Introduction

Since 1990 the Cambridge Project for the Book Trust (CPBT) has supported seminar series, academic and public conferences, and five major collaborative bibliographical projects, and has funded public lectures and research visits by overseas scholars.

The Trust has raised over one million pounds to support studentships and bibliographical research. Established with the support of the Faculty of History of the University of Cambridge, and listed with the Cambridge University Development Office, the CPBT is a nationally and internationally recognized Educational Trust, with generous past and present support from colleges at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

The CPBT has been the recipient of major grants from the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy, the European Science Foundation, the British Council in Germany, the Coca Cola Foundation, and individual benefactors. The Trust is committed to expand and develop bibliographical scholarship and public interest in the History of the Book.

Many of the associates of the Trust, together with its Director, Professor James Raven, have pioneered the study of book history. The Trust has sponsored more than 150 research papers, more than 60 public lectures, and its many conferences and events have been open to the public.

The Trust is especially proud of the opportunity given since 1990 to young scholars to publish their early work in the edited volumes of collected papers given at its conferences, and published by major academic presses. Such opportunities are increasingly rare given the reluctance of presses to publish collected papers. Many of our contributors are now established and influential academics.

Details of our publications and continuing research projects are given on this website. The Trust welcomes collaborative proposals.

Patrons:

  • John D. Gordan III,
  • Dr Elisabeth Leedham-Green,
  • Prof. David McKitterick FBA,
  • Miss Robin Myers

Trustees:

  • Prof. Adrian Kent  (Chair; Cambridge), 
  • Virginia Crum-Jones  (London & Chicago),
  • Prof. Leslie Howsam  (Toronto), 
  • Prof. Richard McCabe FBA  (Oxford),
  • Elsa Meyland-Smith  (Malta), 
  • Julia W. Money  (Cambridge),
  • Edna Murphy JP  (Cambridge), 
  • Dr Stella Panayotova  (Windsor)

Director: Prof. James Raven FBA

Secretary: Ms Melanie Aplin