Last updated Volumes relating to legal history published by the Selden Society
A text publication society is a learned society which publishes (either as its sole function, or as a principal function) scholarly editions of old works of historical or literary interest, or archival documents. In addition to full texts, a text publication society may publish translations, calendars and indexes.
Members of the society (private individuals or institutions) pay an annual subscription, in return for which they either automatically receive a copy of each volume as it is published, or (as in the case of, for example, the Royal Historical Society) are eligible to purchase volumes at favourable members' rates. Some societies attempt to keep to a regular cycle of publishing (generally one volume per year, as in the case of the London Record Society and the Canterbury and York Society; the Royal Historical Society, exceptionally, aims for two volumes per year). Others, however, publish on an irregular and occasional basis, as the completion of editorial work allows. Volumes are usually also made available for sale to non-members, but the price is invariably higher than that paid (either as the retail price or through subscriptions) by members, thereby establishing an incentive for interested parties to join. The model originated and is most commonly found in the United Kingdom, but has also been adopted in other countries.
In the 19th century, when many societies were founded, they were sometimes known as book clubs. They have also been termed printing clubs.[1] Those that publish exclusively archival material are often known as record societies or records societies.
Historical development
The principle of subscription publishing – funding the publication of a volume by securing multiple advance subscriptions from individuals interested in buying the final product – was first established in the 17th century, and routinely adopted during the 18th.[2][3] The idea of extending the model to the membership of a society was initiated by the Roxburghe Club, founded in 1812 as a convivial association of bibliophiles, but which rapidly introduced the principle that each member should sponsor the publication of an edition of a rare work of interest to members, and that other volumes would be published by the Club collectively. In both cases, the volumes were intended for distribution to the entire membership. The Club's first publication, donated by Sir William Bolland and issued in 1814, was the Earl of Surrey's translation of parts of Virgil's Aeneid, originally printed in 1557.
One early Roxburghe Club member (from 1822) was Sir Walter Scott, who was inspired by it to establish the Bannatyne Club to print works of interest for Scottish tradition, literature, and history. Other special-interest societies followed. In contrast to the exclusive Roxburghe Club (which had an elite membership and issued its publications as luxurious limited editions), most had broad membership criteria, and had as their primary objective the dissemination of valuable historical texts as widely as possible.[4] Nevertheless, their activities tended to appeal to the "monied and educated" classes: in 1838, 20% of the Camden Society's members were clergymen, 9% held legal qualifications, and 36% were Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries.[5]
Success being dependent on fund-raising and the attraction of new members, the early societies often suffered from financial and organisational troubles. Controversy followed Frederick James Furnivall, a prime mover in many of the early ventures. In the second half of the 19th century the government-sponsored Rolls Series took over some of the territory of the amateur societies, particularly in respect of the publication of chronicles.[6] The productions of several of the early societies included literary texts, but by the end of the 19th century, the majority of societies were tending to focus instead on the publication of archival records. This continued to be the pattern in the 20th century.
The Durham-based Surtees Society, founded in 1834 and modelled in part on the Scottish Bannatyne and Maitland Clubs,[7] was the first English society to adopt a specifically regional remit, in its case the elucidation of the history of the area constituting the ancient kingdom of Northumbria. Its establishment was deeply rooted in local pride: in an early prospectus, James Raine (its principal founder and first secretary) drew attention to just a few unpublished manuscripts of Durham interest, "which, in these times, few individuals would incur the risk of printing at their own cost; but which nevertheless, afford even singly, how much more collectively, the most valuable materials to those who are anxious to study rightly the History of our forefathers under its different characters".[8] The Chetham Society, founded in 1843, concerned itself in much the same way with the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. From the 1880s onwards, many societies focused on a single county. A particularly energetic advocate was W. P. W. Phillimore, who was active in the foundation of the British Record Society, Scottish Record Society, Thoroton Society, Canterbury and York Society, and Irish Record Society.[9]
In the 21st century, partly as a result of the growing quantity of historical research materials now available online, many societies have experienced a significant decline in membership numbers, and consequent difficulties in maintaining their traditional business model. Societies have responded to the challenge in various ways, including by selectively uploading some of their publications to the World Wide Web, while continuing to publish other materials in print.[10][11]
List of societies
United Kingdom and Ireland
Active
Began publication 1800–1849
Title page of Alice Thornton's autobiography, dating from the 17th century and published by the Surtees Society in 1875
Roxburghe Club (founded 1812): publishes editions of rare early printed and unpublished manuscript works, often in facsimile.
Camden Society (founded 1838): published editions of texts of value for British history, including unpublished manuscripts and rare early printed books. In 1897 it merged with the Royal Historical Society, which continues to publish material in what is now known as the Camden Series.
Ray Society (founded 1844): publishes works of natural history, mainly British.
Hakluyt Society (founded 1846): publishes editions and translations of primary records of voyages, travels and other geographical material relating to all parts of the globe.
London Topographical Society (founded 1880): publishes editions of source material (including maps, plans, views and texts), and also modern scholarly research, relating to the history and topography of London.
Scottish Text Society (founded 1882): publishes scholarly editions of significant Scottish literary texts, especially Middle Scots works of the 16th to 18th centuries.
Pāli Text Society (founded 1881): publishes editions and translations of Buddhist scriptures in the Pāli language, and other related texts.
Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland (founded as the Huguenot Society of London in 1885): among other activities, publishes editions of records relating to the history of French Protestant migration.
Scottish History Society (founded 1886): publishes editions of texts relating to the civil, religious, and social history of Scotland.
Selden Society (founded 1887): publishes significant records relating to the history of English law.
British Record Society (founded 1889): publishes indexes to British (predominantly English) public records, especially name indexes to probate records; and also texts of Hearth Tax returns from the 1660s and 1670s.
Thoresby Society (founded 1889): a general historical society concerned with the city of Leeds and its district, which among other activities publishes editions of historical documents.
Scottish Record Society (founded 1897: previously the Scottish section of the British Record Society): publishes calendars and indexes to public records and private muniments and manuscripts relating to Scotland and Scottish affairs.
Sussex Record Society (founded 1901): publishes editions of records relating to the historic county of Sussex.
Thoroton Society (founded as an archaeological and historical society in 1897: its Records Series began publication in 1903): publishes editions of records relating to the history of Nottinghamshire.
Catholic Record Society (founded 1904): publishes editions of records relating to Reformation and post-Reformation Catholicism. Although still an active record publisher, the Society has broadened its interests to become a general historical society.
Canterbury and York Society (founded 1904): publishes editions of medieval bishops' registers and other ecclesiastical records.
Kent Archaeological Society (founded as an archaeological society in 1857: its Records Branch began publishing in 1912): publishes editions of records relating to the history of the county of Kent.
Cambridgeshire Records Society (founded as Cambridge Antiquarian Records Society c.1973; took its present name c.1987): publishes editions of records relating to the history of Cambridgeshire.
Derbyshire Record Society (founded 1977, inheriting the publication work of the Derbyshire Archaeological Society): publishes editions of records relating to the history of Derbyshire.
South Wales Record Society (founded 1982 as the successor to the South Wales and Monmouth Record Society): publishes editions of records relating to the history of South Wales.
Bannatyne Club (founded c.1823; dissolved 1861): published works of Scottish history, poetry, and literature.
Maitland Club (founded 1828; dissolved 1859): published early Scottish texts.
Abbotsford Club (founded in 1833 or 1834; dissolved c.1866): published editions of a variety of literary and archival texts, including many of Scottish interest, and others in Middle English.
Welsh Manuscripts Society (founded in 1837; dissolved c.1874): published editions of literary and archival texts relating to the history of Wales and Britain.
Spalding Club (founded 1839; dissolved c.1870; revived as the New Spalding Club 1886; dissolved c.1924; revived as the Third Spalding Club c.1929; dissolved c.1960): published editions of texts relating to the history of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and northern Scotland.
Percy Society (founded 1840; dissolved 1852):[12] published editions of rare English poems and songs.
Spottiswoode Society (founded c.1844; dissolved c.1856): published editions of texts relating to the ecclesiastical history of Scotland.
Caxton Society (founded 1844; dissolved c.1854): published editions of medieval texts relating to English history, especially chronicles.
Hanserd Knollys Society (founded c.1846; dissolved c.1854): published editions of 17th-century texts relating to the early history of the Baptist denomination.
Ballad Society (founded 1868):[15] published rare English poems and songs, especially folksongs.
Grampian Club (founded c.1869; dissolved c.1891): published editions of historical and genealogical Scottish texts.
Hunterian Club (founded 1871; dissolved c.1902): published reprints of old or out of print texts of importance to Scottish history and culture.[16]
Société Jersiaise (founded 1873 as a general antiquarian society, with text publication among its activities; ceased systematic text publication 1924): published editions of historical documents relating to the Bailiwick of Jersey; remains active in other spheres.
Lincolnshire Record Society (founded 1889; dissolved c.1891): published one volume relating to the history of Lincolnshire. Succeeded by Lincoln Record Society.
Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (founded 1751 as a literary society: published its Record Series between 1892 and 1936): published editions of texts relating to the history of Wales; remains active in other spheres.
Began publication 1900–1949
Scottish Clergy Society (founded c.1901; dissolved c.1909): published editions of texts relating to the history of the Church of Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Derbyshire Archaeological Society (founded as an archaeological society in 1878: volumes in its Records Series were published 1966–1977): published editions of records relating to the history of Derbyshire. Remains active in other spheres, but superseded in record publication by the Derbyshire Record Society.
The Istituto Storico Italiano per il Medio Evo (Italian Historical Institute for the Middle Ages) continues the work started by Ludwig Antonio Muratori in the early 18th century.
↑ Clapp, S. L. C. (1931). "The Beginnings of subscription publication in the seventeenth century". Modern Philology. 29 (2): 199–224. doi:10.1086/387957. S2CID162013335.
↑ Williams, F. B. (1948). "Scholarly publication in Shakespeare's day: a leading case". In McManaway, James G.; Dawson, Giles E.; Willoughby, Edwin E. (eds.). Joseph Quincy Adams: memorial studies. Washington, DC: Folger Shakespeare Library. pp.755–73.
↑ Thompson, A. Hamilton (1939). The Surtees Society, 1834–1934, including a catalogue of its publications with notes on their sources and contents, and a list of the members of the society from its beginning to the present day. Surtees Society. Vol.150. Durham. p.5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Sandford Terry, Charles (1909). A Catalogue of the Publications of Scottish Historical and Kindred Clubs and Societies, and of the volumes relative to Scottish history, issued by His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1780–1908, with a subject index. Glasgow: J. MacLehose. p.92.
Johnson, Cuthbert; Ward, Anthony (1987). "Some British societies for the publication of studies and ancient texts: their contribution towards liturgical science". Ephemerides Liturgicae. 101: 229–245.
Mullins, E. L. C. (1958). Texts and Calendars: an analytical guide to serial publications. Guides and Handbooks. Vol.7. London: Royal Historical Society. [lists publications relating to English and Welsh history issued between 1802 and 1957]
"National & Regional History". Royal Historical Society. Retrieved 27 December 2020. [links to lists of national, regional and local record society publications: these incorporate and update the material in the Texts and Calendars lists published by Mullins and the Stevensons]
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