Even after decades of history wars, Australians still have a keen appetite for Australian history. According to recent research by UNSW, 83% of Australians believe history is relevant to society today – but only 57% feel we know much about it.

Despite a welcome rise in history education through podcasts and social media, books are still among the best vehicles for it. In fact, books are often the engine for history in other media, including radio and podcast interviews, and literary festival appearances. But you will not find many of the books written by Australian historians in your local bookshop – though local publishers say there is a healthy market for Australian history among local readers.

Elizabeth Weiss, nonfiction publisher and digital publishing director at Allen and Unwin, described a “public respect” and “public interest” in history. We spoke to her for our new research on the place of the book in Australian universities, focusing on history. The Australian Historical Association surveyed 223 members, mostly historians, researchers and students (but also publishers and agents). It is the first study of its kind.

We found that though books remain historians’ most valued form of research, many universities favour high-impact journal articles over books, and there is a bias towards international publishers over Australian ones. This makes it harder for new history knowledge to reach most Australian readers.

Pressure against affordable, accessible books

While historians – especially those still young and building their careers – feel pressure to publish internationally, many would prefer to produce affordable........

© The Conversation