Literature and the Book

In the Spring of 2014, students in FREN 234: Fictions of Childhood in 19th-Century France were invited to think about the history of the books that they were reading for class: how were they printed, illustrated, and sold? How did printing and illustration techniques change during the 19th century? Students first visited Special Collections on the 4th floor of Clapp Library and looked at many illustrated books from the period. Later, in the Book Arts Lab, students were given the opportunity to have hands-on experience with many of the techniques used to produce books in the 19th century, including the chance to print a page using the Vandercook printing press. 

The creative assignment of the semester consisted of writing, illustrating, and binding a children’s book, using all the tools and techniques learnt during our sessions in Special Collections and the Book Arts Lab. Students illustrated their stories using iPads and the software SketchBook Pro.

Faculty member: Pauline De Tholozany
LTS Staff: Ruth Rogers, Katherine McCanless Ruffin, Rebecca Darling
Keywords: Book Arts Lab, Special Collections, iPads

Thumbnail image credit: Sunnia Ye '17
Image credit (above): Rebecca Darling