The Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia invites applications for its eleventh round of Battestin Fellowships, a program of summer fellowships in bibliographical and textual studies, named in honor of Martin Battestin, former professor of English at UVa, and his wife Ruthe, a literary scholar and member of the Society’s Council. The fellowships are intended to support UVa graduate students engaged in bibliographical research in the collections of the UVa Libraries, with an emphasis on physical or textual bibliography. The Society is prepared to award up to five fellowships of $3,500 each for the summer of 2023.
Proposals may concern books and documents in any field as long as the primary focus is the physical object (in whatever form) as historical evidence. Potential fellowship topics include studies in the history of book production, publication, distribution, reception, or reading; the history of collecting or bibliographical scholarship; and the tracing of a work’s textual history or the establishment of its text from the extant witnesses. Projects that incorporate the application of digital methodologies to the study of books and documents, and their texts, are also encouraged.
Proposals are evaluated on a competitive basis. The awards are limited to current UVa graduate students, that is, those who will be continuing their graduate studies at UVa in the following fall semester.
All awarded fellows are expected to spend at least two months doing research in the UVa Library collections. At the end of the research period, fellows are also asked to submit a very brief final project report to the BSUVA Council indicating how this fellowship support was used to accomplish their research goals.
Application Guidelines
Applications are due February 1, 2023. We regret that we cannot consider late or incomplete submissions. The application should include the following components:
1) Application form (click here).
2) Project proposal of no more than 1,000 words
3) Curriculum Vitae
4) Two (2) signed letters of recommendation on official letterhead submitted independently by referees, one of whom should be the applicant’s dissertation or other graduate faculty advisor, who will serve as the candidate’s Fellowship advisor. Applicants are advised to request recommendation letters well in advance and to direct referees to the BSUVA website (www.bsuva.org) for guidance.
Submitting the application and letters of recommendation
Postal submissions:
Print the application form and complete it. Attach your Project Description and Curriculum Vitae, and send all three documents to:
Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia ATTN: Battestin Fellowships Committee 2014 Hessian Rd Charlottesville, Virginia 22903Electronic submissions:
To submit electronically, print the application form, complete it, scan the completed form, and save as a PDF (or MS Word document). Send an email to the Society Secretary, Anne Ribble, at ar3g@virginia.edu, attaching the application form and PDF (or MS Word) files of your Project Description and Curriculum Vitae. In the subject line of your email, give your name followed by the words “Battestin Fellowships.”
The application package and two supporting letters of recommendation (which are to be sent directly to the Society by the referees) must be received by February 1, 2023. No other documentation will be considered by the committee.