Teaching Paleography Resources: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:27, 26 January 2023

These resources for teaching paleography grew out of an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-supported workshop directed by Heather Wolfe, Curator of Manuscripts, Associate Librarian for Audience Development, and long-time trainer of paleographers at the Folger Shakespeare Library, from 27-29 August 2019. That workshop's participants, listed below with their current affiliations at the time of the workshop, brought many different perspectives to bear on their shared approaches to teaching early modern handwriting. They applied lessons learned at an earlier workshop and a conference associated with the Early Modern Manuscripts Online (EMMO) project to create and compile methods and templates for paleographic instruction a variety of settings and with both physical manuscripts and digital facsimiles.

Assignments and Worksheets

The participants offered a number of ways to teach paleography, many of which are classroom tested.

Basic toolkit for teaching paleography [link coming]

Game Scenarios

The participants created three scenarios during the workshop, complete with materials.

Overarching rationale for gamifying paleography [link coming]

Escaping the Plague in 1600 London [link coming]

The Ghost of Blithfield Hall [link coming]: we tested versions of this at Simon Fraser University (October 3, 2019) and the American Philosophical Society (October 8, 2019. Stay tuned!

The Adventure of the Lost Letter, or, the Postboy's Bag [link coming]

Writing with quills (updated January 2023)

quills: available through https://motoscribendi.com/ or http://dennisruud.com/quill-pens/ or Lucas at Scribal Workshop (https://www.scribalworkshop.com/shop/iron-gall-ink). Update, Jan 2023: I have been very pleased with the quills purchased from https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/living.history_1645. They flow very well and students have been very satisfied with them.

paper: Chancery paper made by the University of Iowa's Center for the Book (based on Tim Barrett's research) is/was available through Talas, although it seems to be rarely in stock. You can also use any other laid, lightweight paper made from cotton and/or hemp (linen/flax is very hard to find). We have used paper from The Paper Foundation, in Burneside, Cumbria. Always ask if seconds are available since handmade paper is expensive. John Neal Books also has some good paper choices, including Frankfurt and Arches Wove. The Folger usually buys full sheets which students then fold into bifolia or quartos.

iron gall ink:

Lucas at Scribal Workshop makes good iron gall ink in 1 oz and 4 oz sizes. A little bit goes a long way. You can parcel it out in disposable shot/communion cups, and then refill the bottle with unused ink when done.

You can make your own by ordering ingredients from Kremer Pigments (or elsewhere):

Or you can get a DIY iron gall ink kit from Lucas at Scribal Workshop.

other supplies: writing supports so you can write at 45 degree angle (you can use library book cradles with stiff board on top); spice or coffee grinder or mortar and pestle and sack (so the items don't jump out of the mortar), small scale. IMPORTANT: if you are using a recipe from a recipe book, make sure to greatly reduce the volume! Plan ahead if you want your ink to sit in the sun or to be heated and cooled.

If you are interested in buying a writing kit for each student which includes a sheet of paper, a quill pen, and a 1/4 oz. bottle of iron gall ink, they are available from Lucas at Scribal Workshop. He can customize the kits and will send them to each student for an extra fee if you are teaching a class remotely.

Participants

Morgan Bozick, Lecturer – Comparative Literature, Pennsylvania State University
Matthew Carter, Assistant Director – University Writing Center, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Susan Cogan, Assistant Professor – History, Utah State University
Catherine Eskin, Associate Professor – English, Florida Southern College
Margaret Ezell, Professor – English, Texas A&M University
Julie Fisher, Postdoctoral Fellow, American Philosophical Society
Amey Hutchins, Manuscripts Cataloging Librarian, University of Pennsylvania
Claire McNulty, Ph.D. Candidate – History, Queen’s University Belfast
Kathleen Miller, Postdoctoral Fellow – History, Queen’s University Belfast / University of Toronto
Sara Powell, Research Librarian – Beinecke Library, Yale University
Emily Rendek, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of South Carolina
Amanda Rogus, MFA Candidate – Dramaturgy, Mary Baldwin University
Taylor Sims, Ph.D. Candidate – History, University of Michigan
Robert Tallaksen, Professor (Emeritus) – Radiology, West Virginia University

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 '''The Adventure of the Lost Letter, or, the Postboy's Bag''' [link coming]<br>
-== Tips and Techniques (updated January 2023) ==
+== Writing with quills (updated January 2023) ==
-'''writing with quills day:'''
+'''quills''':
-quills:
 available through https://motoscribendi.com/ or http://dennisruud.com/quill-pens/ or Lucas at Scribal Workshop (https://www.scribalworkshop.com/shop/iron-gall-ink). Update, Jan 2023: I have been very pleased with the quills purchased from https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/living.history_1645. They flow very well and students have been very satisfied with them.
-paper:
+'''paper''':
 Chancery paper made by the [https://uicb.uiowa.edu/store/handmade-paper/chancery University of Iowa's Center for the Book] (based on Tim Barrett's research) is/was available through [https://www.talasonline.com/paper-and-board/book-and-text Talas], although it seems to be rarely in stock.  You can also use any other laid, lightweight paper made from cotton and/or hemp (linen/flax is very hard to find). We have used paper from The Paper Foundation, in Burneside, Cumbria. Always ask if [https://paper.foundation/category/shop/seconds-bundle-chttps-paper-foundation-wp-admin-term-phptaxonomyproduct_cattag_id97post_typeproductwp_http_referer-wp-admin-edit-tags-phptaxonomyproduct_catpost_typeproductn/ seconds] are available since handmade paper is expensive. [https://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/text-weight John Neal Books] also has some good paper choices, including Frankfurt and Arches Wove. The Folger usually buys full sheets which students then fold into bifolia or quartos.
-home made iron gall ink:
+'''iron gall ink''':
 Lucas at Scribal Workshop makes good [https://www.scribalworkshop.com/shop/iron-gall-ink iron gall ink] in 1 oz and 4 oz sizes. A little bit goes a long way. You can parcel it out in disposable shot/communion cups, and then refill the bottle with unused ink when done.