Goldsmiths Press launches with 'beautifully-written' Academic Diary

The pioneering new university press from Goldsmiths, University of London has launched with the publication of Professor Les Back’s book Academic Diary: Or Why Higher Education Still Matters.

The first title to be published by Goldsmiths Press, Professor Back’s book has been hailed as a “beautifully-written” work which captures everyday campus life while also engaging with the larger forces reshaping universities.

The book has won widespread coverage including a double-page spread in the G2 section of The Guardian.

Critics have warmly welcomed the book. Broadcaster Laurie Taylor called the  work a “profoundly humanistic account of the unexpected and often fleeting day-to-day pleasures of working in a contemporary university”.

David Beer from the University of York said: “All academics should make sure that they have a copy to hand."

Professor Back’s book is available to buy at the MIT Press website. Goldsmiths Press and MIT Press have partnered in a unique deal which will see all Goldsmiths Press titles marketed and distributed through MIT Press – one of the world’s largest university presses which publishes 30 scholarly journals and 220 new books annually.

The book will be officially launched at a public event on 5 May 2016 at the Brick Lane Bookshop. More information and booking can be found on the Brick Lane Bookshop website.

On 12 May 2016 a celebration to mark the launch of both Goldsmiths Press and Professor Back’s book will be held at Waterstones Tottenham Court Road. Please email goldsmithspress@gold.ac.uk if you would like to attend.

In addition to these launches, an event taking place on Goldsmiths’ New Cross campus on 26 April 2016 will also investigate the place of the university press in the 21st century.

Director of Goldsmiths Press, Professor Sarah Kember, will deliver her inaugural lecture entitled Why Publish? The politics of communication in perishing times, with tickets still available.

Taking advantage of digital technologies and experimenting with the many attractions of print, Goldsmiths Press seeks to revive and regenerate the traditions of academic publishing.

It is driven by a widely-recognised need for new forms of academic publishing in the digital age. The new venture highlights the strengths of Goldsmiths as an incubator of ideas and creativity for more than a century.

Goldsmiths Press will publish print books as well as ebooks, apps and online resources.

Professor Kember said: “We want to create a culture around academic knowledge practices that is far more inventive than it is now and are actively seeking contributions that do not easily fit within existing disciplines or publishing conventions.

"We will not compromise on quality and care far more about content than we do about platforms. We’ll always look for the best ways to publish any particular piece of work.”