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The Society of Bookmen has been officially renamed The Book Society, almost 100 years after it was founded.
The name change was passed by a vote at a meeting of the society last night (4th December). The vote required a two-thirds majority.
The first women were admitted into the society in 1972, “disgracefully late”, says the group’s official website.
Women now make up a third of the membership of the organisation.
Speaking about the name change Julia Kingsford, of Kingsford Campbell literary and marketing agency, said: “As a female member of the society I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Two previous attempts have been made to change the name of the society to reflect the fact that the membership is now made up of men and women.
The society’s website says: “The main reason that the attempts to change the name failed were not so much the result of misogyny as the lack of acceptable alternatives.
“The Society of Bookmen and Women – too laboured; the Society of Book People – too twee; everything else, too far from the original, which, after all, does have an august parentage and does emphasise the importance of the individual rather than the organisation.”
The Society of Bookmen was founded in 1921 by Hugh Walpole to bring together professionals from across the book trade, including publishers, authors, agents, booksellers, librarians, printers and journalists.
The first Ladies’ Night was held by the society in 1935, by which time one talk, by a male speaker, had been given on the subject of What Women Read.
The group is “committed to providing a forum for discussion and engagement on all matters relating to the publishing industry”.
The current chair of the society, which has yet to reflect its name change on its website, is Amanda Ridout, Head of Zeus’ c.e.o. and publisher.