Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 2018 - 2019 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
34 photopolymer plates
13 chapbooks between 26x14cm and 27x15cm
5 sheets of paper samples between 26x26cm and 30x26cm
12 pamphlets 26x14cm
9 sticky notes
Context area
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This subseries contains a variety of in-process materials that resulted from the development of 'A Tetrad', a chapbook project. The contents consist primarily of incomplete pamphlets and chapbooks, as well as the photopolymer plates used during printing. These items document the experimental nature of the production process, including tests of layout and binding structures. Variations in binding (ranging from saddle stitch to coptic) highlight the trial-and-eror inherent to the handmade bookmaking process. Handwritten adhesive notes expose the functions and roles of some items.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
System of arrangement
The items in this file were not created as an intentional series, but have accumulated as byproducts of experimentation and revision. They have been loosely arranged according to size, material, and shape.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Photo-polymer plates may become fragile, brittle, and warped as they age; handle carefully.
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
A Tetrad, by Simon Rogers; book design and printing by Deborah Barnett.
This chapbook honours Marshall McLuhan, a St. Michael’s professor who rattled the world with his take on the influence of media and technology. Called A Tetrad, the chapbook is both a digital and a hand-printed instance of McLuhan’s tetrad concept.
What is a Tetrad?
A tetrad is a set of four things.
McLuhan’s tetrad refers to a set of four media laws he believed you could apply to any human creation, from ideas to artifacts. When a new brainchild appears, McLuhan says, it affects existing culture in four ways: it ENHANCES, REVERSES, RETRIEVES, and OBSOLESCES
Alternative identifier(s)
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Rules and/or conventions used
Dates of creation revision deletion
Created by A Mociani on April 30 2025.
Revised by A Mociani on February 16 2026.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Publications. John M. Kelly Library. (2023, March 2). https://library.stmikes.utoronto.ca/about/publications/