The Rare Book School (RBS) 1997 expanded course descriptions (ECDs) set forth in this pamphlet are intended to supplement but not to substitute for or replace the course descriptions in the Rare Book School brochure. For further information about any aspect of RBS, write 114 Alderman Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903; fax 804/924-8824; email biblio@virginia.edu; telephone 804/924-8851. Electronic copies of this and other RBS documents are on file at our web site.

At the end of each ECD below is a list of the previous years during which the course was offered at RBS and the names of the instructors. Prospective students for RBS courses are invited to consult the widely-distributed annual RBS Yearbooks, in which students' exhaustive evaluations of all RBS courses offered since 1989 have been published in their entirety. RBS was not held in 1992. Copies of the 1990 and 1993-95 RBS Yearbooks are in print and available postpaid for $10 (1990 and 1993) or $15 (1994 and 1995). Copies of the 1989 and 1991 Yearbooks are out of print. For ordering information see Publications in Print.

It is expected that all courses announced in the RBS 1997 brochure and ECD will be held as scheduled. There is no minimum number of students necessary for a course to run; RBS does not cancel courses.

11 History of the Printed Book in the West. This course will cover the development of the Western printed book in chronological and thematic sessions via a combination of lectures, workshops, slides, videotapes, and films.

The course is intended for those who have a growing curiosity about the history of books, printing, and the allied arts, and who would like formal classroom exposure to the subject in a well-equipped environment. The instructor emphasizes that this course is aimed at beginners. In their personal statement, applicants should describe the nature of their developing interest in the history of the book and (if relevant) explain briefly the causes of this interest and the purposes to which they propose to put the knowledge gained from the course. Alice Schreyer/Peter VanWingen: 85-94; Martin Antonetti: 95-. Return to course descriptions.

12 History of European and American Papermaking. Divided equally between lectures and laboratory exercises, this course will examine the historical setting of early papermaking, its aesthetics and technology. Students will experiment with various manufacturing methods practiced in Western paper mills from the incunable period to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, although an introductory session will also address oriental techniques. The lectures will view (1) changes in technology in the light of documentary evidence; (2) the economics and organization of the paper trade (mostly in England, France, and America); (3) the relationship between the paper trade and the book trade; and (4) paper as bibliographical evidence. One session will be devoted to research techniques for investigating paper permanence and durability. Both the lectures and the laboratory exercises will emphasize the mass production of paper suitable for printing, printmaking, and writing, with some additional consideration given to papers made for paper-cased bindings.

No hands-on experience in printing or papermaking is required, but applicants should have a general acquaintance with the history of books and printing. Timothy D. Barrett / John Bidwell: 87 89 91 95 97. Return to course descriptions.

13 Lithography in the Age of the Hand Press. This course aims to approach the subject from several different directions and to bridge traditional boundaries between printing history, bibliography, the history of printmaking, design history, and ephemera studies.

Sessions will focus on the first half of the C 19. They will cover: the invention of lithography; equipment and materials; some early treatises on the process; pictorial prints; lithographed books, music, and ephemera; the spread of the trade in Europe; and the relationship of lithography to color printing generally. Also included will be discussion of: the graphic characteristics of lithography; the development of the process; pictures and letter-forms; some leading figures; and questions associated with identifying, describing, and studying lithographed items.

Each topic will be introduced by an illustrated lecture or less formal talk. In all sessions, however, the aim is to be as interactive as the situation and size of class permits. There will be plenty of time for discussion and, wherever possible, items from the University Library will be made available to provide an opportunity for an element of connoisseurship. It is hoped that a practical demonstration of lithography will be arranged.

The course makes no specific requirements of participants, although some understanding of how lithography works and of the history of graphic images and printing processes is desirable. In their personal statement, applicants should give an indication of their background and interest in the field. Michael Twyman: 93-. Return to course descriptions.

14 Publishers' Bookbindings, 1830-1910. The purpose of this course is to develop skills in recognizing and understanding the technical and stylistic components of C 19 American book covers. As the microforming and digital imaging of brittle books proceeds in research libraries, it becomes increasingly important to appreciate the book and its cover as they were initially manufactured. Each day, significant bookcloths and endpapers are discarded, because their role in book history is not understood.

The course will provide laboratory sessions in distinguishing between graining, stamping, and embossing on leather, paper, and cloth-covered bindings. The differences between American and English covers will be explored. The BAP collection of clothbound books, intensively built up over the last several years and chronologically arranged, will be used to illustrate the evolution of cover design and its relation to Victorian decorative art and architecture. Special emphasis will be given to identifying "signed" bindings the periods in which they occur and how to look for them. Sue Allen: 84-85 91-. Return to course descriptions.

15 Printing Design and Publication. This course is directed toward library and museum staff responsible for the appearance of printed materials ranging from simple case labels to elaborately illustrated catalogs.

The course will begin by examining expectations: what constitutes a document of library or museum quality? what fails? The developing doctrine of typographic organization and design calls forth an evaluation of materials, tools, and processes. With the computer's seemingly infinite choice of type faces and visual approaches, how can an institution's materials appear assertive, but not commercial authoritative, yet not passi. How is the identity of the library or museum to be achieved? What software packages can be used to produce good work on equipment commonly found in institutions? A considerable part of the course will consist of an evaluation of examples of museum and library printing supplied by students, the instructor, and the BAP collections.

In their personal statement, applicants should describe their present design/production responsibilities (or opportunities), and state topics that they would particularly like to see covered in the course. Greer Allen: 94-. Return to course descriptions.

16 Teaching the History of Books and Printing. This course will investigate different ways of thinking about, designing, and conducting a course on the history of the book. It is a course, not on the history of books and printing, but on the teaching of that subject. It will rely, first, on the instructors' many years of experience in teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in the history of the book in several institutional contexts, and, second, on class discussion of approaches already invented (or now being re-invented) by course participants.

Three assumptions inform our plan: (1) the current realities of pedagogy in the academy and the pressing need to identify appropriate niches for the history of the book define the context in such courses must be conceptualized and practiced; (2) the distinction between history of the book courses directed at undergraduate and graduate students is fundamental; and (3) the range of resources available for such courses is both large and primarily as a result of the Web growing. Our first purpose will be the assessment of some of the strengths and weaknesses of differing approaches to the subject. Our second purpose will be the investigation of resources available to teachers and students in this field. The Book Arts Press's extensive collection of resources for teaching the history of the book will play an integral role in this course.

Our intention is to consider the options and resources open to instructors whether full- or part-time academics or librarians, or others who are either currently engaged in teaching such a course, or who will begin doing so in the coming academic year. In their personal statement, applicants should describe the courses they are (or will be) teaching, preferably enclosing a copy of their course syllabus. Michael T. Ryan and Daniel Traister: New course. Return to course descriptions.

21 Introduction to Codicology. Traditional research on manuscripts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance is based principally on the study of script and illumination. Without neglecting these important aspects, this course will show that there are other and sometimes more conclusive means to approach the codex and to uncover the information it conveys. The course will deal with MS materials, structure, layout, script and decoration, showing how to investigate and describe these features.

It will consist of (1) general and diachronic sessions and (2) work sessions. The first will cover the principles, bibliography, and methodology of codicology, i.e. the broad analysis and description of Western medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, as well as general information on materials, structures, script and decoration. The second will comprise a broad survey of the physical features of manuscript books in late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Carolingian and post-Carolingian times, the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In the work sessions, students will perform tasks based e.g. on printed catalogs of manuscripts. The course will be based on a discussion of slides; manuscripts, manuscript fragments, and photocopies; and the specialized literature.

This is an introductory course addressed to non-specialists having considerable background in the historical humanities. In their personal statement, applicants should describe their education especially whether they have had some introduction to Latin and to paleography (a recommendation, but not a requirement, for admittance) and their current professional status. Albert Derolez: New course. Return to course descriptions.

22 History of the Printed Book in the West. See the ECD for course no. 11. Return to course descriptions.

23 Book Illustration to 1890. The purpose of this course is to teach students how to tell the difference between the various relief, intaglio, and planographic printing methods used in printed book illustration in the period before the domination of photographic processes. The emphasis of the course will be on process rather than on connoisseurship, on execution rather than design, and on the practical rather than the theoretical.

Almost the sole medium of instruction will be actual examples of original prints drawn from the substantial BAP collection, many of them divided into suites or (as they are known locally) packets of twelve prints all from the same (or a very similar) source. The twelve students in the class study the packets under close instruction, using 8X loupes and 30X microscopes (both provided), as necessary.

During the course, students will make and print a linoleum cut, a zinc etching, and an acrylic drypoint. These are exercises in reproductive not creative work: no artistic ability of any kind whatsoever is either necessary or expected.

In their personal statement, prospective applicants should describe the extent of their formal and/or informal background in the field. Terry Belanger/Joan Friedman: 83-85 87; TB: 88 90-93; 94 [twice]; 95-. Return to course descriptions.

24 Making a Good Impression: Letterpress Printing for Historians and Bibliographers. This course is an introduction to the tools, materials, and skills required to operate and maintain a printing shop of the hand-press period. Laboratory sessions will use a full-size reproduction common press (built by Clinton Sisson and Lester Beaurline) as well as the Book Arts Press's extensive collection of hand printing equipment. In the class sessions, special consideration will be given to the physical evidence that hand-press-period printing leaves in surviving imprints and the ways in which this evidence can be used in bibliographical description and analysis.

The course is limited to eight students. In their personal statement, applicants should describe their bibliographical backgrounds and any previous printing experience they have had, and give in some detail the reasons why they wish to take the course. Brett Charbeneau: New course. Return to course descriptions.

25 Introduction to Rare Book Librarianship. This course is aimed at those with an interest, but little or no formal training, in rare books and special collections librarianship. The instructor welcomes applications both from librarians and from others with an intellectual curiosity in the subject. Class sessions will include lectures and discussion. Note that this is not in general a hands-on course: its intention is to give newcomers the broadest possible general overview of the field.

Topics include: (1) definition and purpose of rare book collections the determinants of rarity and of value, the appropriateness of rare book collections in libraries, developing criteria for identifying rarities in the general collection, the commitment to security and quality of the collection; (2) collection development ascertaining areas of strength and building to them, learning the processes of acquisition (the rare book market and its practices), creating a new field for collecting, building a reference collection to serve the unit, relating collections within the library to each other; (3) technical processing: discussion of catalogs, calendars, and shelflists; describing individual books and collections; relating the rare book collection to the general collection of the library; elementary repair techniques; conservation and planning for growth; lighting and readers' facilities; (4) relating the rare book collection to its various clienteles and to the public; special interest groups and their needs, the curator in the classroom, preparation of exhibits, use of the media for publicity, Friends of the Library groups, fundraising activities, publications.

Because student interests will play a considerable factor in each, it will be helpful if students, in their personal statement, describe as fully as possible their present position and state what they would like to get out of this course. John Parker / Daniel Traister: 83-91; DT: 93-. Return to course descriptions.

26 Introduction to Electronic Texts and Images. This course will provide a wide-ranging and practical exploration of electronic texts and related technologies.

The course is aimed primarily (although not exclusively) at scholars keen to develop, use, and publish electronic texts as part of their own textual, research, and pedagogical work, and at librarians planning to develop an etext operation. Drawing on the experience and resources available at UVa's Electronic Text Center, the course will cover the following areas: how to find existing etexts; how to use a scanner to create etexts, including digital image facsimiles; the necessity of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) for etext development and use; text analysis software; the management and use of on-line text databases; and the creation of World Wide Web hypertexts.

As a focus for our study of etexts, the class will create an electronic version of a printed text, mark its structure with SGML tagging, create digital images of sample pages and illustrations, produce a hypertext version, and make it all available on the Internet.

Applicants need to have basic Internet literacy (including email). Some experience with the World Wide Web will be an asset. In their personal statement, applicants should assess the extent of their present knowledge of the electronic environment, and outline a project of their own to which they hope to apply the skills learned in this course.

The course will be offered twice (in Weeks 2 and 4) in anticipation of its usual large number of applications. In your personal statement, please indicate if you can take the course in either of the two time slots in which it is offered (by doing so, you will materially increase your chances of being admitted to the course). David Seaman: 94-. Return to course descriptions.

31 Introduction to Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures. This course is aimed at librarians, archivists, and art historians specializing in early books and manuscripts, and others who handle such material. The course will emphasize studies of the physical book and binding craft techniques of the period. It will proceed by means of lecture and discussion, and employ a considerable number of slides, diagrams, and samples. The structurally diverse products of the period will be explored by general descriptions and the use of certain carefully chosen case studies.

The instructor will present for discussion his own methods concerning the interpretation and recording of such binding structures. In the face of the extensive losses now occurring in Europe to primary source material, problems of preservation and record photography will be mentioned. There will be a full-day field trip to a collection with medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and bindings.

In their personal statement, applicants should indicate their background, special interests and expectations from the course. The course presupposes a general knowledge of European history, but not of binding history. Please note that this course is not designed for practicing bookbinders (as such). Christopher Clarkson: 84-95 97. Return to course descriptions.

32 Latin Paleography, 1100-1500. For many years, there has been a striking contrast in the scholarly attitude toward Latin scripts of the early and of the later Middle Ages. While the paleography of the early medieval and Caroline periods has been the object of serious academic study, late medieval scripts have hitherto mostly been examined (1) for reading literary and documentary texts and (2) for dating manuscripts. As manuscripts of the later Middle Ages are incomparably more numerous than early medieval codices, this is a paradoxical situation, one that needs to be redressed.

Accordingly, this course will try to systematize our knowledge about the gothic and humanistic scripts in all their diversity of forms and styles. It will include: the examination and reading of examples of Latin texts (exceptionally French or English ones); the study of abbreviations; the typology and nomenclature of scripts, according to the Lieftinck-Gumbert system and other systems; the dating and localization of scripts; the techniques and principles of historical and diplomatic transcription and editing. Students will be required to make a series of transcriptions.

The course will have a practical character, concentrating on a broad range of scripts. Starting from the tangled image presented by late medieval manuscripts, a much-needed systematization will be developed, and gothic and humanistic scripts will be given a place in the history of handwriting in the West.

The course is intended for scholars and researchers, librarians and antiquarian booksellers with a basic knowledge of Latin who, sooner or later, are likely to deal with late medieval manuscripts. All students in this course must have had some previous formal introduction to paleography; in their personal statement, applicants should indicate the extent of their previous paleographic training and their knowledge of Latin, and briefly describe any relevant research projects on which they are now (or shortly expect to be) working. Albert Derolez: 88-93 95 97. Return to course descriptions.

33 Type, Lettering, and Calligraphy, 1450-1830. This course will attempt to bring together coherently a number of points about the history of letterforms during its period, to survey current scholarship in the field, and to point directions for study. Its presupposition is that applicants will have a considerable but general interest in the history of the book, and that they may not have had much previous formal exposure to typographic history. In their statements, prospective students should describe their background in the field (if any), and mention what aspects of letterform (if any) are of particular interest to them. James Mosley: 84-86 88 90-. Return to course descriptions.

34 Book Collecting. This course is intended for serious but isolated book collectors who would like to learn more about the current American rare book scene: about the interlocking professional and social worlds of antiquarian book collecting, the rare book trade, and research librarianship. It is aimed at persons who collect energetically but who currently are not active members of bibliophilic social clubs and who do not participate to any great extent in library friends' organizations. The course will have at least something of a proselytizing bent (the instructors admit to being members of various social and scholarly bibliophilic and bibliographical organizations, as well as a good many library friends' groups; and they are well acquainted with a fair number of book dealers).

Among the questions the course will address: Why do we collect? How can I most effectively use the services provided by dealers, auction houses and other agents? How can I best use bibliographies and other lists in my collecting? What kind of records should I keep? What can I do to preserve books on my own? When professional conservation is required, how do I find it? What should I do about insurance? What are the benefits of professional and bibliophilic organizations and cooperation with libraries and scholars? How should I dispose of my books? What are the tax and collecting implications of sale, gift, and bequest? How can I establish my own program for learning more about books and collecting?

In their personal statement, applicants should describe their book collections and their most active current collecting interests, and state what they would particularly like to see the course cover. Wm P. Barlow, Jr / Terry Belanger: 95-. Return to course descriptions.

35 How to Research a Rare Book. The determination of the character and importance of a rare book usually begins with a search for relevant bibliographical citations. This course will introduce (or re-introduce) students to some of the most important and useful reference sources for the study of pre-1900 printed books. Non-English materials will be emphasized, although no special linguistic facility is required of students, and the course will have no particular historical or subject emphasis.

Group problem sets will be assigned for class discussion, so as to introduce search strategy in general along with specific bibliographical verification techniques. Out of this practical experience, students will (it is hoped) develop insights into the present state and potential nature of our bibliographical record in covering particular historical periods and languages, regional and national literatures, format genres, and subject areas.

The course is aimed at bibliographers, reference and collection management librarians, and catalogers working with rare books in institutions or in the antiquarian book trade. In their personal statement, applicants are encouraged to state what subject or linguistic areas they would particularly like to see the course include. D. W. Krummel: 90-93 95-. Return to course descriptions.

36 Implementing Encoded Archival Description. This course will provide a practical introduction to the application of the emerging standard Encoded Archival Description (EAD) to the encoding of archive and manuscript library finding aids.

The course is aimed primarily at archivists who process and describe collections in finding aids, though it will also be useful to repository administrators contemplating the implementation of EAD, and to technologists working in repositories. The course will cover the following areas: the history of EAD and its theoretical and technological foundations; an introduction to Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) including discussions of authoring and network publishing tools; a detailed exploration of the structure of EAD; use of software tools to create and publish finding aids; discussion of conversion techniques and methodologies, and templates for creation of new finding aids; and finally, the integration and management of EAD in an archive or library.

The class will jointly encode and publish a finding aid that will illustrate a wide variety of essential EAD and SGML concepts.

Applicants need a basic knowledge of archival descriptive practices as well as experience using word-processing software with a graphical user interface. Some experience with the World Wide Web and HTML will aid the learning process. In their personal statement, applicants should indicate their relevant archival background, experience with computers, and their expected role in the implementation of EAD in their home institution. Daniel Pitti: New course. Return to course descriptions.

41 The Use of Physical Evidence in Early Printed Books. This course is aimed at librarians (including catalog librarians), antiquarian book dealers, and other persons who regularly work with early printed books. The course is restricted to those who have at least an elementary knowledge of the principles of descriptive bibliography. A knowledge of Latin would also be helpful. In their applications, prospective students should indicate the extent of their background in these areas. Paul Needham: 88-91 93 96-. Return to course descriptions.

42 European Bookbinding, 1500-1800. The history of bookbinding is not simply the history of a decorative art, but also that of a craft answering a commercial need. This course will follow European bookbinding from the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, using the bindings to illustrate the aims and intentions of the binding trade. A large part of the course will be devoted to the identification of both broad and detailed distinctions within the larger groups of plain commercial bindings and the possibilities of identifying the work of different countries, cities, and even workshops without reference to finishing tools. The identification and significance of the different materials used in bookbinding will be examined, as well as the classification of bookbindings by structural type, and how these types developed through the three centuries covered by the course. The development of binding decoration will be touched on, but will not form a major part of the discussion.

There will be slide lectures each day. Actual examples from the BAP collections will be used to supplement the slides in three afternoon sessions, and another afternoon will be spent examining finely bound books in UVa's Special Collections. NB: students will in general not be able to touch or handle personally the books shown to them in class, because of the fragility and/or value of the material being used an understandably irritating but nevertheless very necessary policy instituted in order to protect the RBS and UVa collections from collective overuse.

Students are expected to have a sound knowledge of bookbinding terms and a basic knowledge of the history of book production in the period under consideration. The purpose of the course is to encourage an awareness of the possibilities latent in the detailed study of bookbindings and is thus aimed at all those handling books bound in this period, but it has particular relevance for those involved in the repair and conservation of such materials.

In their personal statement, applicants should describe the nature and extent of their bench training (if any) in bookbinding and/or related disciplines, and they should also describe any previous formal or informal historical study in the field. Nicholas Pickwoad: 87 [three times]; 88-93 95 [twice each year]; 94 96-. Return to course descriptions.

43 The American Book in the Industrial Era, 1820-1940. This course is aimed at scholars, catalogers, collectors, and others whose interest or research is concerned with the history of the book in the United States during the industrial era. The course will focus on the production, distribution, and reception of American books, although British practices will also be discussed as appropriate. No prior knowledge of descriptive bibliography is required; the course will introduce students to bibliographies and to bibliographical practice and convention useful to the study of books published during this period.

In their personal statement, applicants should briefly summarize their background in the field, current research projects, and topics or issues that they would particularly like the course to cover. Michael Winship: 94-. Return to course descriptions.

44 Introduction to Descriptive Bibliography. This course is intended for those who want to develop an understanding of the physical description of books, particularly those books produced before about 1850.

Each class day is divided into four parts: lecture, homework, lab, and museum. Daily lectures concentrate on methods of determining format and collation, and of describing type, paper, illustrations, binding, and the circumstances of publication. Students prepare for daily laboratory sessions in which they work, under close supervision, with progressively more difficult examples of various formats and collations. During the daily museum periods, students have extensive hands-on access to the celebrated BAP realia collections: tools and equipment, samples and examples, self-teaching packages, and the like. Terry Belanger/Donald Farren: 85-87; TB/DF/David Ferris: 88; TB/David Ferris: 90-96; TB/Richard Noble: 97. Return to course descriptions.

45 Rare Book Cataloging. This course is intended for those with a working knowledge of AACR2rev. and of general cataloging principles and practices. Lectures, discussion, and exercises will center around the following topics: the differences between rare book and general cataloging, and why those differences exist; basic concepts of edition, issue, and state; the organization of the cataloging record, including levels of detail and variety of access points; problems in transcription, format and collation, and physical description; recent developments in codes and standards; the uses and requirements of special files; and setting rare book and/or special collections cataloging policy within an institutional context. The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to each of the primary elements of the rare book catalog record, so that students will be equipped to begin cataloging their institution's rare book and special collections materials.

In their personal statement, applicants should give a brief description of the types of materials they expect to catalog. They are also encouraged to mention specific problems they have encountered (or anticipate encountering) in their work, whether of a concrete nature or concerning broader issues in cataloging policy. John Lancaster/Earl Taylor: 83-84; ET: 85; Suzy Taraba/Stephen Young: 86-91; ST: 93-94; Eric Holzenberg: 95-. Return to course descriptions.

46 Introduction to Electronic Texts and Images. See the ECD for course no. 26. Return to course descriptions.

Terry Belanger founded RBS in 1983 at Columbia University under the aegis of the Book Arts Press (BAP), the bibliographical laboratory he established at the School of Library Service in 1972 to support the study of the history of the book. The first RBS offered eight five-day courses on subjects similar to those still offered today similar and, indeed, in some case identical: seven of the fifteen living RBS 1983 instructors Sue Allen, Nicolas Barker, TB, Christopher Clarkson, Paul Needham, Daniel Traister, Michael Turner, and Michael Winship still regularly teach in the institute. The eight original courses (two courses per week held over a four-week period) were all team-taught, because TB was then under the impression that no single instructor could teach a highly specialized subject, six hours a day, for five days straight.

RBS 1983 was a considerable success: with [8 x 15 =] 120 places available, 112 students attended. Our lion (derived from an early C 19 watermark) made his first appearance as a trademark at RBS 1984, which expanded to 20 courses. Over the years, the institute has continued to grow and prosper; RBS 1997 offers 24 courses, mostly with single instructors (who teach 12 or fewer students four to six hours a day for five days straight).

In 1993, RBS moved from New York to the University of Virginia, where some of the BAP's teaching collections are almost always on display in the Dome Room of the Rotunda on The Lawn, on the central grounds of the University. These collections have grown enormously in recent years, in large part thanks to the generosity of the BAP's 600-member support group, the Friends of the Book Arts Press.

In New York and Charlottesville, a typical RBS student experience has emerged. (Most RBS students are, of course, not students: they tend to be working professionals who sometimes have students of their own, back home.) RBS attendees usually enroll for a single course in any given summer. They generally arrive on Sunday in time for housing check-in, a tour of the Grounds, registration, a reception, and an opening dinner followed by the showing of videotapes and films on bibliographical subjects. Classes begin on Monday morning; each day is divided into four 90-minute classroom sessions punctuated by lunch and by half-hour morning and afternoon coffee breaks. The intensity of RBS coffee breaks must be observed to be believed. At six pm on Monday and Wednesday evenings, there is generally a public lecture on a subject of bookish interest, followed by a reception. Tuesday is usually Bookseller Night, with students encouraged to visit local used and antiquarian bookshops, and take advantage of Charlottesville's many excellent restaurants. On Thursday evening, TB speaks about the BAP, RBS, and whatever else is on his mind at the moment; his lecture is followed by a Director's Reception in the Book Arts Pressroom at which (as an incentive) there is generally more food to be found than at the Monday and Wednesday night receptions. Classes end on Friday with evaluations (a very important part of the RBS week) followed by a closing reception. Most students stay in residence at least over Friday night (they may use RBS housing as long as they wish), in part to avoid the annoyances inherent in Friday evening travel, and in part to have a final dinner with new and old friends and acquaintances: about half of RBS students in any given week are returnees from previous years.

In striving for excellence, it is not always possible to be comfortable; still, RBS tries very hard indeed to offer its faculty and students alike an experience that is both worthwhile and enjoyable. We were pleased by a comment in a RBS 1994 course evaluation that described Rare Book School as "an intellectual Hawaii."