single piece of metal! Everyone will arrive at the lab on Wednesday with this material printed out and ready to use as they set type.
Additionally, as a class we need to consider what we will typeset as a July 4th print in wood type. I will have a demonstration print set up to get us thinking, but please make some time to jot down some thoughts, and I’ll check in with you during our lab session.
Wednesday, July 3
Third class session. Meet in the Letterpress Lab (Wall 148). During this 90-minute session, we will have a brief introduction to the lab, and then four overlapping objectives. This is a lot to do in one 90-minute session! If you review the short youtube links I shared last night as assigned, this will be very helpful. Our objectives will include:
- Demonstrate hand-setting metal type.
- We will all begin setting type for the “Printing Terms” broadside. Be sure to have your text available, and we will select typefaces and begin setting this material.
- Begin setting metal type for class broadside.
- As shown in our viewing assignments for today, we will set type in composing sticks, using traditional methods our historical type collection.
- Demonstrate printing from wood type.
- Printing from wood-type (I will have a form prepared, and we will all take turns printing from that form; this will introduce us to press-operation).
- In groups of 3, I will bring class-members to the press; they will leave their type momentarily and observe the press, wood-type, and inking practices. I will invite two other groups of 3 to the press during our time in the lab; other groups will continue setting type.
- Brainstorming (and maybe beginning to compose) our class wood-type broadside.
- We will use a white board in the lab to list ideas, and as individuals finish their metal type, they may begin designing the broadside; drawing ideas etc.
Homework:
Viewing: Letterpress poster videos here and here.
Reading: N/a
Writing: Journal assignment:
What are the challenges you face in typesetting and printing? What, if any, are the rewards? How does handling type affect your experience of reading, or writing? As you complete projects, record how you feel about your projects, from planning, execution, and completion.
Group Work/Planning: Finalize our July 4th print.
**Thursday, July 4 **
(Alternative Schedule: class from 10:30 – 12:00.)
Fourth class session. Meet in the Letterpress Lab (Wall 148). Continue setting metal type; set and print wood-type July 4th broadside.
Homework:
Viewing: N/a
Reading: N/a
Writing: Journal assignment
Compare working with metal type to working with wood type. Which do you prefer and why?
Group Work/Planning: N/a
Friday, July 5
Fifth class session. Meet in the Letterpress Lab (Wall 148). Print class broadside of “Printing Terms.” Redistribute type if time.
Homework:
Viewing: “The History of Typography,” available via youtube here.
Reading: Lupton, “Expressive typography” (see earlier handout and refer to pages 106 – 107).
“How to Speak Typography” here.
Expressive examples: George Herbert (here and here), e.e. cummings (here), F. T. Marinetti (here), Birds, Bill Rosen (viewed in class), Albert Schiller (here), digital examples here (for inspiration).
Writing: Write a brief (750 – 1,000 word) reflection on your week’s experiences: setting type, handling incunabula, operating a press, and printing your own work. Bring this to share on Monday.
Additionally, please prepare notes on the weekend’s readings. Bring these for discussion on Monday.
Group Work/Planning: We will divide into two groups (a group of 4 and a group of 5). In these groups, begin developing “expressive” broadside ideas. Be prepared to further discuss these in groups on Monday. Elect a documentarian for your group (someone who will take pictures). In the evenings next week, you will meet and comment on photos, arranging them into a brief chronology of your project).
