MANILA, Philippines - Never Say ‘Never Judge a Book by Its Cover’ is the bold statement proposed by the latest lecture in The Printed Word series presented by Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) and Prof. May Jurilla, PhD. The lecture, which was held last 14 March 2015, Saturday, 3pm, at the 2/F of the Ayala Museum, tackled the brief history and function of book covers, from the medieval period to contemporary times.
An accompanying exhibit curated by Dr. Jurilla will run at the 2/F of the Ayala Museum until 21 March. Included on display is an edition of Flora de Filipinas, a full-colored illustrated study on Philippine flora by Augustinian priest and botanist Manuel Blanco, as well as other iconic books from FHL’s Rare Books Collection, Roderick Hall Collection, and Pedro Ortiz Armengol Collection, that help trace the history of cover production in the Philippines.
Prof. Jurilla holds a PhD on Philippine book history from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, giving her the distinction of being the first Filipino book historian in the country. She is currently an Associate Professor at Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Her previous Printed Word lectures include Revelations of the Book, on the history and the social context of printing in the Philippines, and Romancing the Book, on book production and proper care.
The Printed Word is a lecture series by the Filipinas Heritage Library revolving around the history of the book and other facets related to it. It aims to contribute to the promotion of reading and appreciation of the publishing industry and of Filipiniana publications.
For more information, please email asklibrarian@filipinaslibrary.org.ph or call (02) 759-8288 loc. 45 or 36.