The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800

Online Course

Trinity College Dublin

Future Learn

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The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800

What is the course about?
Prerequisites & Facts
Cost, Certificate & Degree
Reviews & Experiences

What is the course about?

The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800

The course The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800 is an online class provided by Trinity College Dublin through Future Learn. It may be possible to receive a verified certification or use the course to prepare for a degree.

Explore the history of the book during the early modern period and learn how the invention of printing revolutionized our world.

Course description

Discover how books were made, sold and read between 1450 and 1800
4 weeks

The early modern period was an exciting time for invention and innovation. On this course, you’ll explore book production using examples from Trinity College Dublin and the Edward Worth Library, Dublin.
You’ll discover how books were made, bound and illustrated, and will study rare treasures including the engravings of Anthony Van Dyck, and early editions of Aesop’s Fables.
You’ll also consider how books were read and how the invention of printing impacted on religion, medicine, science and politics.

Week 1: How books were made in Western Europe (1450-1800) (designing types, illustrating, sewing, binding, and finishing books).
Week 2: How books were sold in Western Europe (1450-1800) (bestsellers, collectors, advertising and book auctions).
Week 3: How books were read in Western Europe (1450-1800) (books and readers, families libraries, and annotating books).
Week 4: How books changed the world (1450-1800) (reforming religion, transforming medicine and science, and remaking the state).

Identify the different parts of an early modern book.
Describe how the early modern book trade operated.
Reflect on how the invention of the printing press changed religious, scientific, medical and political views of the world.
Classify provenance marks and annotations in early modern books.
Explain how early modern books were created.

This course is for anyone interested in bookselling, book history and book design.
This may include collectors, dealers, artists, or anyone with a passion for reading and learning.
This course uses a large number of images and image databases for learners to explore. We have included text descriptions for these images to make the course as accessible as possible.

Trinity College Dublin
Founded in 1592, Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s highest ranked university. It promotes a diverse, interdisciplinary environment to nurture ground-breaking research, innovation, and creativity.

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Prerequisites & Facts

The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800

Course Topic

History

University, College, Institution

Trinity College Dublin

Course Skill Level

see course summary

Course Language

English

Place of class

Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

Degree

Certificate

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Degree & Cost

The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800

To obtain a verified certificate from Future Learn / Trinity College Dublin you have to finish this course or the latest version of it, if there is a new edition. The class may be free of charge, but there could be some cost to receive a verified certificate or to access the learning materials. The specifics of the course may have been changed, please consult the provider to get the latest quotes and news.

Trinity College Dublin

The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800

provided by Future Learn

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