As a piece of technology, the book has been so successful that it has become invisible; when we walk into a library, we see everything but the books. Even in the internet age, books remain a ubiquitous and powerful presence in our society, exerting influence as both tools and as icons. This course inspires you to finally "see" the book as a craft and a product, a metaphor for the mind, and a valued (and frequently controversial) social agent. You will make your own notebook, touch papers and inks, and learn how to peruse the stores of rare books held in UVA's libraries; you will think critically about why we produce books to be treasured and books to be discarded. By the end of the course, you will understand the book not just as words printed on bound paper, but as a transformative point of interaction between communities.