‘The Book The Object’ is an exhibition in the Special Collections Gallery, Hartley Library, celebrating the culture, the manufacture and the artistry of the book, from the 15th to the 21st Century.
If the value of a printed book as a conveyor of information is diminishing, its significance as an object of cultural history is increasing, and the post-publication life of the book is an expanding field of research.
Drawing on the resources of the Rare Books collection and the general stock of the Hartley Library, this exhibition celebrates the book as a physical object. The stories that books have to tell beyond their texts are seen in the materials and processes of their construction, in their design and decoration and in the markings made by their owners.
‘Running until 27 May 2016, ‘The Book The Object’ sits alongside ‘Proof’, a related exhibition from Winchester School of Art.
On show in the nearby Level 4 Gallery, ‘Proof’ is an exhibition exploring the future of publication and book design, through the work of Graphic Arts students and WSA’s Publisher Hub. It runs until 20 April 2016.