University press

The Pitt Building at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England was built in 1833 and is home of Cambridge University Press, the world's oldest university press.[1]

A university press is an academic publishing house specializing in monographs and scholarly journals. They are often an integral component of a large research university. They publish work that has been reviewed by scholars in the field.[2] They produce mainly academic works but also often have trade books for a lay audience. These trade books also get peer reviewed.[2] Many but not all university presses are nonprofit organizations, including the 160 members of the Association of University Presses.[3]

Because scholarly books are mostly unprofitable, university presses may also publish textbooks and reference works, which tend to have larger audiences and sell more copies. Most university presses operate at a loss and are subsidized by their owners; others are required to break even.[4] Demand has fallen as library budgets are cut and the online sales of used books undercut the new book market. Many presses are experimenting with electronic publishing.[5]

  1. ^ "About us | Our story | Timeline". www.cambridge.org/universitypress. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  2. ^ a b Grady, Constance (November 8, 2019). "75 books from university presses that will help you understand the world". Vox. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Windhorn, Annette. "ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION". AUPresses.org. Association of University Presses. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  4. ^ Kathleen Fitzpatrick (2011). Planned Obsolescence: Publishing, Technology, and the Future of the Academy. NYU Press. p. 157. ISBN 9780814728963.
  5. ^ Rebecca Ann Bartlett, "University Press Forum 2011: The End of the Tunnel?" Journal of Scholarly Publishing (Oct 2011) 43#1 pp 1-13 DOI: 10.1353/scp.2011.0040