Fellow historians with interest in #mediahistory and #bookhistory. I would like to establish the hashtag #globalbookhistory for collecting and promoting studies that pay attention to non-Eurocentric, global, transregional views on the bookish worlds of the past. It is about time.

If you are interested in publishing a reader on the topic, as a special issue or in a series, please do get in touch with me.

But first things first, #bookhistory on its way to a #globalbookhistory: What literature would you recommend, and why?

On Twitter, the likes of @DevinFitzger and @incunabula are already addressing a #globalbookhistory. Maybe @SHARPorg would be the best place to organize this global interest?

So let me start with a few observations from my side, how I (as a scholar with expertise in #earlymodern #communicationhistory of Europe) think a #globalbookhistory design may look like. Feel free to join the thread, #bookhistory.

My first problem is the concept of an "early Modernity" for Europe. While this is roughly a concept of European history, ranging from 1400-1800 CE, this makes no sense for a global view. Terminology is never neutral and needs attention.

So is "Global Medieval and Renaissance" a better working concept for a #globalbookhistory? I am inclined to not think so. What terminology is neutral enough and inclusive for the development, usage and impact of character codes around the globe for communication?

What helps me design a comparative level of #globalbookhistory is a transregional focus. Such a focus allows both highlighting the regional patterns and details, and the interconnections and differences. A relational view on how humans communicate with signs on a given material.