September 25, 2012

The Bibliographical Society of America 2013 Fellowship Program

The BSA invites applications for its sixth annual Katharine Pantzer Senior Fellowship in Bibliography and the British Book Trades as well as its annual short-term fellowship program, all of which support bibliographical inquiry and research in the history of the book trades and in publishing history. Eligible topics may concentrate on books and documents in any field, but should focus on the book or manuscript (the physical object) as historical evidence. Such topics may include establishing a text or studying the history of book production, publication, distribution, collecting, or reading.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, certain special fellowships support research in particular areas of study. Applicants should therefore read the fellowship titles and guidelines here to determine project eligibility and fit. Please note: these fellowships do not support enumerative bibliography (i.e. the preparation of lists). Individuals who have not received support in the previous five years will be given preference. All fellowships require a project report within one year of receipt of the award, and a copy of any subsequent publications resulting from the project, to be sent to the BSA.

I. Fellowships:

--The Senior Katharine Pantzer Fellowship ($6,000); Supports research in topics relating to book production and distribution in Britain during the hand-press period as well as studies of authorship, reading, and collecting
based on the examination of British books published in that period, with a
special emphasis on descriptive bibliography.

--The BSA-ASECS Fellowship for Bibliographical Studies in the Eighteenth
Century ($3,000); Recipients must be a member of the American Society for
Eighteenth-Century Studies at the time of the award.

--The BSA Fellowship in Cartographical Bibliography ($3000); Supports
projects dealing with all aspects of the history, presentation, printing, design, distribution, and reception of cartographical documents from Renaissance times to the present, with a special emphasis on eighteenth-century cartography

--The BSA-Mercantile Library Fellowship in North American Bibliography ($2,000). 

--The Folter Fellowship in the History of Bibliography ($2,000); Supports
projects in the history and development of bibliography and/or the book
trade before 1900.

--The Katharine Pantzer Fellowship in the British Book Trades ($2,000); Supports bibliographical inquiry as well as research in the history of the book trades and publishing history in Britain.

--The McCorison Fellowship for the History and Bibliography of Printing in
Canada and the United States: the Gift of Donald Oresman ($2,000).

--The Reese Fellowship for American Bibliography and the History of the Book
in the Americas ($2,000).

--BSA General Fellowships ($2,000); The Society also offers a number of
unnamed fellowships supporting bibliographical research as described above.

II. Application Guidelines:

Applications are due Dec 15 of each year. We regret that we cannot consider
late or incomplete submissions. Applications should include the following
components: 

1) application form, available at http://www.bibsocamer.org/fellows.htm;

2) project proposal of no more than 1000 words;

3) applicant curriculum vitae;

4) two signed letters of recommendation on official letterhead submitted
independently by referees. Letters submitted electronically as a signed PDF
via e-mail are preferable, although postal submissions will be accepted. We
ask that recommenders use the subject line ³Recommendation for [Applicant
Name]² that is, ³Recommendation for Chris Smith.²

Complete all application components (including an attached Project Description and curriculum vitae), save them in a recent version of Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or PDF (preferable), and e-mail the full package to the Society Secretary at fellowships@bibsocamer.org. It is preferable to submit the application package as a single file with the subject line ³[Applicant Name]: BSA Fellowship,² that is, ³Chris Smith: BSA Fellowship.² This application package and two supporting letters of recommendation must be received by 15 December 2012. We regret that we cannot consider late or incomplete applications. Applicants are advised to request recommendation letters well in advance and to direct referees to the BSA site (http://www.bibsocamer.org/fellows.htm) for guidance.

NOTE: The Society has added an on-line application form as a simpler
alternative to e-mail or postal submission:
  http://www.bsafellowships.org/bsa/application_form.php.

This page features fill-in fields for all the information contained in the traditional application form as well as buttons for electronically submitting curriculum vitae and Project Description files.

For more information, contact the Society Secretary at
fellowships@bibsocamer.org.