The Australian Book History and Print Culture Research Community has been established to recognise and encourage research that examines the composition, publication, distribution and reading of Australian literature.

In recent years, book history has emerged as a significant field of study, growing out of the solid foundations of bibliography and textual criticism. Interest in the field has supported a number of publications, most significantly the three-volume History of the Book in Australia and the Academy Editions of Australian Literature series.

The aim of the Australian Book History and Print Culture Research Community is to expand the data already delivered through AustLit by collecting more detailed information on publishers, sellers and readers of Australian literature. The Australian Magazines and Banned in Australia subsets already provide detailed information about specific developments in Australian print culture and so the addition of further book history information will significantly contribute to research, teaching and learning.

Initially included in the Australian Book History and Print Culture Research Community are the following projects:

• America Publishes Australia: Australian Books and American Publishers, 1890-2005
• Australian Magazines
• Banned in Australia
• Hidden Treasures of the Mitchell Library: Sydney Periodicals, 1900-1930
• Publishers of Australian Literature

Technical developments underway in the concurrent Aus-e-Lit Project will support future projects by assisting empirical reporting, federated searching, textual analysis, annotation, electronic editions and other digital publishing projects.