Professor Emma Smith appointed Gresham Professor of Rhetoric

13 November 2026

Hertford College warmly congratulates Emma Smith, Hertford fellow and Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford, on her appointment as the 51st Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College, London.

The Gresham Professorship of Rhetoric is one of seven professorships established at the College’s foundation in 1597. In her new role, Emma will continue a centuries-old tradition of offering free, university-level public lectures.

This prestigious appointment recognises both her scholarship and her commitment to making literature, history and academic research accessible to audiences around the world. A leading Shakespeare scholar and acclaimed author, she is well known for bringing fresh perspectives to familiar texts. Her 2019 book This Is Shakespeare was a Sunday Times bestseller, while Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers (2022) was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize.

The appointment complements her recently commenced Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship exploring race, value and the invention of rare books, alongside work on her next book, The First Elizabethans.

We are delighted to see Emma’s achievements recognised in this way and look forward to following her lectures at Gresham College.

Read the full announcement on Gresham’s website.