Cornell University Press (CUP) was the first university press in the United States, founded in 1869 in the school’s College of the Mechanic Arts, as mechanical engineering was then called, because engineers knew the most about operating a steam-powered printing press.
(Cambridge University Press is both the oldest publishing house in the world and the oldest university press, having published its first book in 1584; Johns Hopkins University Press has been in continuous operation since 1878).
Since its inception, the press has employed students for typesetting and running presses. Today they employ or offer internships to 6-10 students from Cornell University and beyond each semester.
CUP was inactive from 1884 to 1930, but has since grown to be one of the country’s largest university presses. It was subsidized by the university for most of its history, but now is largely dependent on book sales. CUP is believed to be the 13th largest university press in the world with 37 employees and an annual budget of $6 million.
They have more than 5,000 books in print, and publish 175 new books each year. The press has sold almost 20 million books in nearly 40 subject areas (with 39 active series) including anthropology, Asian studies, biological sciences, classics, history, industrial relations, literary criticism and theory, natural history, philosophy, politics and international relations, veterinary science, and women’s studies.
The also publish the academic journal New York History twice each year. The journal presents articles dealing with New York State history, and reviews of books, exhibitions, and media projects with a New York focus. The Editorial Board solicits articles, essays, reports from the field and case studies that support this mission.
Although CUP has long been an important publisher of books relevant to New York State, their books are regularly translated (into 16 languages in 2023) and read in more than 60 countries. Four Texts on Socrates, translated by Thomas G. West & Grace Starry West, is their bestselling book of all time with more than 245,000 copies sold so far.
The Press has also freely provided more than 250 books to everyone in the world through their Open Access program.
New York Almanack regularly notices New York-related books by Cornell University Press. You can see those here.
Photo: Sage House in the Lower Collegetown community of Ithaca has been Cornell University Press’s home since 1993 (provided by Cornell University).
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