Publishing Theme

Publishing Theme

This theme is concerned with the many and varied aspects of publishing, as a means of producing and disseminating information and literature. Our intention is to study the various ways in which information is made available for public view, and takes in both the established field of print publishing as well as the new technologies involved in electronic publishing, particularly electronic books. 

The specific research areas covered by the theme are as follows:

• The history of books and the book trade
• The history of libraries
• Children’s literature and librarianship
• Children’s reading habits
• Children and the changing media environment
• Electronic books and their application for the visually impaired
• Book publication for the visually impaired
• The history of Resale Price Maintenance in the UK book trade.

Examples of projects:

The impact of e-books on young children’s reading habits (ongoing) –
comparative studies of electronic book reading with children and their parents using Amazon Kindle, Nintendo DS and Apple iTouch platforms.

Young people's reading habits (2006-2007) – carried out in conjunction with the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature, the project involved the analysis, evaluation and documentation of the outcomes of a national survey of children's reading. The survey is the second in a series of such surveys, covers England, and is comprehensive in nature, covering all age groups (up to Key Stage 4). It was funded by the Arts Council England.