Rebecca Chung
MSI ’16, Information
What does it mean to see a rare book online, but not touch it? Why not reconsider the book as a made object and edit for significant physical properties? These questions drive the Wolverine Press’s edition of a famous sheet of paper: Hamlet’s “to be or not to be speech,” as printed in the Second “Good” Quarto (1604). The sheet, called the “G” gathering, contains eight pages of the third act when folded. Unlike a digital image, our sheet is meant to be handled by readers so they can experience the design and material features of handpress books. The letterpress work is done by University students, who learn printing as emerging creative writers, artists, librarians, and researchers.
The University of Michigan 2016 Shakespeare Exhibit coincides with the Folger Shakespeare Library First Folio 2016 tour. In addition to the Hamlet edition, the Press will print a keepsake for the gala dinner. Both projects include printer’s ornaments reproduced using the MLibrary Design Lab’s 3-d printers. This use of 3D printing is experimental, and further presses on the boundaries of editing and surrogacy for works of high intrinsic value, by bringing together both the preservation and the makerspace resources of the library.
Library Mentor: Sigrid Cordell