Royal Astronomical Society and Springer Sign Book Agreement

RAS President, Professor Michael Rowan-Robinson, said: “We are aiming to publish books of a wide variety of types and levels, but all at the highest scientific standard. We are primarily interested in exploiting the Society’s assets – its members, its archives, its meetings – to advance our sciences through all kinds of book publishing. We chose Springer because it is an international publisher with a range of imprints and series that can well present the kinds of books we have in mind, and because it is interested in moving forward imaginatively with us into the era of electronic publishing.”

Hubertus von Riedesel, Vice President, Publishing, Physical Sciences and Engineering at Springer, said, “Springer is proud to work with such an esteemed organization as the Royal Astronomical Society with its long history of high-quality publications. Our publishing strategy is to maximize circulation, visibility, and access to academic information. This overlaps with the main goals of the RAS – maximum dissemination of the research results published by astronomers worldwide.”

The agreement will strengthen Springer’s existing book program in this field, which comprises about 150 titles published annually. The partnership enables the RAS to expand its publishing portfolio, which currently consists of three learned journals producing 25,000 pages per year, two-thirds of which originate from outside the UK. The first two books are already in preparation and will review research into white dwarf stars and the ‘many-body problem’ – how stars, planets and galaxies interact through gravitation.

Founded in 1820, the Royal Astronomical Society has more than 3,000 members in 73 countries. It is the UK’s leading professional body for astronomy and astrophysics, geophysics, solar and solar-terrestrial physics and planetary sciences. The RAS organizes scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, awards grants and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports educational activities and lobbies government.

Springer is the second-largest publisher worldwide in the science, technology, and medicine (STM) sector and publishes on behalf of more than 300 academic associations and professional societies. It is the world’s leading book publisher in astronomy. Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media, one of the world’s leading suppliers of scientific and specialist literature. The group owns 70 publishing houses, together publishing a total of 1,450 journals and more than 5,000 new books a year. The group operates in over 20 countries in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and has some 5,000 employees.