Michael Durrant

Michael Durrant is a Lecturer in Book History at the Institute of English Studies, part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London. His research focuses on the early modern English book trade, particularly the printer Henry Hills, and explores intersections between material texts, queer theory, and early modern cultural dynamics. He has published widely on topics such as Protestant devotion, manuscript modifications, and the queer potentials of material texts.

Research interests include the English book trade in the early modern period, with emphasis on printer figures, printed waste, and the interplay between secrecy/trust in Shakespeare’s works. He has contributed to interdisciplinary projects on historical texts and their material contexts, including analysis of printer devices, devotional manuscripts, and recovered archival fragments.

Publications span monographs, journal articles, and edited collections, addressing diverse themes like the cultural afterlives of printers, queer interpretations of early modern texts, and the strategic use of printer trademarks. His work often bridges literary analysis with material culture studies.

Award-winning (pending explicit mentions) and active in doctoral supervision, Durrant collaborates on projects such as the reconstruction of 19th-century Jesuit libraries and has engaged in editorial work on historical texts like Eikon Basilike and The Great Bible.