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transbookhistory.bsky.social
Trans* Book History
@transbookhistory.bsky.social
3K followers 1.3K following 1.6K posts
Printer-Scholar, Bibliographer, & Librarian | Trans* Histories of the Book in 19C America | Owner of @meanwhilelttrpress | he/him | Opinions my own.
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transbookhistory.bsky.social
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jimccasey1.bsky.social Jim Casey @jimccasey1.bsky.social · 21d
Here's a funny one - I bought an old receipt printer on eBay and have been using it to print daily poems from the Early Black Press. Got a raspberry pi & button on the way. I'm gonna see if I can make a little poetry machine to take with me around town, events, etc.
A photo of a receipt with the poem "Bury Me in a Free Land" by Francis Ellen Watkins Harper. Just printing out a bunch more poems by Francis Harper in this photo of my Epson receipt printer
October 8, 2026 at 3:35 PM
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sarahpyke.bsky.social
Extremely excited to share the CFP for the ✨fifth✨ annual #QueerBibliography conference!

bit.ly/QB2027CfP

When? 2-4 September 2027
Where? Manchester, UK & online
Theme: TAKING STOCK
Deadline for abstracts: 29 January 2027
Decisions: by 12 March 2027

Submit here: forms.gle/WGjXKA1d6gWm...
Queer Bibliography Taking Stock Manchester, UK and online 2-4 September 2027 Call for Proposals Since the inaugural 2023 conference, queer bibliography has grown from an interesting concept to a burgeoning field. Our 2027 theme, Taking Stock, marks the fifth annual conference and is a chance to pause and reflect on genealogies of the field, the present state of queer bibliographical enquiry, and our senses of the future. How might we trace queer histories of queer bibliography? How can we imagine critical futures for bibliographical enquiry within and beyond its traditional academic locations? Where do we find ourselves and our work? Stock also has meaning in bibliography. While “stock” originally referred to a tree trunk or plant stem, and figuratively to the source of a line of descent or even a human torso, it later began to connote an aggregate of goods—in the context of bookmaking, one might own a stock of paper or pasteboard. Towards the mid-nineteenth century, “paper stock” began to connote the raw material of paper itself. “Stock” might refer to the inventories of booksellers, the process of beginning and curating an institutional or personal collection, and the supply and material characteristics of paper. From the raw materials of books to the origins and shapes of personal, commercial, and institutional collections, how does "stock" participate in the production, articulation, and study of queer textuality and textual communities? What is queer about materiality, the ecology of books, and the processes of making and engaging with (collections of) physical textual objects? We invite participants to engage in stock-taking or reflect on bibliographical stock, broadly defined. We welcome meta, theoretical, and historiographical work that takes stock of queer bibliography, and we welcome proposals that relate to “stock” in bibliography, book history, and reception studies. This three-day hybrid conference will be hosted at the John Rylands Library, part of the University of Manchester, and online on 2–4 September 2027. The conference will feature two days of panels, conversation, and discussion on 2 and 3 September and will be followed by an optional workshop on 4 September. Conference programming may also include evening receptions, tours of Manchester libraries (including Chetham’s Library, the oldest public library in England), and collection viewings at the Rylands. The conference welcomes participants from a diverse range of fields and career stages, including: book arts practitioners, activists, postgraduates, early career researchers, independent scholars, librarians, archivists, and booksellers, both in person and via video conference. As in past years, the goal of the broadly articulated theme of “taking stock” is to bring people in and to shape conversation, not to exclude or limit. All submissions that engage with the intertwined relationship between queerness and bibliography are encouraged. Participants will be invited to submit a 2000-word pre-circulated paper, before presenting in panels of 10-minute papers. We also welcome alternative contributions, such as workshops, roundtables, or self-organised seminars and creative presentations, with a pre-circulated submission that provides a grounding for the conference contribution. Contributors should submit an abstract of 200–300 words, along with a short bio, by 29 January 2027: https:/ /forms.gle/WGjXKA1d6gWmtfjZ8 Prospective speakers will be informed of the outcome by 12th March. Pre-circulated papers will be collected and shared in mid-July. Any questions should be directed to: queerbibliography@gmail.com http://queerbibliography.org
October 2, 2026 at 11:55 AM
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nikostratis.com
People always say they don't want to be famous, but everyone wants to have a sandwich named after them
September 25, 2026 at 11:43 AM
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drsyntax.bsky.social
I can highly recommend applying for the Rare Books School M.C. Lang Fellowship! It was a boon to my teaching, helped me develop a new area of our curriculum, provided funding for my teaching development. Feel free to DM me if you're interested!
rarebookschool.bsky.social Rare Book School @rarebookschool.bsky.social · 14d
RBS is currently accepting applications for the following funding opportunities:

—𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗕𝗦-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀

—𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠. 𝗖. 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀

Details at: rarebookschool.org/scholarships-fellowships

#BookSky #RareBooks
A graphic topped by a horizontal black bar features a photo of a group of people standing amongst library stacks full of books bound in bright reds, oranges, yellows, and blues. In the upper right corner is the RBS logo. The man in the foreground holds a large book with a gilded leather binding in his hands. Text reads, “Applications are now open for the following RBS scholarships & fellowships: All RBS-awarded scholarships for both first-time and returning RBS students. Applications due by Sunday, 1 November 2026. The M. C. Lang Fellowship in Book History, Bibliography, and Humanities Teaching with Historical Sources, a two-year fellowship for faculty, librarians, and curators at U.S. liberal arts colleges and small universities. Applications due by Sunday, 6 December 2026. Learn more about these and other RBS funding opportunities at rarebookschool.org/scholarships-fellowships.”
September 23, 2026 at 10:08 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
Daily dissertation reminder. IYKYK. In the homestretch…
“You are not writing a Key To All Mythologies!!!” typed on a stip of paper taped to the top of a computer monitor. A word doc with text is open on the screen.
September 23, 2026 at 12:19 PM
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rezekjoe.bsky.social
I am thrilled to announce that the American Studies Program at Boston University will be accepting new PhD Students for the 27/28 academic year. These are fully funded, unionized, 5-year positions, with 4 semesters of guaranteed dissertation fellowship in years 4 & 5.
Application Deadline: December 15, 2026 The American Studies Program at Boston University is a nationally recognized leader in the interdisciplinary field of American Studies. Our students and faculty study the disparate yet interconnected cultures of colonial North America and the United States as seen in the ideas and actions of its people, and as expressed in a range of forms, especially culture, the arts, media, literature, and institutions - often seen through a global or transnational lens. Formerly known as the American & New England Studies Program, we maintain active collaborations with many cultural institutions in the region, especially in the Boston Area. Our large PhD program has produced tenure-track protessors, public historians, museum curators, and directors at major universities, museums, and other cultural and historical institutions. Funding Opportunities PhD students receive full funding for up to five years (12 months a year) under a collective bargaining agreement. During this time, they take courses, teach in their fields and disciplines of interest, and develop and write dissertations. The fellowship package guarantees four semesters of dissertation fellowship in years 4 and 5, with no service obligations Additional funding is available from Boston University for travel to conferences, for archival research, and for internships. Current students have recently received outside fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the American Antiquarian Society, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Huntington Library, the Smithsonian Institution, the Beinecke Library, the Corning Museum of Glass, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the American Historical Association. Graduate Student Association The Program's own independent Graduate Student Association (GSA) is comprised of elected PhD students who sponsor events and programs for developing professional skills, while representing our students' interests to the governing faculty. A list of affiliate faculty, available also on the program’s webpage
September 22, 2026 at 4:27 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
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ehhawley.bsky.social Haven Hawley @ehhawley.bsky.social · 22d
Thrilled to announce publication of "A Perfect Machine: The Adams Power Press" by The Legacy Press! www.thelegacypress.com
Grippers! Press sizes! Industrial transistion in the U.S.! Book history scholars, bibliographers, and historians of technology, gender, and the 19th c., geek out with me
White book cover held in hand against grass, tree, sidewalk background. Cover shows book title and picture of woman operating a printing press.
September 16, 2026 at 12:45 AM
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benmechen.bsky.social
Some fascinating Collaborative Doctoral Awards on offer here at the BL, including a great history of sexuality/book history/library history project relating to the Rund Collection of 19th/20thC erotic books and ephemera

www.bl.uk/services/res...
Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Awards
Fully-funded and jointly supervised studentships across four developing research areas.
www.bl.uk
September 9, 2026 at 2:17 PM
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chanda.blacksky.app
Moby Dick is my Roman Empire
September 8, 2026 at 11:00 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
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liamsims.bsky.social Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · Aug 15
What a UNIT
anotheraspirin.bsky.social Rutger K. 🟥 @anotheraspirin.bsky.social · Aug 15
OK now stop everything you're doing and feast your eyes on this (engraving of a) sperm whale (from the 1750s).
August 31, 2026 at 8:27 PM
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jgarc.bsky.social
Call for Applications: The Scholars’ Workshop in Early African American Print, Jan. 11-15. ‘27 at the American Antiquarian Society (deadline: Oct. 15 ‘26)
August 31, 2026 at 4:05 PM
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awickenden.bsky.social
Okay, maybe some #bookhistory people can help me? I'm thinking about the moment in Areopagitica where Milton writes that books recently were judged upon reception: 'if it prov'd a Monster, who denies, but that it was justly burnt, or sunk into the Sea'.
August 28, 2026 at 12:23 PM
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markalanmattes.bsky.social
I've been quiet here about my continuing work for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library-Louisville, but if anybody is interested in supporting, about a month ago I agreed to do another run of the posters from last spring: www.etsy.com/listing/4528...

Rest in power.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Letterpress Show Poster - Etsy
This Letterpress Prints item by HotBrownPress has 9 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Louisville, KY. Listed on Aug 25, 2026
www.etsy.com
August 25, 2026 at 8:51 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
Same here.
glennf.com Glenn Fleishman @glennf.com · Aug 26
I have never had a donation page time out when collecting payment before, but Dolly’s Imagination Library just did. We’re all giving.
August 26, 2026 at 12:17 AM
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altibel.bsky.social
Hello, school and universities admins, ministers of education: the clue is on teaching people how to read so they can read, and not having a bot make up stuff.
Learning to read takes time, effort, AND resources. Don't fund datacenters, fund teachers.
factpostnews.bsky.social FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · Aug 25
Dolly Parton on funding education and childhood literacy programs:

My daddy was the smartest man I have ever known, but I knew his inability to read probably kept him from seeing all of his dreams come true. Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission.
August 25, 2026 at 6:49 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
Dolly on the press room jukebox this afternoon.
August 25, 2026 at 6:25 PM
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ryancordell.org
I posted about this before but I’m wondering if we can crowdsource a list of printing presses in videogames—please share

I’ll put a list of those I know in thread but these could be “contemporary” presses within the world of the game or not—could be items you interact with or just aesthetic objects
ryancordell.org Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · Jan 25
Went back to try Deus Ex again & wouldn’t you know it, the underground journalists have a printing press. I need to start compiling a list of printing presses in video games—there’s an article or something there
A screenshot of a Vandercook-style proofing press in the video game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
August 24, 2026 at 3:57 PM
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jsench.bsky.social
PBSA is searching for an Editorial Assistant! Review of applications begins September 1 and goes through the 15th. Information & instructions to apply are at the link below. Position manages logistics of journal processes. $5000 annual honorarium, 1 year w possibility of renewal.
Editorial Assistant job description
PBSA Editorial Assistant description and qualifications The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America (PBSA) seeks an Editorial Assistant. PBSA is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal published o...
docs.google.com
August 22, 2026 at 3:11 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
Vacation is over but the dissertation is not. I didn’t make nearly as much progress as I would have liked during my dissercation because I got sick with a cold and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (I’m better now). So now I’m hiding in my secret faculty carrel at the library on a Saturday. 🫠
A stack of books sits in a desk next to a plastic cup of iced tea. In the background is a window overlooking part of campus.
August 22, 2026 at 4:00 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
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roaringgirle.bsky.social claire m. l. bourne @roaringgirle.bsky.social · Aug 22
now in press! 📖 the contributions to this collection are brilliant and a little bit weird (compliment!) & i can’t wait for it to be out in the world. forthcoming 2027… ✨
the table of contents of a collections called SHAKESPEARE AND TEXTUAL FAILURE printed on white computer paper. full text here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/utntr2lzaby23fzfjqhlo/TOC-shakespeare-and-textual-failure.pdf?rlkey=cog3pis71494adnioh3o0h6el&st=m5axwkxt&dl=0
August 22, 2026 at 12:23 PM
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violetbfox.bsky.social
Next week, Thursday August 27th, please join us for a free @libjuiceacademy.bsky.social webinar titled "Zinesters as Librarians, Librarians as Zinesters." Dez, Dawn, and I will talk about how zine life has impacted our library work (and vice versa!). 📚 #zines
Zinesters as Librarians, Librarians as Zinesters  • Library Juice Connections
How does being a librarian influence our zine practices? How does being a zinester influence our library practice?
libraryjuiceconnections.org
August 20, 2026 at 1:09 PM
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bibsocamer.bsky.social
🚨 Funding Alert! 🚨 Are you passionate about book history, bibliography, or book arts? Submit your proposal today for financial support for an event in your community! 📖✨

📅 Deadline: 2 November for events between February and May 2027

Learn more & apply 👉 bibsocamer.org/events/funding-opportunities
Copper background with white text about applying for funding from the BSA for a book-related events by 2 November. White background with copper text providing some details about the types of events BSA can fund
August 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM
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drbibliomane.bsky.social
I got tired of waiting for the journalists at @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social to cover this (it IS summer), but this is to say that ALL the staff members in Women & Gender Studies here were laid off last week, on the top of the cutting of 5 lecturer positions in the program last year.+
August 17, 2026 at 8:55 PM
transbookhistory.bsky.social
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ryancordell.org Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · Aug 14
The BG article is behind a paywall but I did find some images of this statue so we can assess Herman’s hotness together

This is too important a story to live behind a paywall
August 15, 2026 at 12:36 PM
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ryancordell.org
The BG article is behind a paywall but I did find some images of this statue so we can assess Herman’s hotness together

This is too important a story to live behind a paywall
August 14, 2026 at 6:32 PM