Thoth Archiving Network Pilot at Cambridge
Cambridge University Library (CUL) is piloting participation in the Thoth Archiving Network, which will allow small presses to use a simple deposit option to archive their publications in multiple repository locations, creating the opportunity to safeguard against the complete loss of their open books catalogue, should they cease to operate.
This is a pilot repository site hosting open access books by a range of publishers depositing content in Thoth. This site is maintained and managed by the Open Research Systems Team at Cambridge University Library (CUL).
More information about this pilot and the Open Book Futures Project is available at this page.
Open Book Futures
Recent Submissions
Executive Orders
(punctum books, 2025-06-09) Organism for Poetic Research; Wilson, Rachael Guynn; Gorin, Andrew Michael
After the election of Donald Trump in 2016, a group of poets, artists, and activists conceived of a project wherein they could respond to the sudden and seemingly relentless barrage of Trump’s dystopian executive orders with a series of their own orders. The project, titled “Executive Orders,” was envisioned as a collaborative, freeform, “emergency” prose poem that would generate real-time responses to current events and the emerging American political landscape. The result was a poetic catalog of the people’s executive orders—orders that are at turns serious, absurd, satirical, philosophical, critical, utopian, and so on.
Executive Orders began as one community’s effort to cope with and respond to the tidal wave of reactionary policies enacted or proclaimed during the years of Trump’s first administration. As an index of historical happenings that charts events in rough chronological order (including the Muslim-country travel ban, Black Lives Matter protests, the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, the youth climate march, the January 6th riot at the US Capitol, and many other events), it stands as a documentary record of this historical period from the perspective of artists, writers, leftists, progressives, and other contributors, many of them anonymous. Executive Orders is also an experiment in crowdsourced collaborative making that tells a story about the ways we can—and can’t—come together to form a collective that could have a voice in political deliberations.
When Katherine Brewed, a Play: Telling the Story of the Peasants’ Revolt and Today’s New Radical Theatre
(Open Book Publishers, 2025-06-27) Cresswell, John
In the sweltering heat of 1381, England's feudal foundations trembled as the Peasants' Revolt erupted—a rebellion that would forever echo through history. Triggered by an oppressive poll tax but fuelled by deeper injustices, this uprising saw land workers, artisans, and commoners rise to challenge the authority of landowners, church, and crown. 'When Katherine Brewed' brings this momentous event to life on stage, blending historical fidelity with a bold, radical perspective.
Drawing from chronicles and centuries of literary reinterpretation, this devised play reveals the struggles of the forgotten: those who dared to dream of a world free from exploitation and tyranny. Through the lens of class struggle and solidarity, the story of Wat Tyler, John Ball, and their fellow rebels unfolds, exposing the duplicity of rulers and the undying hope of those who resist.
Echoing the spirit of radical theatre traditions, this play reimagines this medieval rebellion with contemporary relevance, urging audiences to reflect on enduring issues of inequality and power. Both an homage to the past and a rallying cry for the future, this production is as much a tribute to those who fought as it is an invitation to envision a world transformed. Witness history, and the lessons it still holds.
Hand Book: A Manual on Performance, Process, and the Labor of Laundry
(punctum books, 2025-06-17) Sachs, Lynne; Olesker, Lizzie
Hand Book: A Manual on Performance, Process, and the Labor of Laundry is a collection of writings and images from a performance and film set within a neighborhood laundromat, a microcosm of service work within our urban reality. With a focus on the people who are paid to wash and fold, Hand Book explores the convergence of dirt, stains, money, identity, and desire. Informed by both theory and history, filmmaker-poet Lynne Sachs and playwright Lizzie Olesker construct a model for making a site-specific work incorporating both live performance and film. From conversations with workers in laundromats around New York City, they develop a play that magnifies forms of manual labor that often go unrecognized. The core of Hand Book is Sachs and Olesker’s hybrid play-script which grew out of documentary material they collected in New York City over several years. Within this theatrical construct, the actors themselves navigate the dynamic between their laundry worker characters and who they are in their own lives. Images also engage with text to create an evocative graphic experience. Turning a page becomes an interactive, quasi-cinematic encounter, calling to mind the intimacy of touching other people’s clothes, almost like a second skin, the textural care for things kept close to the body.
Hand Book includes essays, interviews, memoirs, and poetry that look at the relationship between art and social engagement. Observation, historical research, and fiction intersect, creating a patchwork of “what is” with a speculative, imagined “what was.” Historian and author Tera Hunter speaks to the importance of The Washing Society, a group of 3,000 Black women laundry workers who organized in Atlanta in 1881 for better pay and working conditions. Feminist historian Silvia Federici engages in a conversation about the meaning of reproductive labor and its relationship to laundry. Two leaders of a grassroots organization share their experience of immigration and activism. A dancer creates a gestural map of her choreography. An actor deconstructs the charged significance of her Civil War-era costume.
Ultimately, Hand Book: A Manual on Performance, Process, and the Labor of Laundry presents an illuminating dialogue between the documentary arts, feminism, film, immigration, labor history, and theater. Throughout, a playwright and filmmaker contemplate how art-making can alter our understanding of the social structures of city life.
Sachs and Olesker’s short documentary film The Washing Society will be available via QR code upon release of the book.
Housing, Heritage and Urbanisation in the Middle East and North Africa
(Open Book Publishers, 2025-06-03) Makhloufi, Lilia
This book explores the interconnection between housing, heritage and urbanisation. Bringing together architects, archaeologists, urban sociologists, urban designers, urban planners and landscape architects, this multi-authored and interdisciplinary volume presents diverse case studies from the Middle East and North Africa, shedding light on the past, present and future of residential spaces.
With its focus to traditional, modern and contemporary housing in Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia, Housing, Heritage and Urbanisation in the Middle East and North Africa explores the correlation between architecture, urban planning and society. The contributors critique the impact of rapid urbanisation and global architectural standardisation, which often goes beyond local identity. Instead, they advocate for a sustainable urban development rooted in community needs and cultural heritage.
Ultimately, this volume argues that successful urban planning must balance modernity with tradition, ensuring that housing reflects the lived experiences of its inhabitants. A crucial read for scholars and practitioners, it reaffirms that sustainable cities must be shaped by local needs, not just global trends.
Uncovering European Private Law: A Student Handbook
(Open Book Publishers, 2025-06-05) Bartl, Marija; Mak, Chantal; Burgers, Laura
Aimed at bridging a crucial gap in legal education, Uncovering European Private Law provides a comprehensive introduction to the evolving field of European private law. This innovative handbook addresses the interplay of national, European, and transnational rules governing relationships between private actors, including individuals and businesses. Designed with students in mind, this volume not only covers foundational concepts but also explores cutting-edge developments in areas such as contract, tort, property, and company law.
What sets this handbook apart is its contextual approach. By integrating societal and theoretical perspectives, it encourages students to critically evaluate private law's role in addressing global challenges like digitalization, sustainability, and globalization. Gathering the expertise of over twenty international law scholars, the handbook reflects the expertise of academics deeply engaged in teaching and research.
With structured chapters and accessible narratives, this handbook replaces piecemeal materials previously used in courses. It offers coherence and depth, making it an essential resource for understanding the legal frameworks that shape commerce, legal practice, and broader societal issues. Whether for mandatory or elective courses, this guide empowers students to navigate and critically assess the dynamic field of European private law providing an essential resource for the private lawyers of the future.
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