The Renaissance English Text Society is an association of scholars who work together to recover, preserve, and circulate significant non-dramatic writings in English (including original works or translations) from the period 1475-1660. We also provide a venue for the discussion of editorial methods, online editions, and experimentation with new models such as digital and hybrid editions.
Through its publications program, the Society produces carefully edited, regularized old-spelling texts. Special consideration is given to works that have never been reprinted or, in the case of manuscripts, never printed. The Society is particularly well known for its pioneering editions of miscellanies and women writers.
We also sponsor papers, lectures, or forums at academic conferences with a focus on editing early modern English texts. At least one such event occurs each year in conjunction with the national meetings of the Modern Language Association, the Renaissance Society of America, and the Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo.
