Founded in 1991, the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP) is the leading international organization for the study of the history of the book.
Book History is its official scholarly publication. Published twice a year, it is the flagship journal in the fields of book history and print-culture studies and continues to set the tone for scholarship on material texts across all aspects and time periods of the field.
Three editors serving six-year terms oversee the journal, and their responsibilities are divided geographically. Due to the impending retirement of Beth le Roux, we are seeking a new editor to join the team to take responsibility for scholarship from and about Australasia, Africa, and areas of the world beyond Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Immediately after being chosen, the newly hired editor will start work with Greg Barnhisel, Ph.D. (duq.edu) and Yuri Cowan, shadowing Beth for issue 27.2 (Nov. 2024) before taking full responsibility for their remit.
The role offers the opportunity to shape the journal’s and field’s future and work with an experienced and highly successful editorial team. Editors serve a six-year term with the possibility of one reappointment. Applicants should have an established record of scholarship in the history of the book. In line with SHARPs principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (see below), we are eager to find an editor who will actively seek out and encourage submissions on a wide range of geographically and culturally diverse topics, including work on material texts beyond the codex; promote equitable processes of selection; and publish work from a wide array of scholars. We also welcome applicants interested in innovative approaches to scholarly publishing and in aligning our flagship publication with our other digital initiatives. A full job description is here.
The Society is keen to solicit applications from both senior and junior scholars but applicants will have strong scholarly credentials in the field and good organizational and decision-making skills. Experience in journal or book editing are helpful but not necessary. Fluency in English is a requirement; fluency in other languages would be an advantage. We particularly invite applications from members of underrepresented groups. SHARP cannot provide any remuneration for the journal editors but will endorse a successful candidate’s request for leave or other compensation from their institution.
Application procedure
Applications will be assessed by an Appointments committee consisting of several members of the Society, one of Book History’s current editors as a non-voting member, and a chair, Lisa Maruca, SHARP’s Member-at-Large. Applications should consist of a maximum two-page letter of application and a maximum three-page curriculum vitae, to be sent by email to Lisa Maruca at search@sharpweb.org. Applications are due Friday, May 31, 2024. After a shortlisting process, successful applicants will be invited to an online interview. Interviewees will be asked to submit two letters of recommendation.
Informal queries may also be directed to Lisa Maruca at search@sharpweb.org.
SHARP’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization Statement
SHARP strives to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability. As a global organization, SHARP acknowledges the ongoing effects of colonization on Indigenous peoples worldwide. We are committed to supporting the deconstruction of ideologies that privilege Western thought and approaches to book history above all others.