The Society is very pleased to announce publication, today, of the 25th title in its ‘New Historical Perspectives’ book series: Forging Fraternity in Late Medieval Society. The Palmers’ Guild of Ludlow, by Rachael Harkes.
Rachael’s new book draws on the vast archive of the Palmers’ Guild in Ludlow to explore the extent and impact of religious guilds in urban and rural society on the eve of the Reformation. To accompany publication of her monograph, Rachael also writes about her research this week for the Society’s blog.
As with all 25 titles in the New Historical Perspectives series, Forging Fraternity is published as a free Open Access download and in paperback print by University of London Press. Rachael’s book follows the 24th title in the series — Gareth Roddy’s Atlantic Isles: Travel and Identity in the British and Irish West, 1880–1940 — which appeared last month.
‘New Historical Perspectives’ is a collaborative publishing project of the Royal Historical Society, University of London Press and the Institute of Historical Research, with further support from the Economic History Society. Previous generous support for the series was also provided by the Past & Present Society.
The series publishes new work by early career historians within 10 years of completing their PhD in the form of monographs and edited collections.
Founded by the historians Simon Newman and Penny Summerfield in the late 2010s, the Series is now co-edited by Elizabeth Hurren (University of Leicester) and Sarah Longair (University of Lincoln), assisted by an editorial board. The first title in the NHP series, Ed Owens’ The Family Firm Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public, 1932-53, was published in 2019. Full details of all 25 titles, and links to their Open Access editions, are available here.
All authors contracted to the series receive mentoring from members of the NHP editorial board. In addition, they receive a workshop, with specialist readers and co-editors, to review and discuss a near complete manuscript before a final draft is submitted to the publisher.
All titles in the series are published Open Access, as pdf downloads and in a Manifold Reader editions, with no charge to the author, to ensure the widest possible dissemination of new historical research. As of summer 2025, titles in the NHP series have been downloaded on nearly 200,000 occasions.
Submissions to the series are welcome from early career historians, within 10 years of a PhD from a UK or Irish university. The Series Editors and Editorial Board welcome proposals for new NHP titles via the NHP book proposal form. Completed proposal forms should be submitted to the University of London Press publisher, Dr Emma Gallon: [email protected].