Founded in 1846, the Hakluyt Society is one of the world's most prestigious text-publication institutions, devoted to the publication of primary and subsequent narratives relating to global travel, exploration and discovery. Often available previously only in manuscript or in unedited versions in languages other than English, these texts are essential records of the initial stages of inter-continental and inter-cultural encounter. In scope, scholarship and production values, the Society maintains a prominent position in its field, and its publications, particularly the earlier volumes, remain in high demand. The Society has so far published over 200 editions in some 350 volumes, all of them in English.