Jack Benjamin Edwards (born 18 October 1998) is an English YouTuber, social media influencer and author. He has built an online following posting videos about books, popular culture and university life since 2016, and is associated with the internet sub-communities of BookTube, BookTok and EduTube. As of July 2026, he has over 2.1 million subscribers on YouTube and over 2 million followers across TikTok, Goodreads and Instagram.
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Early life and education
Jack Benjamin Edwards was born on 18 October 1998 in Brighton, England. He attended the University of Durham (St Cuthbert's Society), where he earned a First Class BA in English literature. He was the first member of his family to attend university.
Career
Edwards registered his YouTube account @jack_edwards in 2014, gaining prominence in 2017 for documenting his experiences at St Cuthbert's. Then-Principal, Elizabeth Archibald, would attribute the popularity of Edwards' vlogs to St Cuthbert's first oversubscription, referring to it as "the Jack Edwards effect".
As of 2026, Edwards' main YouTube channel has 1.7 million subscribers and 196 million views, where his content focuses on activities such as reading the book recommendations of popular actors, musicians, and reality stars, and is also active on TikTok and Instagram where he has a further 2 million followers. As of 2026 his second channel, @Jack_in_the_books, has a further 540k subscribers and 69 million views.
In 2020, Edwards published The Uni-Verse: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving University with Harper Collins, while in 2021 he launched the stationary company Ink Outside the Box. In 2023, Edwards announced that he would be closing down the company.
In 2023, Edwards was announced as a "thinker in residence" for that year's Hay Festival, focusing on digital storytelling and online media. As part of his role, he interviewed Alice Oseman. That year, he also hosted the 2023 Booker Prize official livestream at Old Billingsgate and the 2024 International Booker Prize at Tate Modern.
Edwards appeared as a panellist on series eight of Between the Covers. His episode aired on BBC Two on 19 November 2024.
In 2025, Edwards launched Inklings, an online book club aimed at fostering discussion of contemporary literature and championing storytellers from around the world. The inaugural selection was Evenings and Weekends by Irish writer Oisín McKenna, followed by The Coin by Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher which took place at Chelsea Arts Festival. Guests on the book club's accompanying podcast include celebrities like Cillian Murphy, Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie and Steven Spielberg, as well as authors like Alice Oseman, Ocean Vuong, George Saunders and Andy Weir.
He was appointed Literary Editor for Esquire (UK Edition) in 2025, where he writes a monthly book column.
Recognition
Edwards has been included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, aged 26. In 2026, he was named to the TIME 100 Creators list celebrating the top 100 most influential creators in the world. He was also included in The Times Young Power List, which recognises influential people under the age of 30 in the UK.
Edwards has been described by several publications as an influential figure in contemporary publishing and online literary culture. ArtsHub referred to him as "one of the most important figures in publishing", while The Times described him as the "internet's resident librarian". In a 2026 profile, New Statesman described Edwards as "the most powerful literary critic in the world".