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

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

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.

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.

• How books were made
• Introduction
• Illustration
• Construction
• How books were sold
• Bestselling books
• The sale of books
• Auctions and collections
• How books were read
• Reading books
• Family libraries: The Fagel Collection
• Reading and writing
• How books changed the world
• Religion
• Medicine and science
• Society