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Book history

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The Book History and Bibliography Research Group have made major contributions to the subject internationally. Members have produced numerous publications in authorship studies, printing, publishing, reading, bibliography and textual editing. The group’s research interests range widely, from seventeenth-century literature and publishing, to postcolonial histories of the book. The group’s AHRC-funded project The Reading Experience Database, 1450–1945 ('RED') has produced a digitised database recording the reading experiences of British subjects from 1450–1945, and over 30,000 entries have been digitised. Members of the group organise regular, well-attended seminar series, conferences, and symposia promoting research in book history.

We welcome applications in areas which correspond to current staff research interests. We look for detailed and well thought-out proposals, which set out specific research questions and outline the originality of your topic or approach. If you would like to discuss your ideas informally before submitting an application, please contact the department.

Qualifications available:

PhD or MPhil

Fees:

For detailed information on current fees visit Fees and funding.

Entry requirements:

Minimum 2:1 (or equivalent) and an MA (or equivalent)

Potential research projects

Proposals that engage with the interests of the members of the research group will be favourably considered.

Current / recent research projects

  • ‘Popular Genre Fiction in Indian Writing in English: Recent Trends in the Indian Literary Marketplace’ (Poojah Sinha)
  • ‘James Lackington: Reading and the Art of Self-Advancement’ (Sophie Bankes)
  • ‘Conrad’s Reading’ (Helen Chambers)

Further information

If you have an enquiry specific to this research area please contact:

Name:
Postgraduate Admissions Tutor
Email:
arts-english-enquiries@open.ac.uk
Phone:
+44 (0)1908 652092

For general enquiries please contact the Research Degrees Team via the link under ‘Your questions’ on the right of the page.

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