Fall2018Newsletter

Subject:MailchimpTemplateTest-"Fall2018BookLabNewsletter"From:mnhasel@umd.eduTo:mnhasel@terpmail.umd.eduDateSent:Tuesday,February5,201912:28:23PMGMT-05:00DateReceived:Tuesday,February5,201912:28:25PMGMT-05:00

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BookLab:MakingFirstImpressionsBookLabopeneditsdoorsinTawes3248thefirstweekofSeptember,andsincethenwe’vebeenworkingtomakeanimpression(that’saprinter’sjoke;printerslovetheirpuns,we’velearned).Thecenterpieceofouractivitiesthusfarhasbeentheeye-catchingtabletopscrewpresswhichallowsustosetlinesofmovabletypeandprintusingtraditionalletterpresstechniques.Wehavealreadyrunanintroductoryletterpressworkshopwell-attendedbystudentsandfaculty,andwillbeofferinganotheronNov.6.We’vehostedorwillbehostinganumberofclassesinBookLab,rangingfromENGL301and601tostudentsinKariKraus’sgraduateandundergraduatecoursesandtheuniversity’sDesign,Cultures,andCreativityhonorsprogram.We’vealsoorganizedtwo“communityprints,”whereinwehavestandingtypereadytogoforanyonewhowouldliketostopbytoprint:earlierthismonthwecommunityprintedthemessagesBELIEVEWOMENandBELIEVESURVIVORS,andlaterthismonth,duringthecampus’sFrankenweek,wewillbeprintingquotationsfromFrankenstein.We’llhavepapercuttothesizeofbookmarksforyou,butyoucanalsobringinyourownpapertoprinton(Oct.24-31).

Theseactivitiesaccentanotherpurpose:cultivatinganawarenessofthematerialityofthebook,thelaborthatgoesintomakingbooks,andultimatelythepoliticalpowerofthepress,which—eveninthismodestcontext—asksustothinkaboutnetworksofsupportandchannelsfordistribution.Meanwhile,otheraspectsofBookLab’sworkarealsocomingonline,literally:ourin-houselibraryofseveralhundredartists’books,chapbooks,weirdandexperimentalbooks,andscholarlybooksaboutbooksisnowfullycataloguedandavailableforbrowsingonLibraryThing.(SpecialthankstoLindsayBernal,TitaChico,MichaelOlmert,andJoshuaWeinerforaddingtoourholdings.)Resourcesarealsonowinplaceforvariouskindsofpapercomputingexperimentsusingbooksasliteralandconceptualplatformsforreinventingthegenreofthetreatedoralteredbookwithsensors,circuitry,andlinkstotheonlineworld.(Howaboutabookthattweetsatyouwheneverit’sopened?)ThisspeakstotheotheraspectofBookLab’smandate,reimaginingwhatabookisandcanbeinamomentofacceleratingmediachange—justasbookshavebeenreimaginedatpreviousinflectionpointsintheirhistory.

Inthecomingmonths,lookforworkshopswithvisitingartistsonprinting,papermarbling,andbookbinding,aswellasabooklauncheventandaprogramofvisitingspeakers.We’regratefulforyourinterestandsupportsofar,andlookforwardtocontinuingtoworkwithallconstituenciestodevelopBookLabintoavaluedcommunityresource.

BookLabLetterpressWorkshop2 / 7

Tuesday,November6,2018;2:00-4:00pm

Lastmonth,BookLabhelditsfirstletterpressprintingworkshopwitheightmembersofour

departmentalcommunity.Afterasuccessfulevent,we'relookingforwardtosharingtheprinter'sartwithmoreofourfriends.Ifyou'reinterestedinprintingon

ourscrewpress--modeledaftertheGutenberg'sdesignfromthe15thcentury--comeprintwithus!Our

secondworkshopwillbeheldinTawes3248onNovember6,2018between2:00pm-4:00pm.Whileourworkshopwillbelimitedtofourpeople,

don'tfret!We'llbeholdingadditionaleventsduringtheSpringsemester.

Signuphere!

UpcomingEvents(OnCampusandBeyond)

Pleasenote:someeventsrequirepre-registration.

LetterpressLinocutWorkshopatTypecaseIndustries,WashingtonDCNW(Saturday,October20,2018from11:00am-3:00pm)WritingFrankenTerps:LiteraryCompetitionattheUniversityLibraries,UniversityofMaryland(Monday,October22,2018at5:00pm)BookLabFrankenReadsCommunityPrintinTawes3248,UniversityofMaryland(WednesdaythroughWednesday,October24-31,duringournormalopenhours)ProntoPapermakingWorkshopatPyramidAtlantic,Hyattsville(Wednesday,October24,from6:30-9:30pm)ExploringModernJapan:CreateYourOwnPhotobookattheFreer|SacklerwithPyramidAtlantic(Thursday,October25from6:00pm-8:30pm)BoundtoAmaze:InsideaBook-CollectingCareerattheNationalMuseumofWomenintheArts(ongoingthroughNovember25,2018)TheImaginary20thCenturyattheUniversityofMarylandArtGallery(ongoingthroughNovember30,2018)TheChiaroscuroWoodcutinRenaissanceItalyattheNationalGalleryofArts(ongoing

FollowUs

☛Fall2018Hours☚(Tawes3248)

Monday:11am-4pmTuesday:11am-4pm

Wednesday:2pm-5pmThursday:9am-11am

...andbyappointment.

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Twitter:@umd_booklab

Instagram:@umd_booklab

Email:booklab@umd.edu

Prepareforyourvisit:findallofourbooksand

materialsinourcomprehensive

LibraryThingCatalog

**SpecialthankstoKarenNelson

forourBookLablogo!**

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throughJanuary20,2019)

FallBookPicks

Eachissue,we'rechoosingourfavoritebooksfromtheBookLablibrarytobedisplayedonourbookshelves.Dropbyandvisitusifyou'reinterestedinlearningmore

aboutourbookpicks.⁂

ClickeachbookcoverforalinktoitsentryinourLibraryThingcatalog

Britt'sPick:HORRORSTÖRbyGradyHendrix

If,likeme,youarefeelingtheHalloweenspirit,lookingforlevity,lovetohateIkea,andeversincereadingFromtheMixed-UpFilesofMrs.BasilE.Frankweileratage8,havefantasizedaboutsecretlyspendingthenightinamuseum,youneedHORRORSTÖRinyourlife.It’saspoo-ookygenre-bendingmysterythatmuddlesfiction,(false)advertising,horror,andparodytotickleyourlittleanti-capitalistgoblinheart.ThreeemployeesofthefurnituresuperstoreOrskinCleveland,Ohioopttoworkovernightinordertocatchwhoeverhasbeensneakinginandsmashingallthefurniture.HorrorstörNovelisavailableinivorymattewithglossexterior.W7¾xH8¾.

Matt'sPick:TheCambridgeUniversityPress,1696-1712byDonaldF.McKenzie

MypickisDonaldF.McKenzie’smajestictwo-volumebibliographichistoryofTheCambridgeUniversityPress,1696-1712.No,really,staywithme:McKenzie,stillcastingaboutforadissertationtopic,discoversaboxofforgottenrecordsofthemostmundanekindandusesthemtoreconstructthepress’sday-to-dayoperationsinintimateandexquisitedetail,overturningmuchofwhatweknowaboutbookmakinginthehand-pressperiod.Morethanatriumphofforensicanalysis,though,thesebooksarethemselvesbeautifulexemplarsoftheartofthebook,withtables,charts,engravings,andevenfold-outpagesthatwouldhavepushedthecompositor'scrafttoitslimitwhenitwasprintedinthemid-1960s.ThelinkbetweenbookworkoldandnewwasnotlostonMcKenzie,whodedicatedhisscholarship“TotheMakersofThisBook.”

Mal'sPick:OliobyTyehimbaJess

Winnerofthe2017PulitzerPrizeinPoetry,TyehimbaJess’Olioisabeautifulfusionofhistoryandfiction,aswellaswritingandform.Throughamixtureofpoetry,hymns,andnarratives,OliocomestotermswiththestoriesofthefirstgenerationoffreedslavesintheUnitedStates.Eachtimeapoemisread,theaccountstheycontainvarywithinJess’innovativeapproachtoform.Findingmeaningisdiscernedintheprocess:whilethepoemsexhibitoneinitialpossibilityofmeaning,thevarietyofnuancesformedinsubsequentreadingscrafttouchingaccountsofpastandpresent

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lives.Whilethebookcanbeenjoyedinitsentirety,myfavoritesectionsurroundsthestoryofconjoinedtwins,MillieandChristineMcCoy,anditsinsightintothebeautifullytwistedunderstandingofindividualandcombinedvoice.

Kari'sPick:Fahrenheit451byRayBradbury(modified!)

HavingoriginallyreadRayBradbury’sFaherenheit451inhighschool,Irecentlyreturnedtoit,circuitously,bywayofanotherbook:DougDorstandJ.J.Abrams’S.Aworkoftransmediafiction,ShouseswithinitsslipcaseanovelentitledTheShipofTheseus,purportedlywrittenbyoneV.M.Straka.LikeFaherenheit451,Sisultimatelyanovelaboutbooks;indeed,itsmainprotagonist,theeponymousS,is—fundamentally—notacharacter,butabook.Andnotjustanybook,butafictionalpersonificationoftheverybookthereaderofSholdsinherhands.WhileteachingSthissemester,IwasremindedthatthatideaoftheindividualasabookisacentralmotifofFahrenheit451,wherestoriesinanageofmasscensorshipfindtemporarysanctuaryoutsidethecoversofbooksinthemindsofthemenandwomenwhochoosetocommitthemtomemory.“We’renothingmorethanthedustjacketsforbooks,ofnosignificanceotherwise,”explainsGranger,theexileddrifter,attheconclusionofthenovel.“Someofusliveinsmalltowns.ChapterOneofThoreau’sWaldeninGreenRiver,ChapterTwoinWillowFarm,Maine.Why,there’sonetowninMaryland,onlytwenty-sevenpeople,nobomb’llevertouchthattown,isthecompleteessaysofamannamedBertrandRussell.Pickupthattown,almost,andflipthepages,somanypagestoaperson.”Metaphorsofbooksabound—booksarebirds,lighthouses,vineyards,ships,andgardens,tonameafew.Butinourcurrentgeopoliticalmoment,whenthefreepressstrainsunderthethreatsoftyrants--itistoRayBradbury’smetaphorofenduranceandsurvivalthatIturnthismonth.

BookishLinks

1.TheSecondShelf:Createdbywriter,journalist,andrarebooksdealer,A.N.Devers,TheSecondShelfisa"rarebookbusinessandnewquarterlyprint

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publicationfocusedonincreasingthevisibilityofwritingbywomenandtheircontributionsthroughouthistory."(imagecourtesyofTheSecondShelf)

2.UpsideDown,LefttoRight:ALetterpressFilm:ProducedbyDannyCooke,thisshortfilmdescribestheletterpressanditshistoryin"oneofthefewremainingmoveable-typeprintingworkshopsintheUK,situatedatPlymouthUniversity,featuringPaulCollier."

3.Sold:ARareCopyofAdaLovelace'sGroundbreakingComputerAlgorithm:6 / 7

ThisarticlefromtheSmithsonianMagazinediscussesarare,leather-boundcopyofAdaLovelace's1848translationofapaperontheoreticalcomputing.ThemanuscriptcontainsLovelace's"pioneeringformulathatisconsideredbysomeexpertstobethefirstcomputerprograminhistory."(imagecourtesyofGetty

Images)

TheBookLabNewsletterisdistributedmonthlybyBookLab,locatedwithintheCollegeofArtsandHumanities'DepartmentofEnglish.ThenewsletterisproducedbyMatthewKirschenbaum,KariKraus,

MalloryHaselberger,andBrittStarr.

Ifyouhaveannouncements,events,orideasthatyou'dliketobringtoourattention,pleasedirectqueriesandcommentstobooklab@umd.edu.

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