Course Information
Instructor: Filippo Mardente
Location: Los Angeles | UCLA
Mode: In-person
Dates: August 10–14, 2026
Tuition: $1200.00
Course Description
This course explores the material and literary evolution of the Greek book and its spread in Europe following the fall of Constantinople and the invention of movable type printing. Through a historical and codicological analysis, it will consider how the paramount transition from manuscript to print influenced the preservation, the transmission and the diffusion of Greek literature and science. This course aims to provide the tools to conduct historical investigations on manuscripts and early printed books in Ancient Greek, as well as to explore and appreciate the changes that took place in the fields of literature, scholarship and typography in Italy during the Renaissance.
The first part of the course will cover the methods of productions of the objects (the manuscript and the printed book) and the study of those material elements that assist historical analysis (paper, writing, binding). The second part will be devoted to the printing in Ancient Greek in Italy during the 15th and the early 16th centuries. After considering the pioneering works carried out in Milan and in Florence, the classes will focus on Aldus Manutius’ revolutionary editions and on the reasons of their success to the present day. Through an in-person observation of these early Greek editions, it will be analysed the textual and graphic evolution of the printed book as an object. As a conclusion, it will be proposed an overview of the most important collections of Greek books during the Renaissance.e will continue to use DCRM(B) as the standard, with reference to differences coming in the future.
Are you an established expert in rare books, special collections, and print culture? Or perhaps an expert in library and information studies, critical librarianship, or data studies? CalRBS encourages course proposals on innovative topics that build on its vast array of courses focusing on rare books, special collections, and manuscripts.
CalRBS is especially interested in the following areas as they relate to rare books, galleries, libraries, archives, and museums:
- Grant Writing
- Advanced Pedagogy and Teaching
- Remote Course Programming and Design
- Space Planning and Innovative Alternatives
- Social Media
- Programming for ESL and Bilingual Constituencies
- Data Preservation
- Digital Knowledge Repatriation
- Crisis Recordkeeping
- Public Libraries and At-Risk Populations
- Sustainability Studies
- Climate Change Impacts on the Profession
- Grassroots Communities
- Archives Organization
- Reappraisal and De-Accessioning
- Digital Methods for Research and Scholarship
- Data Activism
- Collection Development for Specific Communities
- Ink and Papermaking (Maker studio and/or history of)
- Children and Young Adults and Public Libraries
- Primary sources in K-12 Education
- History, production, and publishing of children’s books
- Material, Collections, and Institutions through Indigenous and First Nation lenses
- International Librarianship, Bibliography, and Rare Books
- Disability Studies
- Feminist and Gender Studies
- Postcolonial, Decolonial and Critical Development studies
- History of small presses and independent publishing in Los Angeles/California/U.S. and beyond
- Gastronomy, cook books, and food culture
- Topic and survey courses that focus on undergraduate and high school students
Courses that focus on critical analysis, diversity, ethics, and promote justice-oriented approaches are especially welcome. In addition to these areas, we are looking for courses that fill identified gaps in the current CalRBS curriculum. While new courses can extend beyond the domain of rare books and special collections, they should contextualize rare books within a larger library and information economy, emphasizing the importance of book and print culture throughout the discipline of Information Studies.