SHARP’s membership functions are managed by Johns Hopkins University Press. To become a member, click here to be taken to the secure online membership form. If you are a current or lapsed member, you can also use that site to renew your membership, make changes to your profile, or update your demographic data.

Membership Benefits

• Subscription to the journal Book History plus online access (full-access memberships only)
  • Members can access the journal by going to https://muse.jhu.edu and logging in with their SHARP username and password.
• A listing in and access to the online, searchable Membership Directory 
• Eligibility for SHARP’s lightning grants and the 25th-Anniversary Fellowships
• Bi-monthly email newsletter from SHARP’s Executive Council
• A 50% discount on an annual JPASS, enabling access to 1,500+ JStor articles
• Occasional discounts at academic presses
• Annual international conference featuring cutting-edge scholarship and fostering collegial exchange and opportunities for collaboration
• Opportunity for SHARP endorsement of member-organized conferences and workshops related to the material history of text.
• Access to SHARP’s Network of Regional Liaisons across the globe

Membership Categories and Rates

As part of a Society-wide effort to increase diversity and participation in its activities, SHARP has devised a structure of membership to enable scholars from anywhere in the world to be able to participate. We hope the options below provide an affordable means for you to join our Society. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Membership Secretary (members@sharpweb.org).

Rates in the table below take effect on January 1, 2025; all levels include a print and electronic subscription to Book History.

Full membership	$100
Student/Independent Scholar/Retiree membership	$55
Non-OECD country membership	$55
Sustaining membership*	$165
Patron membership*	$265

* These levels include a charitable donation for US members of everything above the membership cost of $100. Sustaining Members, Patrons, and other donors will be listed on our Annual Report, which is shared at our Annual General Meeting and posted online.

Displaced Scholar Memberships

In 2025 SHARP will trial offering limited free memberships to displaced scholars: academics and researchers who have been forced from their home countries or places of study by conflict, persecution, political instability, natural disasters, or other factors. Following the trial period, SHARP will review outcomes and either extend the program or explore other forms of support.

To be eligible, applicants must conduct research within the broad field of Book History. To apply, please complete the online form. The form will request your details, a brief statement on why you self-identify as a displaced scholar, and an overview of your research (either through an uploaded CV or a short description). All decisions regarding eligibility and offers of membership will be at the discretion of the SHARP Membership Secretary (members @sharpweb.org).