Michael Suarez, S.J.: "The Book as Museum in Eighteenth-Century Europe"
Book historian Michael Suarez, S.J., examined how collections of antiquities in richly illustrated books, many calling themselves museums, flourished in the eighteenth century when the public museum became a significant cultural institution in western Europe. These beautiful books mobilize the museum, bringing new forms of knowledge organization to readers far and wide. The books display cultural capital and, often, political power as well. He used case studies from Florence, Paris, and Naples.
February 24, 2022
6 - 7:30 p.m. CDT
David Rubenstein Forum
David Ganz: "Where Did Newspaper Typeface Come From?"
David Ganz explored how influential scripts such as Caroline minuscule and Italian Humanistic served as models for typefaces like Times New Roman.
Peter Kornicki: Why Did Matsudaira Sadanobu Copy the Tale of the Genje Seven Times?"
Despite Japan’s Edo period's boom in commercial printing, Matsudaira Sadanobu, Japan's ruler from 1787-1793, hand-copied the Tale of Genji seven times. This highlights a fascinating contradiction: printed books were available, but many, including Sadanobu, clung to the art of manuscript writing. During his lecture, Peter Kornicki, one of the foremost experts in the history of the book in Japan, exposed the underworld of manuscript books, dealing with secret knowledge, shocking scandals, and obscure rituals.
Andrew Pettegree: "Was War Good for the Book Trade?"
War always brought suffering and hardship, but also opportunity for those who could adapt skillfully to the new circumstances. Much of this opportunism was deplorable, but publishers also recognized that new times required new authors and new types of book. In this presentation we offer an examination of how war impacted bookselling, reading, and the livelihoods of authors, and how far the lessons of wartime disruption were absorbed when the fighting ended.
May 13, 2026
6 to 7:30 p.m. CDT
David Rubenstein Forum
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Past Visiting Scholars
Past lecturers for the Paleography and the Book Visiting Scholar Program have included distinguished scholars recognized for their expertise in manuscript studies, book history, and paleography. Their lectures have explored a wide range of topics, from the decoding of medieval scripts to the cultural significance of historical bookmaking traditions.
About the Program
The University of Chicago Paleography and the Book Visiting Scholars Program brings an outstanding guest professor to campus for one quarter annually. The Visiting Scholar teaches a course in manuscript history and reception, paleography, epigraphy, philology, codicology, the history of the book and readers, or the evolution of print culture at the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center.
The University of Chicago Paleography and the Book Visiting Scholars Program brings an outstanding guest professor to campus for one quarter annually. The Visiting Scholar teaches a course in manuscript history and reception, paleography, epigraphy, philology, codicology, the history of the book and readers, or the evolution of print culture at the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center.
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