University Presses
Almost every day during COVID I walk (or run) past Princeton University Press on William Street.
It has me thinking about university presses and their role in the dispersion of knowledge created by/through universities.
University presses publish academic research, textbooks and trade books typically authored by someone with a connection to the university.
In many cases they are affiliated with a university, but not managed directly or owned by it.
The wikipedia entry on university presses lists nearly a thousand of them, from Armenia (Yerevan State University Press) to Yemen (Aden University House Publishing).
The US and UK have by far the largest numbers of university presses, driven by the underlying number of universities.
A few fun facts about university presses …
Cambridge University Press is the oldest. Founded in 1534!
Oxford University Press is the largest. Six thousand employees in 53 countries!
Princeton University Press is the closest to my house. Half a mile door to door!
University presses often have memorable acronyms by virtue of ending in “UP”. Like CUP, OUP or PUP!
Thinking of nice words and associations, here’s a university press-y word to leave you with.
Colophon.
One of the meanings of this word makes reference to the emblem or logo of the press often printed at the base of the spine of a book. Think of the stylized MIT press logo, for example. Colophon comes from ancient Greek meaning “finishing touch”.
More here …
