Conferences

Utagawa Hiroshige, Yushima (Matsu Kane-ya), ca. 1840 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

SHARP hosts an annual conference and partners with other organizations to sponsor additional gatherings on the study of book history, striving to provide opportunities for scholars across the globe to participate in SHARP activities.

Annual Conference

SHARP conferences are run locally, making each one unique not only in location but also in thematic content. We strive to alternate locations—including online—to provide opportunities for global participation.

The SHARP 2023 conference, “Affordances and Interfaces: Textual Interaction Past, Present and Future,” took place online June 26–29. The conference website has more information, including the CFP.

The SHARP 2024 conference will be held July 1–5 in Reading, UK. Stay tuned for more information!

H. Lyman Saÿen, Child Reading, 1915-1918 (Smithsonian American Art Museum)

Partnered Events

As part of its mandate to increase opportunities for sharing book history research, SHARP also contributes support for events that are aligned with our mission, including symposia, lectures, and local conferences around the globe. Such support can range from lending our name as an endorsement to providing small monetary grants.

Questions about partnering with SHARP should be sent to the SHARP President (president@sharpweb.org).

Thomas Waterman Wood, Reading the Scriptures, 1874 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Affiliated Societies

SHARP has a number of affiliations with other scholarly societies, sponsoring panels at those conferences and creating opportunities for other researchers to learn about book history. All participants on SHARP-sponsored panels are expected to be SHARP members, and queries about such panels should be addressed to the affiliate organizer. Please contact the Membership Secretary (members@sharpweb.org) for more information about affiliates.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Woman Reading, 1634 (Rijksmuseum)