This course explores the composition and publication of books, manuscripts, and other written material for and by Jews during the medieval and early modern periods (ca. 1000-1800). The course touches on: orality and literacy; scroll and codex; authors, readers, publishers, and scribes; manuscript and print; Jewish-Christian interaction in scriptoriums, artist workshops, and printing houses; censorship; illustration, illumination, and deluxe printing; and major printing centers. Students will consider how these objects drove Jewish societies and reflected larger cultural trends. They will also address the definition of a “Jewish” book.
