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.Levine 1986, pp. 16, 40-45, 178-9. 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. 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 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.Levine 1986, pp. 14–15. 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.Levine 1986, pp. 43–4.
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.Levine 1986, p. 45. 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,Levine 1986, p. 41. 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". 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.
Several county archaeological and historical societies undertook text publication as just one among a broader range of activities, and in certain cases – for example, the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society and the Kent Archaeological Society – continue to do so. In other cases, a new society has broken away from its parent archaeological society to become an independent body dedicated solely to text publication: examples include the Surrey Record Society and the Wiltshire Record Society.
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.
List of societies
United Kingdom and Ireland
Active
Began publication 1800–1849
Roxburghe Club (founded 1812): publishes editions of rare early printed and unpublished manuscript works, often in facsimile. Surtees Society (founded 1834): publishes mainly archival material relating to the counties of Durham and Northumberland. 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. Irish Archaeological Society (founded 1840): published texts relating to the history of Ireland. Chetham Society (founded 1843): publishes editions of texts relating to the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. 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.
Began publication 1850–1899 Early English Text Society (founded 1864): publishes editions of early English-language texts (in particular texts in Old English and Middle English), especially those previously unpublished. Harleian Society (founded 1869): publishes editions of the heraldic visitations of England and Wales, and other manuscript sources relating to genealogy and heraldry. Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society (founded as an archaeological society in 1866: it began publishing texts in its Extra Series in 1877, in its Tract Series in 1882, in its Record or Chartulary Series in 1897, and in its Parish Register Section series in 1912): publishes editions of records relating to the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire (founded 1878): publishes editions of records relating to the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. Staffordshire Record Society (founded 1879 as the William Salt Archaeological Society; took its present name 1936): publishes editions of records relating to Staffordshire. 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. Pali Text Society (founded 1881): publishes editions and translations of Buddhist scriptures in the Pāli language, and other related texts.
Pipe Roll Society (founded 1883 by the Public Record Office): publishes editions of the medieval English Pipe rolls, and other related archival texts. Oxford Historical Society (founded 1884): publishes editions of records relating to the history of the city of Oxford and the historic county of Oxfordshire. Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society (founded 1884): published editions and translations of texts relating to the history of pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Absorbed in 1896 by the Palestine Exploration Fund, which continues to publish texts on an occasional basis. Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society (founded as an archaeological society in 1863: its Record Series began publication in 1885): publishes editions of records relating to the history of Yorkshire. 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. Somerset Record Society (founded 1886 as an offshoot of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society): publishes editions of records relating to the history of the county of Somerset. 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. Henry Bradshaw Society (founded 1890): publishes editions of rare liturgical texts. Navy Records Society (founded 1893): publishes editions of historical records relating to the Royal Navy. Worcestershire Historical Society (founded 1893): publishes editions of records relating to the history of Worcestershire. 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. Lancashire Parish Register Society (founded 1897): publishes editions of the parish registers of Lancashire. Irish Texts Society (founded 1898): publishes editions and translations of texts in the Irish language.
Began publication 1900–1949 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.