OLC Webinar: Identifying 19th Century Publishers’ Bookbindings

“There Ain’t Anything in This World That Sells a Book Like a Pretty Cover:” Identifying 19th Century Publishers’ Bookbindings

Presenter: Betsy Butler
Sponsored by: OLC’s Subject and Special Collections Division

The books that publishers created between 1830 and 1910 are some of the most eye-catching mass-produced objects of the Victorian era. Whether as the subject of a display, a research project or a teaching tool, 19th-century publishers’ bookbindings are a special part of a collection with visual, historical and informational appeal.

Webinar participants will gain an understanding of how these bookbindings were created. After being exposed to the characteristics of bindings from each decade, attendees will have an opportunity to try their hand at determining the date of binding styles based on visual clues. Attendees will receive a decade-by-decade illustrated checklist of those characteristics and a bibliography of print and online resources for further reading.

Intended Audience: This webinar is right for you if you work with special collections, provide reference and technical services in libraries whose collections include 19-th century books, or promote a library’s collection. Museum curators, exhibit designers, educators and book collectors will also benefit from the information presented during the program.

About the Presenter: Webinar presenter Betsy Butler worked as a Special Collections Librarian, first at the Ohio Historical Society and then at Miami University. Betsy was named one of Rare Book School’s James Davis Scholars and attended the school’s Publishers’ Bookbindings, 1830-1910 course in July 2006. Since then, she has shared her knowledge of 19-th century publishers’ bookbindings in academic journal articles, public programs and college-level class presentations.

What’s Included: Participation in the live webinar and/or access to the archived version at a later date. Resources (if applicable) provided by the presenter.