About us

About HOBAR

Research in book history has been a distinctive feature of English at The Open University for over a quarter of a century. The History of Books and Reading (HOBAR) Research Group is based in the department of English and Creative Writing, in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). HOBAR brings together researchers at all career stages who are interested in books and reading:

‘Our main focus is on book history and the history of reading. Within this area, members work on scholarly editing, the history of editing and serialisation, attribution studies, the history of publishing and contemporary publishing studies, bibliographic sociology and literary entrepreneurship, colonial and postcolonial book history, early modern manuscript studies, drama and performance studies, digital reading, authorship, oral history, and World War I.’

Based in English & Creative writing, HOBAR also includes members from other subjects and experts from outside The Open University. If you are interested in any aspect of the history (and future) of books and reading, this is the research group for you. Postgraduate students are especially welcome.

What does HOBAR do?

HOBAR supports the research environment for individual and collective research in any area of the history of books and reading. Under the HOBAR umbrella, we support the following kinds of activities (details below): research projects from externally funded grants; publications by HOBAR members; annual in person or online conferences; in person or online research seminars, workshops, or blog series; events to support public engagement for future impact; and networking events to encourage future research partnerships. HOBAR events are generally free to attend and open to all.

You can download a flyer about HOBAR here