The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America

PBSA Guidelines for Contributors

PBSA welcomes scholarship that deals with the study of books and manuscripts from any period or geographical region. Of particular interest is work that examines the book or manuscript (the physical object) as historical evidence, whether for establishing a text or illuminating the history of book production, publication, distribution, or collecting, or for other purposes. Studies of the printing, publishing, and allied trades are also welcome. We will consider enumerative submissions as well, but such work should consist primarily of original scholarship and not a compilation from existing sources.

PBSA publishes articles up to 15,000 words in length, shorter bibliographical notes up to 3,000 words, reviews in the range of 1,000–2,500, and review essays up to 6,000 words. Authors wishing to submit a manuscript for consideration should do so through the journal’s Editorial Manager portal. We require all submissions in Microsoft Word .doc or .docx, formatted with 1-inch margins, 1½ line spacing, in a 12-pt. Times New Roman typeface. All images should be submitted as separate files through the Editorial Manager portal. PBSA is a peer-reviewed journal, so please do not include your name or any identifying information in the body of your manuscript.

We require that submissions follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., in all matters of usage and citation. Please note that PBSA employs footnotes rather than in-line citations and bibliographies. We also encourage authors to limit footnotes to citations for quoted passages and brief elaborations; long “see also” lists in footnotes are strongly discouraged. For journal-specific guidelines, see our PBSA Style Guide.

We cannot give final acceptance to an article until all permissions are obtained. Authors should therefore seek permissions for all illustrations in a timely manner as the process can at times be protracted. Final images should be of publishable quality, i.e., a minimum 300 dpi greyscale or color (8-bit).

Any questions concerning PBSA should be directed to Sarah Werner and Jesse R. Erickson, Editors. Questions concerning Book Reviews should be directed to Erin McGuirl, BSA Executive Director & Book Reviews Editor.

Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

Reader reports help the editors determine if work is suitable for publication in The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America. We are committed to a process of double-anonymized peer review for unsolicited articles and bibliographical notes: that is, the identities of both the authors and the readers for the article are kept concealed, although we will honor any readers’ requests to reveal their identities. While articles and bibliographical notes are subject to peer review, reflections pieces and reviews are exempted from this process.

We use the software system Editorial Manager to process all our submissions and readers’ reports. Peer reviewers will receive an invitation to review after confirmation of the original invitation from the journal. If you have problems accessing or using Editorial Manager, please contact pbsa.editor@bibsocamer.org. Questions about the peer review process in general should be addressed to PBSA Editor Jesse Erickson (jesse.erickson@bibsocamer.org).

Consult the full guidelines.

Book Reviews

Books Available for Review

PBSA has a selection of books available for review. Book reviews are typically 1,500 words long and should be completed within four months of receiving the book. All reviews should be in English, regardless of the language of the reviewed publication.

Find a complete list of books available for review
for here.

Anyone wishing to write a review must read our guidelines and email the Reviews Editor at reviews.pbsa@bibsocamer.org to express interest. Please identify the book you wish to review and include a note about your experience and expertise. This will help to match books with well-suited reviewers.

Recommend Books for Review in PBSA

PBSA reviews scholarly works that treat “the book” (conceived broadly) as a material object, including book and manuscript production, distribution, collecting, and reading in all periods, geographic regions, and media. Works on editorial and textual scholarship are also welcome. We also seek reviews for significant catalogs, tools, and reference works, both physical and digital, related to these topics.

Please complete our online form to recommend a book for review.

If you have any questions about whether your publication would be a good fit for a review in PBSA, please contact the reviews editor at reviews.pbsa@bibsocamer.org.

To submit your book for review, please mail one hard copy to:

Erin McGuirl
The Bibliographical Society of America
67 West Street Suite 401, Unit C17
Brooklyn, NY 11222

Offprints for Authors

Authors of articles, notes, and reviews appearing in PBSA receive two copies of the issue. Those wishing to purchase additional copies of their contributions in the form of offprints should request these from their editor at the time authors return their page proofs.

Buy Back Issues or the Current Issue of PBSA

As the publisher and distributor of PBSA, the University of Chicago Press handles all orders for back issues. Please visit their website for more information.

For institutional, bookstore, and agency sales, or to purchase more than 10 copies of a single issue, please contact University of Chicago Press customer service at subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu or (877) 705-1878 (U.S. & Canada) or (773) 753-3347 (international).

Guidelines for Advertisers

PBSA welcomes advertising of an appropriate nature in its quarterly journal. The Society membership includes individuals and institutions, of whom approximately one-sixth are outside the United States. Please direct all advertising inquiries to the Journals Division of the University of Chicago Press; telephone: 773-702-0224; fax: 773-834-3480.