Recommended readings
Studying Early Printed Books, 1450-1800 by ISBN: 9781119049975Publication Date: 2019-02-26A comprehensive resource to understanding the hand-press printing of early books Studying Early Printed Books, 1450 - 1800 offers a guide to the fascinating process of how books were printed in the first centuries of the press and shows how the mechanics of making books shapes how we read and understand them. The author offers an insightful overview of how books were made in the hand-press period and then includes an in-depth review of the specific aspects of the printing process. Written for students of book history, materiality of text and history of information, Studying Early Printed Books explores the many aspects of the early printing process of books and explains how their form is understood today.
The Oxford Handbook of Material Culture Studies by Call Number: GN406 .O94 2010ISBN: 9780199218714Publication Date: 2010-10-28The Oxford Handbook of Material Culture Studies introduces and reviews current thinking in the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies. From Coca-Cola,chimpanzees, artworks, and ceramics, to museums, cities, human bodies, and magical objects, the Handbook is an essential resource for anyone with an interest in materiality and the place of material objects in human social life, both past and present. A comprehensive bibliography enhances itsusefulness as a research tool.
Ask Us
Objects and Artifacts: Research and Material Culture
When searching for primary sources in your research, print materials may also be part of material culture because some items or their information have been exhibited in a physical form drawn from a specific period. Some examples may be trade catalogs, advertisements, information booklets from the manufacturer, or journals. The artifacts and print materials are significant as we can study aspects of a person, society, or culture. Moreover, print material and artifacts and their accompanying histories display a lens into their intended users, how they can be used, and how they were used in the past.
Artifacts as primary sources
When students are writing a research paper, primary sources are carefully chosen, citations are curated, and evidence is supported. The same questions asked when choosing other primary sources should also occur when working with artifacts, such as:
- Who created this object?
- Did this creator give the object a purpose?
- What was the creator's objective?
This will give you insight into the creator, and you will now have an idea of the creator’s culture, customs, religion, and life and society during that time. Without an insight into these types of contexts, the artifacts will fall out of context and could be rendered meaningless. Therefore, it is vital to establish a comprehensive understanding of how the artifact came to be.
Additional resources on material culture
- A thick overview of the book-as-artifactAn article by Vjola Velikaj explores the depths of books as an artifact and the value books hold beyond their text.
- Journal of Material CultureThe Journal of Material Culture is a deep dive into the relationship of artifacts and their social importance and relations within a broad scope of disciplines such as museum studies, anthropology, history, geography, and the arts.
- Picturing Medicine: visual and material culture as historical sourceResearchers in the medical humanities are becoming increasingly alert to the potential of visual sources and visual culture. Here, Dr. Katherine Rawling, Dr. Harriet Palfreyman, and Dr. Beatriz Pichel discuss their research into medical photography to reflect on their practice and draw attention to possible new directions in the history of science and medicine.