About Columbia University Press | Columbia University Press (2024)

History

Columbia University Press advances Columbia University’s global mission through the publication, translation, and distribution of books in an array of disciplines and professional programs on subjects of worldwide significance. The Press was founded in 1893 and is one of the oldest and largest American university presses. The purpose of the press as expressed in its Certificate of Incorporation is to “promote the study of economic, historical, literary, scientific and other subjects and to promote and encourage the publication of literary works embodying original research in such subjects.” Signers of the certificate included Seth Low, then president of Columbia; Henry Fairfield Osborne; and Nicholas Murray Butler, who succeeded Low in 1902 as president of the university and of the Press.

In its first quarter century, CUP’s list focused on politics, including books by two U.S. presidents, Woodrow Wilson and WIlliam Howard Taft; on seminal books by Columbia University faculty, including economist Edwin Seligman; and on series such as the first ever anthropology series, edited by faculty member Franz Boas, and the Records of Civilization series. In 1928 an editorial department was formed to create The Columbia Encyclopedia, the first comprehensive English-language encyclopedia in one volume.

In the 1940s, building on the success of The Columbia Encyclopedia, the Press expanded its reference program by publishing the Granger’s Index to Poetry and The Columbia Gazetteer of the World. These two works, which now exist in print and as vital online resources, remain essential reference works that are acclaimed by librarians. In addition to these single-volume reference works, the Press has published major multivolume works, including Geoffrey Bullough’s Narrative and Dramatic Sources of Shakespeare, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, The Letters of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789–1800.

Innovative Columbia University instructional programs are reflected in the Press’s publishing of material for teaching core courses on Asian civilization. Under the direction of the late Wm. Theodore de Bary, John Mitchell Mason Professor Emeritus and provost emeritus of Columbia University and recipient of the National Humanities medal in 2014, the Press has published and subsequently revised four influential anthologies: Sources of Indian Tradition (first published in 1958, revised in 1988 and 2014), Sources of Japanese Tradition (1958, revised in 2005), Sources of Chinese Tradition (1960, revised in 1999), and Sources of Korean Tradition (1996). These anthologies were followed by dozens of standard-setting translations, from Donald Keene’s translation of the Major Plays of Chikamatsu (1961) to The Art of War: Sun Zi’s Military Methods, translated by Victor Mair (2007). The updated Sources books continue to be used in the classroom. They have been joined by Sources of Vietnamese Tradition (2012) and Sources of Tibetan Tradition (2012).

Throughout its history, one of the strengths of the Press has been the diversity of its list. It has distinguished itself with its strong program in social work publishing, begun in collaboration with faculty at the Columbia School of Social Work, and the Press’s social work texts have been widely adopted in courses and are used by professionals in the field. Through its European Perspectives series, which publishes works by leading European historians, philosophers, and social theorists, the Press has published a range of innovative and field-leading scholarship by world-renowned thinkers such as Theodor Adorno, Antonio Gramsci, Roland Barthes, and Gilles Deleuze. The Press also publishes notable lecture series, such as the Leonard Hasting Schoff Memorial Lectures, sponsored by the University Seminars at Columbia; the Bampton Lectures in America, also sponsored by Columbia University; and the Kenneth J. Arrow Lectures, sponsored by the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia.

The Press has published prominent authors from a variety of disciplines, including Talal Asad, Alain Badiou, Peter Brown, Judith Butler, Arthur Danto, John Lewis Gaddis, Mikhail Gorbachev, R. Glenn Hubbard, Roald Hoffman, Donald Keene, Rashid Khalidi, Julia Kristeva, Michael Mann, Howard Marks, Andrew Nathan, Paul Offit, John Rawls, Jeffrey Sachs, Edward Said, Joseph Stiglitz, Mark C. Taylor, Hervé This, David Foster Wallace, and Kenneth Waltz.

The Press currently publishes approximately 200 new titles every year in the fields of animal studies; Asian literature, philosophy, politics, and history; biological sciences; business; criminology; culinary studies and food history and science; current affairs; economics; environmental sciences; film and media studies; finance; global history; health policy; international affairs; journalism; literary studies; Middle East studies; New York City history; paleontology; philosophy; political theory; psychology; religion; science policy; social work; sociology; and U.S. history.

Widely reviewed and the recipients of numerous awards, Columbia University Press titles are sold around the world.

Columbia University Press established itself as a leader in the field of electronic publishing with innovative and timely products such as Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO), the Columbia Granger’s World of Poetry, and the Columbia Gazetteer of the World. CUP is also committed to publishing in all electronic formats, and CUP e-books are available from dozens of vendors around the world.

Directors of Columbia University Press

  • Seth Low, 1893–1901
  • Nicholas Murray Butler, 1902–1907
  • William H. Carpenter, 1907–1925
  • Fredrick Coykendall, 1925–1946
  • Charles G. Proffitt, 1946–1969
  • Robert G. Barnes, 1969–1980
  • John D. Moore, 1980–1997
  • William B. Strachan, 1997–2003
  • James D. Jordan, 2004–2013
  • Jennifer Crewe, 2014–

Columbia University Press is located at 61 West 62 Street, New York, NY 10023.

About Columbia University Press | Columbia University Press (2024)

FAQs

What is the Columbia University Press? ›

Founded in 1893, it is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology, religion, film, and international studies. Columbia University Press. Parent company. Columbia ...

Is Columbia University Press reliable? ›

Widely reviewed and the recipients of numerous awards, Columbia University Press titles are sold around the world.

What is the Columbia Press? ›

The Columbian press is a type of hand-operated printing press invented in the United States by George Clymer, around 1813.

Who distributes Columbia University Press? ›

Ingram Publisher Services (IPS) distributes Columbia University Press books in North America, South America and Asia.

Who owns university press? ›

The University Press Group (UPG) is jointly owned by the University Presses of California, Columbia and Princeton and is responsible for the sales of their print books in the UK and Ireland, Europe, The Middle East and Africa.

What is the purpose of a university press? ›

A university press will hand select topics and expert perspectives and publish monographs, otherwise known as a single scholarly subject. For the natural sciences, a university press can publish academic journals. They also have a strong reputation for publishing creative pieces, like poetry.

Which university press is the best? ›

The results were:
  • Cambridge University Press.
  • Oxford University Press.
  • Springer Nature.
  • Routledge.
  • Elsevier.
  • Peter Lang.
  • Thomson Reuters.
  • Blackwell.

Why is Columbia University not ranked in US News? ›

In the report, Thaddeus questioned the University's methodologies in calculating metrics like class sizes and the number of faculty members with terminal degrees. After the University failed to substantiate its data, U.S. News unranked Columbia in July 2022.

Is university press a scholarly source? ›

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.

What is the largest press in America? ›

The Alcoa 50,000 ton forging press is a heavy press operated at Howmet Aerospace's Cleveland Operations. It was built as part of the Heavy Press Program by the United States Air Force.

What is the biggest newspaper in Columbia? ›

NewspaperLocation
1 El TiempoBogotá
2 El EspectadorBogotá
3 El ColombianoMedellín
4 PortafolioBogotá
29 more rows

What is the name of the Columbia University student newspaper? ›

Columbia Daily Spectator
TypeStudent newspaper
HeadquartersNew York City, U.S.
Circulation8,000
Websitecolumbiaspectator.com
Free online archiveslibrary.columbia.edu
9 more rows

Is Columbia University Press prestigious? ›

Columbia University Press is a premier scholarly publisher that advances Columbia University's global mission through the publication, translation, and distribution of books in an array of disciplines and professional programs on subjects of worldwide significance.

Who is the director of Columbia University Press? ›

Jennifer Crewe - Associate Provost and Director - Columbia University Press | LinkedIn.

Who is Columbia Records owned by? ›

Columbia Records is a premier frontline label of Sony Music Entertainment. Its roster features some of the most famous names in music history including Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen, alongside some of the finest cutting-edge artists in the world today such as Calvin Harris, Rosalía and Koffee.

What is the difference between university press and commercial press? ›

However, there are some important differences. One of the things we can say in general about university presses is that they're less pressed or they have less pressure to publish as many manuscripts as possible, which can be a good thing if we're concentrating on high-quality academic content.

Does Columbia University have a newspaper? ›

Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator delivers news daily to thousands of readers around Columbia University, Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond.

Is Columbia Journalism Review affiliated with Columbia University? ›

The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961.

What GPA do you need for Columbia journalism? ›

The Journalism School has no minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) requirement and accounts for different grading systems around the world in its admission process.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Tuan Roob DDS

Last Updated:

Views: 6479

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (42 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tuan Roob DDS

Birthday: 1999-11-20

Address: Suite 592 642 Pfannerstill Island, South Keila, LA 74970-3076

Phone: +9617721773649

Job: Marketing Producer

Hobby: Skydiving, Flag Football, Knitting, Running, Lego building, Hunting, Juggling

Introduction: My name is Tuan Roob DDS, I am a friendly, good, energetic, faithful, fantastic, gentle, enchanting person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.