Publishing History

Publishing History is a scholarly journal devoted to the socio-economic and literary history of book, newspaper, and magazine publishing.

This specialist bi-annual journal covers the whole spectrum of the production, distribution, and consumption of book and print culture from the author via book trade practitioners to the reader. It contains scholarly articles; memoirs by contemporary publishers; conference papers; reports; archive listings; and book reviews. Alongside scholarship on established areas, submissions which incorporate new methodologies, take a global or international perspective, utilize under-examined archives, or explore the histories of marginalized groups are warmly encouraged.

The journal also publishes the prize-winning essay from the Peter Isaac essay prize.

The editor is keen to liaise with guest editors to produce one-off themed issues.

Editorial Board:

• • Professor Terry Belanger, University of Virginia
  • Dr Matthew Day, University of Derby
  • Dr Jesse Erickson, The Morgan Library and Museum
  • Professor Wallace Kirsop, Monash University
  • Professor David McKitterick, Trinity College, University of Cambridge
  • Dr Andrew Nash, Institute of English Studies, University of London
  • Professor James Raven, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge
  • Dr Vaibhav Singh, University of Reading
  • Professor Kathryn Sutherland, St Anne’s College, University of Oxford

History of the Journal

Publishing History was devised in the mid-1970s by the publisher Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey (b.1940) and the book historian Michael Turner (1935-2017). Chadwyck-Healey Ltd, based in Cambridge, was set up in 1973 to publish research materials for the humanities and social sciences, at first on microfilm, then later on CD-ROM and, finally, online. Michael Turner spent his career in the Bodleian Library, retiring as Head of Preservation Services. He was also Lecturer in the History of Printing at Oxford.

The journal was first issued in 1977 with Turner as its editor. In 1991 he was joined by Simon Eliot (a book historian, then at the Open University, now at the University of London) as co-editor. Eliot became sole editor in 1999, finally retiring in 2016. He was replaced by Catherine Armstrong (Loughborough University) as editor, and by John Hinks (Birmingham City University) as deputy editor and reviews editor. In 2023, Rachel Stenner took over the editorship.