Catherine Souch, Head of Research and Higher Education, and Phil Emmerson, Managing Editor for Academic Publications, at the Society
“Launched in 2000 under the editorship of Nick Henry and Jon Sadler, this is a series quite unlike almost any other in geography. The emphasis is on research not on teaching, and on authored not on edited monographs.”
This is how we have been introducing the RGS-IBG book series for the last few years. It is a statement that is perfectly true in some respects. Yet, like with many other reflections on significant anniversaries, our invitation to write a short history of the book series as it turns 21, prompted us to think about what lay behind this ‘origin story'.
Like much of the modern history of the Society, initial discussions around the book series date back to the time of the merger between the RGS and the IBG. In 1995, the Transition Committee who were providing oversight for the merger, set up a Working Party on Publications – later to become the Publications Committee. Key figures in this group included Alice Hind from the IBG, Felix Driver, Neil Roberts, Robin Butler, and John Davey, the highly respected academic publisher, who at the time was based at Blackwell. At the heart of their discussions was what to do with the two book series already published by the IBG - Special Publications and Studies in Geography – both of which (in 1995) were published by Blackwell and were intended to provide ‘high quality outputs from the best research in geography'.
These two series served slightly different remits in geography publishing. According to a paper of the Working Party on Publications written in 1996:
"Special Publications provides a forum for scholarly monographs and edited collections of academic papers at the leading edge of geographical research. The published volumes are intended to make a significant contribution to the fields in which they lie, and to be written in a manner accessible to the wider community of academic geographers."
A total of 32 books had been published in this series since its foundation: 10 by the IBG itself; seven by Academic Press under an arrangement that had been put in place by an earlier editor, David Stoddart (Cambridge); and 15 by Blackwell. The stated aim in 1995 was to publish on average two volumes per year.
Studies in Geography was a more recently established series and aimed to provide ‘undergraduates throughout the world with a wide range of stimulating texts on the latest developments in geography’. The books were aimed especially at first- and second-year undergraduates. The series was founded by Nigel Thrift when he was Editor of the Special Publications series. By 1995, six volumes had been published by Blackwell, although both the publisher and editors at the time thought the design and direction of the series needed to be reconsidered.
In 1995, the series were managed by two academic editors (Felix Driver and Neil Roberts), on behalf of the Society, and the publishing editor (John Davey) on behalf of Blackwell. The new editor, appointed in 1996, was Chris Philo. Academic editors were responsible for decisions over the quality of the proposals, evaluating referees’ reports, suggesting revisions, and approving final typescripts. In principle, the publisher had the right of veto on commercial grounds before the refereeing process began, although in practice such decisions were reached jointly. Referees’ reports were obtained at the expense of the publisher. Contracts were issued by Blackwell on standard terms and signed by the academic editors on behalf of the Society. The academic editors were responsible for reporting regularly to the Publications Sub-Committee of the newly formed Research and Higher Education Committee of the Society. Copies of all books and related paperwork are lodged in the office of the Society's Research and Higher Education Division. These are systems that foregrounded the current model and continue to this day.
In a series of deliberations in 1996 (outlined by a paper from Felix Driver dated 19 September 1996; refined in a paper by Felix Driver, Chris Philo, and John Davey dated 26 November 1996), to consider the future of the book series, the following argument/information was provided:
"One of the prime functions of a learned society is to promote research and publication in its area of concerns. The rationale for an academic book series published under the auspices of the Society is straightforward: it aims to make available to a wide international community of scholars high quality geographical research in book form. A subsidiary aim is to secure additional income for the Society in the form of royalties and reproduction fees."
It was recognised at this time (1997) that the Special Publications series had seen some success (with its limited remit of 2 books/year), and many had attracted a genuinely international readership. Two questions were raised, however:
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The subject balance. Most of the books published were in human geography, despite the efforts of the editors. This was seen in part a product of the image of the series and arrangements made by some Research Groups (notably the (then) British Geomorphology Research Group who had negotiated separate publishing contracts).
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The reputation of the series. Some geographers working in specialist areas (especially physical geographers) were reluctant to publish in general geography series.
The assessment of the pedagogic series, Studies in Geography, was more critical. Questions were raised about whether the Society should be directly involved in the publications of student texts, recognising that any learned society should have an interest in the dissemination of academic research in a form accessible to students. The judgement was that the criteria against which series like Studies in Geography should be assessed should be more directly commercial. While one or two of the books were deemed to be highly successful, others were not. Additional problems were encountered with delivery of manuscripts by authors. The publishers and editors therefore concluded that the series needed to be re-shaped – with greater clarity on the level of the texts; the design and profile of the series; the subject balance; and editorial responsibility.
The evaluation of the current and future directions of the academic book series necessarily had a financial dimension. The cost of the running the series was small (solely expenses to Honorary Editors). All other costs were borne by Blackwell. The income generated for the Society in 1997 was estimated to be £1,500.
Ultimately a decision was made that a singular RGS-IBG book series should be established – effectively a continuation of Special Publications but renamed and rebranded and following an open and competitive application process, two new editors were appointed to head this up in September 2000: John Sadler and Nick Henry, with the remit for physical and human geography respectively. Their appointment recognised some key changes ongoing in commercial publishing (consolidation of publishers and a move to publishing student texts) which provided a gap, and opportunity, for publication of book length high-quality research.
At a Council meeting on 24 November 2000, the new book series remit was set out, and with it, the RGS-IBG book series was born:
"Aims of the series: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Book Series provides a forum for scholarly monographs and edited collections of academic papers at the leading edge of research in human and physical geography. The volumes are intended to make significant contributions to the field in which they lie, and to be written in a manner accessible to the wider community of academic geographers. Some volumes will disseminate current geographical research reported at conferences or sessions convened by Research Groups of the Society. Some will be edited or authored by scholars from beyond the UK. All are designed to have an international readership and to both reflect and stimulate the best current research within geography."
Looking back on these discussion around the book series some 26 years after they happened and thinking about the book series 21 years after it came into being, several key things stand out to us.
The first, is the level of continuity in the book series in terms of its sense of purpose and aims.
Second is the key role of the editors in charting the future of the series and discussing the future of academic publishing in the Society. Over the last two decades, 10 editors, countless editorial board members and reviewers, and of course the 60 or so book authors have contributed to the current book series since its reinvention. And this is an excellent reminder of the time, energy, and commitment that so many have given to these projects, on behalf of the Society and of the discipline in the UK.
The third is that although this story, and the discussions that surround it need to be contextualised within the time periods they took place, there is a remarkable familiarity about these discussions. Many of the topics and questions that surrounded the series establishment, are ones that have remained at the core of our thinking. Contributions on physical geography in the series remain vastly outnumbered by contributions from human geography– although we are of course delighted that physical geographers do continue to consider the series, with Martin Evans’ Geomorphology and the Carbon Cycle published in 2022.
Similarly, questions are arising again around the format of the series and the role it might play in the wider publishing landscape. High numbers of submissions to the book series over recent years, and the strengths of the books published, tell us that the series remains both an important part of the publishing landscape and a desirable place to publish. This again is a testament to all who contribute to its assessment of proposals and manuscripts – editors and reviewers – and to working with authors to ensure their books are of the highest possible quality.
Finally, it is interesting to note the ways in which the original discussions focused not just on the academic merits of the book series – which are countless – but also how it would fit into contemporary publishing models and infrastructures. These once again feature as live questions in our thinking, not least because of the strength of movement towards open access and emerging policy changes, and the ways in which this might affect the ways in which we approach publishing books as a learned society.
Today, working with the editors and the Research and Higher Education Committee, our endeavour is to approach these questions with the same rigour and care as those members of the original publishing committees, ensuring that the book series remains a strong and desirable offering to both authors and readers for the next 21 years and beyond.