A Guide to specialist societies divided into Hero Societies and Subject Societies.

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JULY 2010

This page was once reproduced in full inside each of our issues, but the development of our website made this unnecessary, and to some extent undesirable. It now features as a free standing page, and is regularly updated, with the addition of new Societies from time to time until the supply runs out. These will be announced in THE OSCHOLARS itself. This update 1st July 2010.

The development of our website has led to our relocating our links to many Societies. These can be reached by clicking the icons below.

Oscar Wilde Societies - ‘Never Speaking Disrespectfully’

Theatre Societies (including societies devoted to playwrights and actors)

Shaw Societies, in our Shavings supplement.

Ruskin Societies, in our Ruskin publication, The Eighth Lamp, edited by Dr Anuradha Chatterjee.

Fine Arts Societies have been transferred to our VISIONS journal, where they are edited by Dr Nicola Gauld.

French Societies will appear here from time to time, but in general are more likely to be covered in the webpages of Rue des beaux arts under Links or Liaisons.

Further research may be undertaken on our page devoted to SHRINES. Coverage of journals published by societies is carried out on our page THE RACK & THE PRESS, edited by Professor B.J. Robinson.

Ø HOT NEWS : An International Society for Fin-de-siècle Studies, pluridisciplinary and cosmopolitan, is in the process of being created, with a current membership of 251. For more information, please write to David Charles Rose at finsiec@gmail.com.

For the Table of Contents, click   | To hub page | To THE OSCHOLARS home page

Click @ when you see it for the corresponding e-mail address

Table of Contents
Click to see the entry; then on the Society’s colophon or banner to reach its website.
HERO SOCIETIES
The Arnold Bennett Society		The Jack London Society
The E.F. Benson Society		The Arthur Machen Society
The Friends of Borges		The George MacDonald Society
The Edward Carpenter Forum		The Octave Mirbeau Society
The Kate Chopin International Society		The William Morris Society
The Louis Couperus Society		The William Morris Society of Canada
The Stephen Crane Society		The William Morris Society of the U.S.A
The Michael Field Society		The Arthur Morrison Society
The Ford Madox Ford Society		The Proust Society of America
The Kenneth Grahame Society		The Robert Louis Stevenson Club & Society
The Thomas Hardy Society		The H.G. Wells Society
The Heron-Allen Society		The Edith Wharton Society
The A.E. Housman Society		The Yeats Society
The J.-K. Huysmans Society		The Emile Zola Society
The Henry James Society
The Alliance of Literary Societies		The American Literary Association
SUBJECT SOCIETIES
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings		The Socialist History Society
The Bedford Park Society		The Society for Utopian Studies
The Children’s Literature Association		The Utopian Studies Society
The International Society for Cultural History		The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals
The Society of Dance History Scholars		The Victorian Society
The Society of Dix-Neuviémistes		The Victorian Society in America
The Eighteen-Nineties Society		The Australasian Victorian Studies Association
The International Gothic Association		La Société française d’ études victoriennes et édouardiennes
		The Victorian Studies Society of Japan

HERO SOCIETIES

THE ARNOLD BENNETT SOCIETY

The present Arnold Bennett Society was re-formed in 1954 and has members throughout the United Kingdom as well as abroad. It is based in the City of Stoke on Trent, the ‘Five Towns’ of Bennett. The Society's aim is to promote the study and appreciation of the life, works and times, not only of Arnold Bennett himself, but also of other provincial writers, with particular relationship to North Staffordshire.

THE E.F. BENSON SOCIETY

The aims of the E. F. Benson Society are :-‘The furtherance of the knowledge and appreciation of the Benson Family and in particular E. F. Benson, and to provide an opportunity for Benson enthusiasts to meet.’ To this end the Secretary in conjunction with the Executive Committee organises at least one literary event annually to bring members together for a talk on some aspect of E. F. Benson's life and work. We have an annual meeting in Rye (E F Benson's Tilling ) each July and also aim to organise outings to other places of Benson interest and from time to time events which relate to other members of the Benson Family.

The Society was formed in 1984 events have included visits to Wellington College, Marlborough College, Cambridge University, Tremens (2001). The Society has also mounted exhibitions on the life and works of E. F. Benson. In 1990, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of E. F. Benson's death, the Society held a reception at Lambeth Palace followed by a Memorial service at the Church of St Mary the Virgin at Rye. The Society also produces its Journal ‘The DODO’ each year as well as a variety of other publications

THE FRIENDS OF JORGE LUIS BORGES WORLDWIDE SOCIETY

Borges, not a man of the nineteenth century, earns his place on this page because of his devotion to Oscar Wilde. In Paris, he used to stay at L’Hôtel, and the plaque commemorating Oscar Wilde on the façade is matched by one commemorating Borges. According to its website the Society was born on 24th August 2000 out of a longstanding aspiration of a grateful reader: to reunite all readers who acknowledge an intellectual affiliation with the works Jorge Luis Borges and may desire to share with others the civilizing gifts of Poetry, Philosophy and the Arts. The website has been updated recently.

‘With this declaration of principle in mind, our programs want to encourage the study of Borges, to stimulating thus the personal education of each reader, developing the intellectual faculties and creative talents. In that way, we would like to support the acquisition of Socratic virtues, which Borges held as ethical ideal, in order to educate citizens as responsible actors of their everyday action in the world.

‘We aim in particular to support younger generations because among their possibilities is to build a better future for mankind.’

The Society issues an e-newsletter in Spanish, English and French, and this can be reached via their website, but the last issue mentioned is still that for October 2005. Click the Borges Labyrinth logo.

THE EDWARD CARPENTER FORUM

Not exactly a Society, but an on-line association with free membership, set up in 2007. The Edward Carpenter Forum is dedicated to the exploration of the life, ideas, and work of the pioneering thinker, activist and visionary Edward Carpenter and his circle. It seeks to create connections and facilitate discussion among Edward Carpenter enthusiasts; increase public awareness and knowledge about Carpenter. The website (click the image) was last updated in June 2009.

THE KATE CHOPIN INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

The mission of The Kate Chopin International Society is to provide a network and forum for the study of American author Kate Chopin (1850-1904). The society encourages and supports scholarship and activities that illuminate Chopin’s contribution to the American literary tradition, and it seeks to preserve her literary significance for future generations. The Society was formed in 2004 by Heather Ostman and Avis Hewitt, both English professors at American universities, after the convention of the American Literature Association, an organization made up of scholarly societies devoted to the study of American authors. Most better-known American authors have a society of their own, and Heather and Avis thought Kate Chopin deserved a scholarly society focused on her work, even though the Kate Chopin Society of North America, with a different emphasis, already existed in St. Louis. Membership is free. The website was updated in the spring of 2010.

THE LOUIS COUPERUS SOCIETY

The Louis Couperus Genootschap is the biggest literary society in The Netherlands.

Couperus, who firmly believed in reincarnation, was convinced he had been an ancient Roman in a previous life. His best work in this respect, The Mountain of Light, on the rise and fall of the deified emperor Heliogabalus, became very popular in Germany. On the whole one can say that his psychological novels had more success in England and the USA, whereas his historical works were more appreciated by the German speaking public. Only a few of his books have been translated into French; a new English translation by Paul Vincent of Inevitable has recently been published by Pushkin Press. 320pp. ISBN 1 90128 559 6. £8.99.

The Society’s website is constantly extended. Click Couperus’ portrait to reach it.

Arabesken

The 3fth issue of The Society’s journal, Arabesken, was published in May 2010. This can be reached by clicking the right hand picture below, and following the link in the menu you will find there.

THE STEPHEN CRANE SOCIETY

Founded by the Crane scholar Paul Sorrentino in 1990, the Stephen Crane Society is devoted to research on and discussion about the author. The society grew out of a Crane conference sponsored by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and held in Blacksburg in 1989. The society is officially associated with the American Literature Association (ALA) and holds its annual meeting, sponsors panels, and elects its officers at the ALA conference in late May/early June of each year. Its international membership includes specialists and non-specialists.

The society sponsors Stephen Crane Studies, a journal of notes, queries, hamberaphical material, and reviews. The journal is published semi-annually in the spring and fall; the most recent issue with its Table of Contents on line is Volume 17, Number 2 (Fall 2008). Since 1992 it has been published at by the Department of English, Virginia Tech. Manuscripts should follow the MLA Style Manual. Annual subscriptions are $10 for individuals and $20 for institutions; foreign subscriptions are $12 and $22. Checks should be made payable to the Stephen Crane Society.

Address all correspondence regarding subscriptions and manuscript submission to Paul Sorrentino, Editor, Stephen Crane Studies, Department of English, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0112. @

The Society’s admirably organised website includes a Call for Papers on Crane for the American Literature Association Conference 21st-24th May 2009, Boston, Massachusetts. The website, which contains much material devoted to Crane, can be reached by clicking the banner. It was last updated on the 2nd June 2010.

THE MICHAEL FIELD SOCIETY

We are very happy to report the foundation of this Society, concerned with a writer (that is to say, two writers) at the heart of our endeavour, and forming a connecting thread between Oscar Wilde and Vernon Lee. Once only the concern of a few specialists, ‘Michael Field’ studies have developed significantly in recent years.

So far, efforts have been directed to founding a journal, The Michaelian, under the editorship of Sharon Bickle and Michelle Lee is being developed, and the first issue is now on line. The Society does not currently maintain a website, but further information will be found through The Michaelian.

THE FORD MADOX FORD SOCIETY

This international society was founded in 1997 to promote knowledge of and interest in Ford Madox Ford’s works and life. Ford, who disliked Wilde, is the link between Wilde and Violet Hunt.

The Society aims to organise at least two events each year, and to publish on-line one or two Newsletters. The latest downloadable Newsletter is (at 1st July 2010) no. 16 (March 2010).

· We used to refer readers to the Ford pages at the University of Birmingham but these appear to have been discontinued: http://www.english.bham.ac.uk/fordmadoxford2006/literarycontacts.htm

THE KENNETH GRAHAME SOCIETY

For those who detect something of Oscar Wilde in Mr Toad (as did Peter Parker in the TLS 26th June 2009 no 5543 p.11) ... the Kenneth Grahame Society is for readers, literature students, potential sequel writers, illustrators and everyone else who appreciates the works of Kenneth Grahame. Membership is free and members from all over the world are welcome to join.

The aims of the Kenneth Grahame Society are:

- To encourage scholarly study and discussion of the works of Kenneth Grahame.

- To actively promote an expanded universe around The Wind in the Willows.

- To be a comprehensive and accurate resource (Body of Knowledge) on the life and works of Kenneth Grahame.

The society is primarily an online society with two main areas:

Webpages

The webpages are the main resource. These cover the biography, writings and locations associated with Kenneth Grahame, an expanded The Wind in the Willows universe of sequels, illustrations and films, and a study section. There are over 100 webpages at the moment, but material for at least 100 more is in the pipeline. The somewhat static Home Page has been partly redesigned to include subsections for news, events and details of publications. It is planned that this page will be updated frequently. If anyone has any relevant news, details of events, publications, and so forth, please email it to us at admin@kennethgrahamesociety.net.

Discussion Forum

Unlike traditional literary societies there are no current plans for members to meet regularly to hold society meetings. As an alternative to physically meeting there was a discussion forum where members can post comments and conduct discussions at any time. It existed for about two years, and it had some interesting discussions and information. However, it was only used by a very small minority of the membership, and it often remained dormant for months at a time. At the 2009 AGM in Oxford it was agreed that the Forum, in such a dormant state, was no great credit to the name of Kenneth Grahame, and the decision to close it was approved. We would like to thank everyone who contributed postings to it over the years. All the information on it has been saved, and some of that will be repackaged and placed on the main website during forthcoming updates to the website.

AGM

The dates and venue for the Society's 2010 Annual General Meeting and weekend of literary talks and events related to Kenneth Grahame have been confirmed as Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th September in London. Traditionally, the AGM is on the Saturday morning, followed by two talks in the afternoon.

THE THOMAS HARDY SOCIETY

The Thomas Hardy Society’s aim is to promote the British novelist and poet’s works for both education and enjoyment. It is for scholars, students, readers, enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in Thomas Hardy.

The Society began its life in 1968 in Dorchester. Today its two main publications are ‘The Hardy Society Journal’ and ‘The Thomas Hardy Journal’ with academic papers by leading scholars, critical reviews, competitions, comments and news. The Journals are sent free to members and have recently featured articles on subjects as diverse as ‘Effie Neef Gifford Of Chicago’ by Martin Ray and ‘Hardy And Lawrence - And Their Mothers’ by Michael Herbert.

The Society engages in a range of cultural projects and presents academic and entertaining events. These include the biennial International Conference and Festival and, in each year, a programme of music, lectures, suppers, poetry readings, walks and tours. Its website is informative.

THE HERON-ALLEN SOCIETY

The Heron-Allen Society was formed at a meeting at the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester on 5th June 2000. The objectives of the Society are to study and record all aspects of the life and interests of Edward Heron-Allen, 1861-1943, and to promote his work. Heron-Allen was a friend of Oscar Wilde, and influenced the writing of ‘Lord Arthur Savile's Crime’.

The Society’s Newsletter no.16 was published and distributed in May 2010. Articles include ‘The First Ten Years’ by Ivor Jones; ‘The Inexorable Law’, by Edward Heron-Allen; ‘Foraminifera of Plymouth Sound: The Legacy of Edward Heron-Allen 80 Years on’ by Malcom Hart and ‘The Purple Sapphire on Film’ by Ivor Jones and John E Whittaker, and there is a report on the annual Heron-Allen Lecture at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford by Juliet Field.

There is no logo or banner to reproduce here, but much information is on the Society’s website.

THE HOUSMAN SOCIETY

This was founded in 1973 and exists to promote knowledge and appreciation of the lives and works of A.E. Housman and other members of his family. The Society also promotes the causes of literature and poetry in general. It produces an annual Journal (index on line – click their logotype below), organises discussions, visits and poetry readings. Commemorations are held in Bromsgrove on 26th March (A.E. Housman’s birthday) and in Ludlow on the last Saturday in April. It sponsors an annual lecture under the title ‘The Name and Nature of Poetry’ at the Hay Festival of Literature in May/June each year. Further information about the Society and books and merchandise is available from The Housman Society at 80 New Road, Bromsgrove, Worcs B60 2LA, England. Email: @

The programme announced for 2010 may be found on the Society’s website:

THE JORIS-KARL HUYSMANS SOCIETY / LA SOCIÉTÉ J.-K. HUYSMANS

The Society was founded in 1927 by Huysmans’ friend Lucien Descaves, and to-day has 236 members, including 62 institutional members. Annual bulletins are published, of which the latest (2008) is no. 101. 102 was expected before the end of 2009, but is not yet announced.

The Society maintains an informative and up-to-date website, recently much augmented, and reached by clicking below.

THE HENRY JAMES SOCIETY

From their website:

Our mission is to offer Henry James scholars and other interested persons an opportunity to share in the study and appreciation of the life and works of the author. A non-profit educational organization, the Henry James Society provides a medium of communication for Henry James scholars and expands the possibilities for Henry James studies through annual meetings, special symposiums, and The Henry James Review.

The Society’s website can be found by clicking the picture of Henry James (the Society has no device of its own). Much extended, it was last updated 23rd May 2010. For Henry James studies on the web, the reader is referred to the far more elaborate http://www2.newpaltz.edu/~hathaway/

THE JACK LONDON SOCIETY

The Jack London Society, Inc., an international non-profit organization that promotes study of the life and work of Jack London, was founded in 1990 as an author society affiliated with the American Literature Association. It numbers over 200 members and continues to grow each year. Membership is open to anyone interested in London.

The Society publishes a biannual magazine, The Call, which features short articles, announcements, news about member activities, book collecting information, photographs, notices of recent publications, reviews, and research notes. It is indexed by the Library of Congress and mailed out in late winter and late summer each year. Kenneth Brandt, Savannah College of Design, serves as editor of The Call. For more information on submissions, contact him by e-mail.

Beginning in 1992, the Society has held biennial Symposia: in Sonoma, California (1992); the Huntington Library in San Marino, California (1994, 1998); Santa Rosa, California (1996, 2000, 2004), Lihue, Hawaii (2002), and Alaska (2006). The Symposia offer formal papers, workshops, films, and plenary speakers, as well as informal excursions and social events. Speakers include leading London scholars from major universities as well as presentations designed for high school instructors and interested readers. The Symposia are known for their combination of outstanding scholarly presentations and relaxed pace.

The Society’s website (last update 27th January 2009) may be found by clicking the banner, with more information given on the Jack London Online Collection, maintained by Roy Tennant and Dr. Clarice Stasz, and sponsored by the Sonoma State University Library
(last update 3rd July 2009).

PLANS are underway for the next Symposium, to be held in Santa Rosa, California, and featuring events on the Jack London Ranch in Glen Ellen. For information on participating, go to 2010 Biennial Symposium.

THE ARTHUR MACHEN SOCIETY

‘…Machen’s dismissal from the London Evening News in 1921 was not solely due to the libelling of Lord Alfred Douglas in the premature obituary: the malaise, said Machen, had set in some time before. Machen told John Gawsworth why he believed he was not invited to contribute to The Yellow Book, the famous Nineties periodical: he had expressed enthusiasm for the Sherlock Holmes stories to the editor Henry Harland and felt this counted against him…’

‘The Friends of Arthur Machen is a fellowship which exists to foster interest in Machen and his work, to aid research, and for the pleasure of its members. The Friends of Arthur Machen grew out of the remains of the British Arthur Machen Society, which was originally formed in the 1980s. The current membership of the Friends is very diverse, reflecting the very diverse currents which have drawn it together. Interest in mysticism, in the occult, in both paganism and Christianity, in the decadence of the 1890s, in the landscapes of Gwent, not to mention love of good reading and good living, are all very variously represented: in fact all that really unites the membership is admiration for a writer who has qualities not found elsewhere.’

The Society publishes Faunus, the literary journal of the Friends, which has appeared twice yearly since the inauguration of The Friends and is now on issue 8. Contents are both articles of interest to admirers of Machen and examples of his work, often articles and pieces not easily available in any other form. Machenalia, the Friends’ newsletter, is more informal, less literary in tone and style. It deals with items of topical interest, about Machen, and about the Friends. It too appears twice yearly.

Officially connected with the Society is an active Arthur Machen discussion and announcements forum, with 190 subscribers. The Society’s website, which is kept more or less up to date, can also be reached by clicking the banner:

THE GEORGE MACDONALD SOCIETY

From their website:

George MacDonald (1824-1905) was one of the most original of nineteenth century thinkers. His writing and lecturing brought him wide recognition in his own day, and into the company of many of the leading Victorians of the time.

MacDonald’s writing has an outstanding imaginative power, largely influenced by the German and English Romantics. It is in the realms of fantasy and children’s literature, along with his visionary theology, that has made his greatest contribution.

The importance of George MacDonald’s work is being rediscovered and the Society works to further this interest. Formed in 1981, it publishes an annual journal, North Wind, which carries articles related to his life and work, reviews of new books, and other publications relevant to MacDonald Studies. For back copies of North Wind, please write to Mrs. Rachel Johnson, 18 Tappenhall Road, Fernhill Heath, Worcester, WR3 7TR, England – see our Publications page for news of new issues.

A quarterly newsletter, Orts, is also produced to provide news of events, meetings, lectures, or visits and any other information of interest to members: we do not know when the last one appeared.

A research collection of works on and by MacDonald has been established at King’s College, London, where he taught at one time, and is available to anyone wishing to use it.

That there are affinities here with Oscar Wilde is apparent; if they have ever been explored, we have yet to learn of it. The Society has a new committee, and its home page has been transformed and can be reached by clicking on the colophon.

SOCIÉTÉ OCTAVE MIRBEAU

Founded in Angers on 28th November 1993 and chaired by Dr Pierre Michel, Mirbeau’s editor and biographer, the aim of the Octave Mirbeau Society is to contribute by all the means at its disposal to the knowledge of the life, struggles and work of this great Norman writer (1848-1917). Its principal publication is the annual Cahiers Octave Mirbeau. Mirbeau both defended Wilde, and satirised him in the Journal d’une femme de chambre.

The Society maintains an elaborate multi-lingual website, recently redesigned, with all membership details and much information about Mirbeau.

The most recent Cahier is no 15, and its Table of Contents is on the Society’s website (click below).

THE WILLIAM MORRIS SOCIETY

Founded in London in 1955, the Society aims to make the life and work of Morris and his associates better known. Its programmes–which involve affiliated groups in Canada and the United States–include lectures, conferences, tours, museum visits, and social gatherings. A Newsletter is published quarterly (two issues with U.S. supplements) and there is a biannual Journal: both free to members. The Society publishes an array of books and pamphlets dealing with Morris. One of the Morris Society’s next big projects will be the Morris Online Edition. It is hoped to reproduce and create scholarly editions of nearly all of Morris’s writings and make them available to the public for free. Watch http://www.morrisedition.org/ for new developments. This is still in the planning phases.

The website has the following pages:

New in the William Morris Society: Conferences, exhibitions, lectures, and social gatherings in the UK, US, and Canada related to William Morris and his circle.

Current US Newsletter: get involved with your Society.

About the William Morris Society: Society bylaws, history, and membership directory.

The Journal of William Morris Studies: The scholarly organ of the Society since 1961.

The Life and Work of William Morris: Examples of and links to Morris’s writings, poetry, and designs.

The Worldwide Morris: Morris in English, Español, Català, Português, Magyar, Dutch, Dansk, Polska, Cesky, Svenska, Deutsch, & Français.

Society Archive: Worldwide announcements (1996 – present) and US newsletters (1988 – present).

Links to Related Sites: Arts & Crafts • Printing & book arts • Products & services • Victorian links

The Journal of William Morris Studies (formerly the Journal of the William Morris Society) is edited by Dr Patrick O’Sullivan (of the University of Plymouth) who has taken over from Dr. Rosie Miles. The Editor (JWMS, Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London, W6 9TA, England) welcomes inquiries: the e-mail address can be activated by clicking on the image below. The Journal (ISSN: 0084-0254) invites contributions on all subjects relating to William Morris’s life and works and his varied circles of influence.

On the web site are announced items of interest to scholars, researchers, and everyone interested in William Morris, his circle, and the Pre-Raphaelite movement, such as:

News of Morris Society events in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and worldwide.

Events and exhibitions related to the life and works of Morris and his associates.

Calls for papers and essays for conferences and book collections.

Biographical information and examples of Morris’s works in many media.

Books by and about William Morris.

Products and services dealing with William Morris and his circle.

Links to related web resources.

· The Society’s newsletter appears to have been replaced by a blog, News from Anywhere.

The excellent website was last updated on 30th May 2010.

THE WILLIAM MORRIS SOCIETY OF CANADA

87 Government Road, Toronto, Ontario, M8X 1W4. Tel. 416-233-7686. E-mail: @

Future events are announced on their website, last updated on 17th May 2010, and these and other information about the Society can be found by clicking the banner.

THE WILLIAM MORRIS SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES

This Society is not currently maintaining its own website. The website of the (English) William Morris Society carries a link to the U.S. Society’s Newsletter (January 2010). The Editor extends an invitation for anyone with Morris-related news, in the broadest possible interpretation, to contact her for inclusion in the next issue. ‘Morris-related’ includes the Pre-Raphaelites, Arts and Crafts, History of the Book, Mediævalism, Eco-Socialism, etc

Also welcome are books for review, news of conferences, book sales, calls for papers, and news of tours.

More from Shannon L. Rogers, Newsletter Editor, William Morris Society in the United States. @

William Morris and the Hammersmith Socialist League

the arthur morrison society

The Arthur Morrison Society is an offspring of the Loughton Festival in the English county of Essex. As with many hero societies, its task is to rescue its subject from undeserved neglect. The Society maintains a website (last updated October 2009), modest but becoming, ‘dedicated to Arthur Morrison (1863 - 1945) who wrote books and collected Japanese prints.’

The proust society of america

The Proust Society of America is a permanent program of The Mercantile Library Center for Fiction. Established in 1997, the Society's mission is to encourage the reading, study and enjoyment of the works of Marcel Proust (1871-1922), whose primary achievement, À la recherche du temps perdu, continues to be considered by most critics as one of the world's great works of fiction, almost a century after its composition was begun. The Society presents several lectures for the public, which are free to Proust members, holds an annual dinner to commemorate Proust's birthday, and sends additional information through its regular e-mail list.

THE ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON CLUB

The RLS Club was formed in 1920 by those who had known Stevenson and who wanted to care for his memory.

The Club’s main objective is ‘to foster interest in Stevenson’s life and works’. Over the years this has been met by the organisation of exhibitions, lectures and readings, the presentation of prizes for literary competitions, and the maintenance of the first Edinburgh museum dedicated to RLS at his birthplace at 8 Howard Place. The fine collection of memorabilia originally displayed there has been transferred to the City of Edinburgh’s Writers’ Museum in the Lawnmarket.

The Club, which has members all over the world, has close links with the RLS Club of Monterey, California, and is twinned with L’Association sur le Chemin de RLS in the Cévennes, France.

The Club badge is based on the palm tree device used on the famous ‘Tusitala’ edition of RLS’s works in 35 volumes published by Heinemann in 1923-4.

The RLS Club is a registered charity in Scotland: SC016582 and is not to be confused with the (American) Robert Louis Stevenson Society, of which more below. The Club’s website apparently has been incorporated into the wider Stevenson website project, now launched, and the logo now links to that.

THE ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON SOCIETY

The Society’s website contained the following statement, but its lin was broken when we checked on 15th July 2008 and remained broken, 7th January 2009, nor had it been restored as of 5th July 2009. It was then brought under the ægis of http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/stevenson-societies, but the link given there (http://www.n3carts.org/Stevenson/society.html) was broken when we tried on 1st July 2010.

The historic Stevenson Society of America was established in 1915 and in 1920 was incorporated as a not-for-profit educational entity and remains so today under the requirements of the New York State Education Department. The Society, which owns and operates the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage and Museum in Saranac Lake, N.Y., has a two-fold purpose: 1) to perpetuate the memory of Robert Louis Stevenson, author, in Saranac Lake by the collection and preservation of records, manuscripts, books and objects pertaining to his life and works. 2) to educate the public about him and provide a research center for scholars which includes documents pertinent to local history. To these ends the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage and Museum is open to visitors daily on a seasonal basis and by appointment year round. The Museum is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers and membership is open to all who are interested in the author and his works and desire to spread his brave philosophy of living.

The H.G. Wells Society

Aims and Functions of the Society

The H.G. Wells Society was founded in 1960. It has an international membership, and aims to promote a widespread interest in the life, work and thought of Herbert George Wells (see ‘Statement of Objects’). It publishes an annual journal, The Wellsian, and issues a biannual newsletter. It has published a comprehensive bibliography of Wells's published works, and other publications, including a number of works by Wells which have been out of print for many years.

Here is a list of H.G. Wells works currently in print (but only updated through February 2005), an important note on Wells and Copyright, and a full bibliography.

The Society organises a weekend conference each year when aspects of Wells's life and work are discussed in a congenial atmosphere. Topics discussed in recent years have included

The Short Stories of H.G. Wells – Publishing and Publicising Wells – Wells's Literary Friendships – The War of the Worlds – Wells and his Critics.

Subscription and other society information is available through the Society’s website, updated 29th May 2010, which can be reached by clicking the colophon.

THE EDITH WHARTON SOCIETY

Firmly grounded in academe, the Edith Wharton Society offers Wharton scholars and other interested persons an opportunity to share in the study and appreciation of the life and works of this author. Through annual meetings, sessions, special conferences, and its journal, The Edith Wharton Review, the Society provides a forum for Wharton studies. The current President (2007-2009) is Hildegard Hoeller, CUNY Staten Island; the current Acting Secretary (2007-2009) is Meredith Goldsmith, Ursinus College. Their website is well-stocked with information about the Society, Wharton and Wharton studies.

· An article by Dr Ailsa Boyd on ‘“The Decoration of Houses”: The American Homes of Edith Wharton’ appeared in The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, vol.XXX.

THE YEATS SOCIETY

The Yeats Society was founded in Sligo in 1958 in order to commemorate and honour the memory of W.B. Yeats, and to promote appreciation of his poetry and other writings, and an awareness of the other members of this talented family.

The Society operates from the Yeats Memorial Building in the very centre of Sligo, overlooking the River Garavogue. The building is the administrative centre of the Society and houses the Yeats Exhibition Centre of the Society, The Sligo Art Gallery, and the Yeats River Café.

The Library provides reading and learning space for students who wish to consult its unique collection of books, and to listen to and view the DVD collection of lectures given at Years Summer Schools over more than forty years.

Highlights of the year are undoubtedly the Yeats International Summer School, held each year in the first fortnight of August, and the Yeats Winter School, held over the last weekend of January, but each year sees other specific events, and the office remains busy all year answering queries and keeping in touch with Yeatsian scholars and students from all over the world.

Two discussion groups are worth joining, one official, the other unofficial. These are, respectively, YEATS-DISCUSSION-subscribe@egroups.com and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yeatsian/.

The website, reached by clicking the picture, is packed with information and kept well up to date.

THE EMILE ZOLA SOCIETY

Based at the French Institute in London: Institut français - Centre Culturel, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT. Tel.: 0207 073 1350

After a period of disruption, the Society’s website is now flourishing again, and its activities can be found there. Click its banner.

Completely unconnected with the Society there is a small and torpid Zola forum.

THE ALLIANCE OF LITERARY SOCIETIES

The Alliance of Literary Societies was formed in 1973 as a result of a correspondence in The Times related to a threatened building with Dickens associations. Mrs. Kathleen Adams, Secretary of the George Eliot Fellowship, suggested that through a close co-operative literary society, societies could provide a more powerful voice in defence of the British literary heritage.

The Alliance now has a membership of some 125 societies and is thus able to provide support and advice on a variety of subjects as well as promoting co-operation between member societies in the preparation of their programmes. Their website lists these. The Alliance is very much British rooted.

A journal is produced annually. Articles are welcomed by the editor, though she should be contacted before writing the article. The co-editors are Linda Curry, @, and Robin Healey, @. A Newsletter is also produced twice a year; and two websites are maintained, one for the Alliance’s own business, the other for its members (click the colophon).

To contact the Alliance of Literary Societies, please e-mail Julie Shorland who has succeeded Rosemary Culley as Secretary.

The American Literature Association

This is a coalition of societies devoted to the study of American authors. In June 1989, members of the major societies devoted to American authors met at the Cal State Symposium on American Literature in San Diego, to discuss ways to provide specialists in American authors with new opportunities for scholarly interaction. The result was the American Literature Association: a coalition of societies devoted to the study of American authors. The major activity of the American Literature Association is its annual conference. The first conference was held at the Bahia Resort Hotel in San Diego on May 31- June 2, 1990, and firmly established the success of the new organization.

At its organizing meeting, the members of the American Literature Association agreed to the following statement of purpose: The primary purpose of the American Literature Association is the advancement of humanistic learning by encouraging the study of American authors and their works. The American Literature Association shall actively encourage fellowship and scholarly interaction among persons interested in American authors, their art, their ideas, and their times. Specifically, the American Literature Association shall provide means for the various societies devoted to the study of American authors to cooperate in arranging conferences and other scholarly activities. The American Literature Association recognizes the importance of encouraging a wide variety of approaches, both established and innovational, to the study of American authors, including biographical and historical studies of an author's life and times, bibliographical examinations and close readings of literary texts, as well as all other critical approaches. To achieve its goals, the American Literature Association shall sponsor an annual American literature conference. The American Literature Association may also arrange other conferences and symposia, publish or support the publication of journals and books devoted to the study of American literature, offer both competitive and honorary awards to individuals, encourage the formation and development of literary societies with similar goals, and engage in other appropriate activities. The American Literature Association exists for educational and charitable purposes. It is opposed to discrimination based on sex, race, nationality, or religion, but the Association does not take positions on political or social issues.

Subject societies

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

Founded by William Morris in 1877 to counteract the highly destructive 'restoration' of mediæval buildings being practised by many Victorian architects. Formerly nicknamed ‘Anti-Scrape’, it is now known in our reduced times as Spab... Today it is the largest, oldest and most technically expert national pressure group fighting to save old buildings from decay, demolition and damage.

The Society's events calendar is now reached by a link from their home page (click their colophon). The website is informative, easy to navigate, and up-to-date.

37 Spital Square, London E1 6DY. tel 020 7377 1644 fax 020 7247 5296. @

The Bedford Park Society

The Bedford Park Society (a registered charity) was founded in 1963 to protect the amenities of Bedford Park and has been successful in saving the work of Norman Shaw, Godwin, Wilson, May and others.

No events are ordinarily planned. The Society seeks to protect the amenities of the garden suburb and is therefore primarily interested in matters concerning the buildings, their setting, their maintenance and appropriate development sympathetic to their architectural and historic importance. The Society is not a residents’ association but is nevertheless keenly interested in community matters affecting the amenities of the suburb. The suburb has many buildings designed by Arts and Crafts Architects, including Voysey, Godwin and Norman Shaw.

The Bedford Park Society, 31 Priory Avenue, Bedford Park, London W4 1TZ, England.

The Children’s Literature Association

‘Encouraging high standards of criticism, scholarship, research, and teaching in children's literature’, this is an American body with an active programme in support of its aims. There is a clear and informative website. Click the logo.

The International Society for Cultural History

At the 'Varieties of Cultural History' conference, at the University of Aberdeen, 5th-8th July 2007, a meeting, chaired by Crosbie Smith of the University of Kent, was held to consider the establishment of a Cultural History Society. It was proposed by Peter Burke of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and generally agreed, that 'International' should be included in the title of the Society. In order to launch such a Society, the meeting set up a provisional committee to prepare a constitution, to arrange a founding conference, to develop the membership, and to explore the establishment of a Journal and occasional publications series. The Provisional Committee met immediately afterwards and co-opted additional members so as to increase the number of countries represented. The report and recommendations of the provisional committee can be viewed by clicking here. A constitution, prepared by the provisional committee and subsequently approved at the Founding General meeting of the Society in Ghent on 31st August 2008, is here. Last updated 8th June 2010, the site can be reached by clicking the banner.

The Society of Dance History Scholars

The Society of Dance History Scholars advances the field of dance studies through research, publication, performance, and outreach to audiences across the arts, humanities, and social sciences. As a constituent member of the American Council of Learned Societies, SDHS holds wide-ranging annual conferences; publishes new scholarship through its proceedings and book series; collaborates regularly with peer organizations in the U.S. and abroad; and presents yearly awards for exemplary scholarship, including the de la Torre Bueno Prize®. The Society maintains a large and informative website.

The Society of Dix-Neuviémistes

On 4th July 2001, following the annual conference of the Society for French Studies in University College Dublin, a meeting was held to inaugurate The Society of Dix-Neuviémistes (SDN). The aims of the society are:

To provide a forum for the promotion and dissemination of research in nineteenth-century French and Francophone studies in the UK and Ireland.

To encourage interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to the 'long' nineteenth century (1789-1914) in France and Francophone countries, embracing linguistic, literary, historical, cultural and philosophical perspectives.

To foster nineteenth-century French studies in the postgraduate community.

To organise an annual conference, and to establish an international, fully-refereed journal.

To liaise with related societies in the UK, USA and France.

The Eighteen Nineties Society

This last candle of the Nineteenth Century has regrettably been extinguished.

We very much hope that www.oscholars.com helps to fill the gap.

For a bibliography of the Society’s publications, click here.

The International Gothic Association

Full membership of the Association is linked to subscription to our journal, Gothic Studies, published by Manchester University Press and the leading academic journal for all those interested in the gothic. This journal represents the best new work in the field and includes exciting articles by senior academics as well as postgraduate students and independent scholars. Along with the journal, you will also receive information on upcoming events, you can use our website to publicize information regarding your own scholarly activity and you can get contact information on people working in your field. The Association’s elaborate website is currently hosted by the University of Stirling, Scotland.

The Socialist History Society

The Socialist History Society was founded in 1992. Its members include many of Britain's leading socialist and labour historians, both academic and amateur. The SHS holds regular events, public meetings and one-off conferences, and contributes to current historical debates and controversies. The society produces a range of publications, including the journal Socialist History. It can sometimes assist with individual student research.

The SHS is the successor to the Communist Party History Group, established in 1946. The society is now entirely independent of all political parties and groups. It is engaged in, and seeks to encourage, historical studies from a Marxist and broadly-defined left perspective. It is concerned with every aspect of human history from early social formations to the present day. It is particularly interested in the struggles of labour, women, progressive and peace movements throughout the world, as well as the movements and achievements of colonial peoples, black people, and other oppressed communities in seeking justice, human dignity and liberation.

Each year the society produces two issues of the journal Socialist History, one or two historical pamphlets in the Occasional Papers series, and frequent newsletters. It holds a lecture and debate in London every two months. In addition, the SHS organises occasional conferences, book-launch meetings, and joint events with other sympathetic groups.

The Society’s website was last updated 19th February 2010.

The Society for Utopian Studies

Founded in 1975, The Society for Utopian Studies is an international, interdisciplinary association devoted to the study of utopianism in all its forms, with a particular emphasis on literary and experimental utopias. Scholars representing a wide variety of disciplines are active in the association, and approach utopian studies from such diverse backgrounds as American Studies, Architecture, the Arts, Classics, Cultural Studies, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Gender Studies, History, Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Urban Planning.

Although many Society members are involved in social activism or communitarianism, the purpose of the Society itself is to study utopianism rather than to pursue utopian projects.

The Society sponsors an annual scholarly meeting and publishes the journal Utopian Studies and a newsletter, Utopus Discovered, which contains information about upcoming conferences and workshops, and details on publications in the field.

The Society maintains two listservs: H-UTOPIA is a moderated discussion for scholarly exchange. To subscribe to the H-UTOPIA listserv, follow the instructions on the H-UTOPIA page on H-NET; UTOPIA-L is unmoderated. To subscribe to the UTOPIA-L listserv, send the e-mail message ‘subscribe UTOPIA-L’ to listserv@listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu.

For more information about the Society, contact Dr. Carrie Hintz, Associate Professor of English, Queens College/CUNY, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367 (718)-997-4677. @

Its web page was last modified on 7th May 2010.

The Utopian Studies Society

The Utopian Studies Society is an interdisciplinary society that aims to co-ordinate and encourage the diverse work currently taking place on the subject of utopianism. The Society was established in 1988 by a group of British scholars, following an international conference on utopianism at New Lanark. It was re-launched, following the ‘Millennium of Utopias’ conference at the University of East Anglia in June 1999. Members include people researching literature, philosophy, sociology, history, architecture, politics and anthropology.

There is no formal membership or subscription. If you would like to be added to the e-mailing list, please send your details to the USS Secretary, Lorna Davidson at @.

The 10th International Conference was held at the University of Porto, in Portugal, 1st-4th July 2009; the 11th International Conference on ‘Spectres of Utopia’ will be held at the University of Lublin in Poland, 7-10 July 2010.

The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals

The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals, familiarly known as RSVP, is a lively and collegial group dedicated to the study of the world's first mechanized ‘mass’ press--newspapers, magazines, and other serial publications--that came into being in 19th-century Britain and its Empire. Members of RSVP are involved in the study of British literature and society, as well as in the emerging fields of book history and media history.

Through its quarterly journal as well as its enormously enjoyable annual conference and such awards as the Van Arsdel dissertation prize, the Curran Fellowship, and the Colby Prize, RSVP works to support contemporary scholarship in this vital area of study, and to share that scholarship with a wide and diverse audience. As a group, the Society aims to make Victorian periodicals easier for everyone to find, access, and explore, opening up this remarkable world of print so as to illuminate both the culture that produced it and its legacy in our own time. It maintains a full website, last updated 2nd September 2009.

The Victorian Society

The Victorian Society is the national society responsible for the study and protection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture and other arts. It was founded in 1958 to fight the then widespread ignorance of nineteenth and early twentieth century architecture. Among its thirty founder members were John Betjeman and Nikolaus Pevsner.

The Society’s programme is published on its elaborate and up to date website. For details, click the banner. NOTE: This was not working on 1st July 2010.

The Victorian Society in America

The Victorian Society In America is the only national non-profit organization committed to historic preservation, protection, understanding, education, and enjoyment of our nineteenth century heritage. The VSA was founded in 1966 as a sister organization to the Victorian Society in the U.K., by such legends of historic preservation as Brendan Gill, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, and Margot Gayle.  So outraged were they by the 1964 destruction of New York's magnificent Pennsylvania Station [McKim, Mead, & White, 1910]  that they formed the Society to ensure that other important structures did not fall to the wrecker's ball. Since then, the VSA has fulfilled its mission through publications, symposia, architectural tours, and its famous Summer Schools in Newport, Rhode Island & London, England, and has made tremendous contributions to the preservation of many historic buildings.  Indeed, Old House Journal included the founding of the Victorian Society as one of the 25 most significant milestones in American preservation. There are 16 registered Chapters of the Society around the country, hosting a wide range of local events and lectures. There is a vigorous website.

The VSA National Office is in the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, the 11th oldest Baptist Church in the US (founded in 1698), 1634 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103). E-mail @. The building itself dates to 1899, and was designed by Edgar V. Seeler, the architect of several noted buildings in and around Philadelphia, among them the Curtis Center (still home to the stunningly beautiful Louis Comfort Tiffany mosaic ‘The Dream Garden’). The church sanctuary is an impressive blending of the Romanesque and Byzantine styles, and is worth a visit of its own when in town. The office is accessed via the side entrance on Sansom Street.

The Society publishes a scholarly magazine (19th Century; Editor: William Ayres), a printed newsletter (The Victorian; Editor: Edward Gordon), and an email newsletter (Editor: Ken Olin). Click the banners.

The Australasian Victorian Studies Association

The Australasian Victorian Studies Association aims to promote the activities and research of scholars in Victorian literary, historical, and cultural studies, including art history, architecture, politics, popular and print culture, and, increasingly, considerations of 'the Victorian' beyond the chronological period, and beyond the geographical centre of British Victorian Studies.

Since its first conference in 1973, AVSA has provided a meeting place for scholars in Victorian Studies in the southern hemisphere. AVSA's membership is international, with a particular focus on Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. We also have strong links with Associations in Britain and the United States.

AVSA conferences are held regularly, hosted by members around the region. Most recently, the 2009 annual conference was held in Dunedin, New Zealand. The 2010 conference is in Singapore. The latest details are available from the AVSA 2010 conference webpage.

The other major initiative for AVSA is the transformation of our well-established refereed journal, AVSJ, to a new web-based electronic journal: Australasian Journal of Victorian Studies (AJVS). The first issue went online in December 2007. For more information about the Journal, please go to its home on the National Library of Australia's Online Journal System webpage.

The Victorian Studies Society of Japan

Membership: 334 (as of January 31st, 2010). The website of this Society is unsurprisingly mostly in Japanese. THE OSCHOLARS Editor for Japan, Professor Atsuko Ogane, made contact early in 2009, and we hope to be able to present more information in future. Clicking the banner below will take you to a page in English.

La Société française d’études victoriennes et edouardiennes

‘SFEVE’, chiefly composed of French academics, holds regular meetings in Paris and elsewhere in France, and publishes the annual Cahier d’études victoriennes et édouardiennes. Its useful website can be found by clicking the logo.

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