Polity is an international publisher in the social sciences and humanities and our list features some of the world’s leading thinkers. We combine the publication of original, cutting-edge work of the highest quality with a systematic programme of textbooks and course books for students and scholars in further and higher education.

Many of our books are of interest to a general readership and are widely reviewed and discussed in the media. We are committed to publishing topical books with a critical edge that stimulate public debate about key issues in social, political and cultural life.

We are also committed to the diffusion of ideas across language barriers and we have a major translation programme. Among the many authors we translate are Pierre Bourdieu, Jürgen Habermas, T.W. Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Peter Sloterdijk, Ulrich Beck, Hans Fallada, Primo Levi, Adonis, Antonio Negri, Jacques Derrida, Hélène Cixous, Roland Barthes, Jacques Lacan, Alain Badiou, Slavoj Žižek, Jacques Rancière, Paul Ricoeur, François Laruelle, Catherine Malabou and Bruno Latour.

Established in 1984, Polity has grown rapidly into one of the world’s most distinguished publishing houses. We are an independent company with offices in Cambridge and Oxford in the UK and Boston and New York in the US. Polity is a global English-language publisher and our books are available throughout the world. Sales representation and distribution are provided by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

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Hello! Because of the recent coronavirus outbreak, we unfortunately won’t be attending the English Shared Futures Conference in Manchester.

We’re really disappointed that we won’t get the opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss your upcoming book projects (though if you do have an exciting proposal you’d like to tell us about, get in touch with Publisher Ben Doyle). We also don’t want you to miss out on the special discount we would normally offer at our ESF stand.

So, for a limited time*, you can enter code ESF20 at the checkout to get 35% off** all the books here – including pre-orders.

Stay safe – and we’ll see you at the next ESF conference!

* Please note that this discount code is set to expire at midnight (GMT) on the 30th September 2020 and is only valid on the below books.

** The discounted prices shown across the books below is with our current site-wide 30% discount applied, but for an extra 5% off use code ESF20

In conjunction with English: Shared Futures, Cambridge University Press are delighted to be offering 20% off selected literary highlight titles. Browse the discounted titles here http://ow.ly/yR5i50zXJEC and claim your discount by entering the code SHAREDFUTURES20 at the checkout.

By publishing serious works that contribute to a global understanding of human affairs, Yale University Press aids in the discovery and dissemination of light and truth, lux et veritas, which is a central purpose of Yale University. The publications of the Press are books and other materials that further scholarly investigation, advance interdisciplinary inquiry, stimulate public debate, educate both within and outside the classroom, and enhance cultural life. In its commitment to increasing the range and vigour of intellectual pursuits within the university and elsewhere, Yale University Press continually extends its horizons to embody university publishing at its best.

Yale titles include classics such as, The Madwoman in the Attic by Sandra M. Gilbert & Susan Gubar, Rhyme’s Reason by John Hollander and How to Read Literature by Terry Eagleton and brand new titles including Why Writing Matters by Nicholas Delbanco, A  Little History of Poetry by John Carey and Hamlet’s Choice by Peter Lake.

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‘There are too many good poets to name; they’re spilling out the side of the bag.’ – James Davies (editor)

if p then q is an independent poetry press based in Manchester, specialising in minimalist and conceptual poetry and other modes of contemporary writing. It’s mission, founder and chief editor James Davies states, is to ‘banish the myth that experimental poetry is impossible to read’. The press is as much interested in the term ‘art’ as it is in ‘poetry’. Established in 2008, for the past twelve years the press has been disseminating a range of vital works. Its authors include P. Inman, Tom Jenks, Holly Pester, Peter Jaeger and Chrissy Williams.

https://ifpthenq.co.uk

‘one of the foremost U.K. publishing ventures for contemporary poetry’ – Colin Heard (poet) 

Described as ‘underground’ and a little bit mysterious, The Red Ceilings Press publish contemporary poetry in the form of limited edition chapbooks that are ‘persistently excellent’ and ‘as luxuriant as a showroom brochure’ (Tom Jenks). They are particularly interested in experiments, trials, off shoots, sequences, and work in progress as well as small collections.

http://www.theredceilingspress.co.uk

“people say: ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’… of course you can! It is part of the experience.” – Nicholas Royle (editor)

The nightjar–aka corpse fowl or goatsucker–is a nocturnal bird with an uncanny, supernatural reputation that flies silently at dusk or dawn as it hunts for food. The nightjar is more often heard than seen, its song a series of ghostly clicks known as a churring. In her poem ‘Goatsucker’, Sylvia Plath wrote that the ‘Devil-bird’ flies ‘on wings of witch cloth’.

Nightjar Press is an independent publisher specialising in limited edition single short-story chapbooks by individual authors. It is brought to you by the people behind early 1990s British Fantasy Award-winning publisher Egerton Press, responsible for Darklands, Darklands 2 and Joel Lane’s short-story collection The Earth Wire. The founder and editor Nicholas Royle, and designer John Oakey focus on publishing works that are weird, eery and unnerving.

https://nightjarpress.weebly.com

‘We believe more people should have a say in what gets published’ – And Other Stories

And Other Stories publishes some of the best in contemporary writing, including many translations. They aim to push people’s reading limits and help them discover authors of adventurous and inspiring writing. They want to open up publishing so that from the outside it doesn’t look like some posh freemasonry. In 2017 they acted on their belief that more of the English publishing industry should move out of London, Oxford and their environs. And Other Stories moved they’re main office to Sheffield and found such a warm welcome. They’re Northern Book Prize is a sign of our commitment to new writing from the North of England.

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‘Meeting poets from all over the world who often have incredible personal stories of hardship and resilience and always bring a new perspective on the power of poetry.’ – Arc Publications

Arc publishes contemporary poetry from new and established writers from the UK and abroad, specialising in the work of international poets writing in English and the work of overseas poets in translation. Established by Tony Ward in 1969. Over forty years on, he runs the press with fellow director Angela Jarman, from a converted textile mill on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border in the north of England, producing upwards of 20 new titles a year. Arc still adheres to its founding principles: to introduce the best of new talent to a UK readership, including voices from overseas that would otherwise remain unheard in this country, and to remain at the cutting edge of world poetry.

Arc Publications has received s significant amount of recognition in recent years, including being listed as one of The New York Times “Best Poetry Books of 2010” for their translation from the Estonian. In 2016 received three awards from PEN TRANSLATES for three of its titles.

https://www.arcpublications.co.uk

‘a publisher of literary quality, reaching readers and writers from the area and beyond’ – Manchester Review (2019)

Cõnfingõ is an independent publishing house based in Manchester and headed by writer and editor Tim Shearer and art designer Zoë McClean. They create beautiful editions of new fiction, poetry and art in all forms. Twice a year Cõnfingõ produce a unique collection of unpublished works. They also produce Cõnfingõ Magazine accepting submissions of poems, short fiction, flash fiction, reviews, essays and art from any genre. In 2018, the magazine was shortlisted by Sabotage Reviews for the Saboteur Best Magazine Award, which stated: ‘Cõnfingõ is a beautifully presented collection of art and literature with some exciting new voices. A feast for the eyes and soul!’

‘The key thing I’ve learned as a publisher is that it can be done and that you don’t need anyone’s permission. Just do it, as the Greek goddess of victory says.’ – Tom Jenks (editor)

Since its establishment in 2009, independent press zimZalla, has been described as experimental and avantgarde. Along with more traditional poetry publications, zimZalla has pioneered itself as a publisher of literary objects and inventions from Greetings Cards, to hanging mobiles, board games and even poetry served in a Styrofoam box with chips.

https://zimzalla.co.uk

‘Reading is both a virtue and a duty’ – Sharon Kivland (editor)

Ma Bibliothèque was established by the artist, writer and editor Sharon Kivland in 2013. The press produces three series: The Good Reader and The Constellations, both engaged with the implication of reading or revisiting texts; and a more diverse collection that ranges from experimental poetry, film criticism, conceptual writing, artists’ projects, and anthologies.

https://mabibliotheque.cargo.site

LIKE THIS PRESS

‘I wanted to make things, and I wanted to get my hands dirty!’ – Nikolai Duffy (editor)

Like This is an independent press launched in 2012 and committed to publishing high quality, beautifully designed, and largely handmade books that do things just a little bit differently. The press is particularly interested in poetry, prose poetry, fragments, creative non-fiction, interviews, essays, and books as objects. There is an editorial leaning towards experimental traditions. The press publishes work that is formally thoughtful, unusual, and questioning.

The press is edited by Nikolai Duffy, Senior Lecturer in American Literature at Manchester Metropolitan University.

https://likethispress.wordpress.com

‘Unapologetically political, Comma Press are in the vanguard of UK literary culture.’ – HUCK Magazine (2019)

Comma Press is a not-for-profit publisher specialising in the short story and fiction in translation. It is committed to a spirit of risk-taking, and aims to put the short story at the heart of contemporary narrative culture.

Comma publish collections by new and established authors, interdisciplinary collaborations between authors and experts, and translation commissions devised to identify cutting-edge (often marginalised) voices from across the world. Their award-winning publications include The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim, Tea at the Midland by David Constantine, You Should Come With Me Now by M. John Harrison, The Sea Cloak by Nayrouz Qarmout, and the first ever collection of science-fiction from Palestine, Palestine +100.

In 2017 Comma won Northern Soul’s ‘Northern Publisher of the Year’ award, and in 2019 and 2020 were shortlisted by The British Book Awards for ‘Small Press of the Year’ (North of England).

Comma Press also works as a writer development agency, delivering short story courses throughout the year, and hosting the annual National Creative Writing Industry Day to give every kind of aspiring writer access to advice, knowledge and skills from industry professionals.

https://commapress.co.uk

‘One of the most prolific and intelligent small poetry presses.’ – Ian Brinton Tears in the Fence magazine

Salford graduate Alec Newman established his small poetry press called The Knives Forks and Spoons Press (KFS) in 2010. The press has since blossomed into one of the most dynamic and exciting small press poetry publishers in the UK, with an expanding list of over 100 authors. The press was shortlisted for two years running for the Michael Marks Award for Best Publisher of Poetry in Pamphlet Form, and one of the press’ authors has been shortlisted for the Michael Marks Best Pamphlet Award. It focuses primarily on promoting linguistically innovative poetry, and has published poets such as Sean Burn, Robert Sheppard and Antony Rowland. Newman mixes work by established poets with exciting emergent and perhaps overlooked schools of poetry at the experimental end of the poetry spectrum. As Alec states: ‘KFS is committed to promoting new generations of poets working in an alternative literary tradition, and our poets’ careers are flourishing.’

http://www.knivesforksandspoonspress.co.uk/

‘it was Updike who once said; “a book is beautiful in its relation to the human hand, to the human eye, to the human brain, and to the human spirit.” I felt the same way.’ – Andrew Moorhouse (editor)

Fine Press Poetry was set up in 2012 by Andrew Moorhouse, a lover and collector of bespoke books. Since then, the press has strived to turn publishing into art, working with a range of renowned poets, artists and wood engravers to create beautiful illustrated poetry books. The press has worked with poets Simon Armitage, Michael Longley, Zaffir Kanial, Sinéad Morrissey and Carol Ann Duffy.

http://www.finepresspoetry.com