English class visits England, brings back book-making ideas

A dozen University of Cincinnati students just completed their homework from Winter Quarter last week. They unveiled books they created as the final project of a study-abroad course on book production Sunday afternoon.

Instructors Jane Carlin, the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning senior librarian, and Barbara Wenner, an English and comparative literature professor, taught "The Printed Page: Victorian to Virtual" as an honors special topics course last quarter to students interested in the actual design and production of a volume. The instructors and students capped the quarter off with a week long trip to London over Spring Break.

"I enjoyed the experience," said Lisa Morris, a third-year accounting major. "We learned a lot by doing - especially with the trip. We got to see the books we were actually talking about."

After 10 weeks of classroom instruction on various book formats as old as those used to print first editions of Canterbury Tales and as new as recent e-books, the 12 students and two professors flew to England to visit national British libraries and publishing houses.

Lauren Herman, a third-year international affairs and pre-med student, said that she learned a lot about the history of books during her visit. She said that she learned about the culture and history of England.

"We had lectures and coursework in the morning and then around tea time we were free to go," she said. "That's when we learned about England. You can read about the subway but it's not the same as actually riding 'the Tube' when you're there."

First-hand experience proved crucial for students to fully appreciate what they studied, Carlin said.

"The trip provided students the opportunity to see original books and documents and, especially, to see a different part of the world," she said. "They learned about culture and history. We met with leading scholars and conservators at libraries and museums across London, bringing art and book production together."

The students then applied what they learned to design and fashion their own books, Carlin said.

Using everything from handmade paper to Velcro, each student created documentation of her or his trip to London. Some transcribed journal entries, some arranged pictures scrapbook style. One student rewrote her trip into a fairy tale.

Implementing traditional and Japanese binding techniques, among others, meant hand sewing each page into place. The students explained the techniques they used while presenting their work at the DAAP Library over the weekend.

Wenner said the students' skills were impressive.

"It's amazing how you can all go to the same place and come up with such different ideas," she said to the students. "The books are both creative and knowledgeable. You used just about everything we presented and then took off with it."

The process was tedious for some, but worthwhile, Morris said.

"I have a better appreciation for books and book-making," she said. "It really is an art."

Herman said the trip to London solidified her appreciation of traditional book form. She cited the lecture/travel set-up of the class as an important jump-start to her creativity in creating and publishing her own book.

"I was interested in taking a class that combined graphic design with literature," she said. "And of course the trip was a third element. I encourage people to study abroad. If you have the opportunity to take a class that involves travel, do it."

"You'll get no better deal," Morris added.

Carlin said the global studies and honors programs "generously funded" most of the trip and that students personally paid remaining costs.

Herman said the trip "wasn't stuffy," as some might assume about a trip focusing on book production.

First-year biology major Caitlin Arnest said the beauty of the course's book project lies in the documentation of the trip.

"I think someday I will look through all of the left over pictures," she said of the book documentation, "and take the book apart and add to it, but for now it is a thorough representation of the trip and I will re-read it and remember it fondly for many years."

Beginning Friday, the student-produced books will be displayed in the DAAP Library for three weeks.