UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — What are books? How are they used? How are they made? How do different cultures engage with the book form?

During the fall of 2022, Professor Kathlene Baldanza’s History of the Book class (HIST255N) met twice weekly, often in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library, to explore these fundamental questions about the forms and functions of books, both in the past and today.

The exhibition “Between the Lines: Global Histories of the Book” is the culminating project of the class and an opportunity to share some insights and books with a broader audience. Open Dec. 8 in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery, 104 Paterno Library on the University Park campus, the exhibition will be on display through Aug. 28, 2023.

Highlights from the exhibition include an Assyrian cuneiform rock tablet from the ninth century B.C., an 18th-century illuminated Qur’an, a facsimile of a Song dynasty "Diamond Sutra" scroll, and a pop-up version of Dr. Seuss’ "Oh, the Places You’ll Go!," all of which expand ideas about what books are and how they work.

In addition to encountering Penn State’s remarkable collections of rare and distinctive books, the class included numerous hands-on workshops where the students made an ancient Andean system of knot tying to record information called a qhipu; Mexican tree bark paper; ink from growths on plants caused by insects, called galls; a letterpress print printed on a handpress; sewn bindings for pamphlets; and handmade and self-distributed booklets called zines.

The class was also an opportunity to diversify the regions of the world represented in the Eberly Family Special Collections. A new East Asian Book History collection was purchased with support from the Paterno Libraries Endowment specifically to support this and future classes. In addition, adding books about paper-making traditions in Mexico and Vietnam, for example, as well as works by international contemporary book artists, such as Islam Aly, have made the collections more global in reach.

This exhibition is curated by the students in the "History of the Book" course with support from Clara Drummond, lead curator and exhibitions coordinator. Jenny Marmo, Stelts-Filippelli curatorial intern, Emma Mortimore and Abigail Bain, Bednar conservation interns, and Bill Minter, senior book conservator, provided installation and design support.

The exhibition and workshops were made possible by generous support from the Sandra K. Stelts and Ronald L. Filippelli Exhibitions Program Endowment, the Krumrine Family Libraries Endowment, and the Department of History.

For more information about “Between the Lines: Global Histories of the Book,” including questions about the exhibition, accommodations and the physical access provided, contact Clara Drummond at cjd86@psu.edu or the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at spcollections@psu.edu or 814-865-1793.