Stanford University Press: Difference between revisions

'''Stanford University Press''' ('''SUP''') is the [[publishing house]] of [[Stanford University]]. It is one of the oldest [[university press|academic presses]] in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It wasis amongcurrently thea presses officially admitted to the Associationmember of American University Presses (now the [[Association of University Presses]]) at the organization's founding, in 1937, and is one of twenty-two current member presses from that original group.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaupnet.org/about-aaup/aaup-history/687-founding-of-aaup|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115204121/http://www.aaupnet.org/about-aaup/aaup-history/687-founding-of-aaup|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-11-15|title=Founding of AAUP|date=2012-11-15|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Our Members |url=https://aupresses.org/membership/membership-list/ |access-date=January 30, 2023 |publisher=[[Association of University Presses]]}}</ref> The press publishes 130 books per year across the humanities, social sciences, and business, and has more than 3,500 titles in print.

[[David Starr Jordan]], the first president of Stanford University, posited four propositions to [[Leland Stanford|Leland]] and [[Jane Stanford]] when accepting the post, the last of which stipulated, “That"That provision be made for the publication of the results of any important research on the part of professors, or advanced students. Such papers may be issued from time to time as ‘Memoirs'Memoirs of the Leland Stanford Junior University.’”'" In 1892, the first work of scholarship to be published under the Stanford name, ''The Tariff Controversy in the United States, 1789-1833'', by Orrin Leslie Elliott, appeared with the designation "No. 1" in the "Leland Stanford Junior University Monographs Series.”" That same year, student Julius Andrew Quelle established a printing company on campus, publishing the student-run newspaper, the ''Daily Palo Alto'' (now the ''[[The Stanford Daily|Stanford Daily]]'') and Stanford faculty articles and books. The first use of the imprint "Stanford University Press" was in 1895, with ''The Story of the Innumerable Company'', by President Jordan. In 1915, Quelle hired bookbinder John Borsdamm, who would later draw fellow craftspeople to the press, including master printer and eventual manager Will A. Friend.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://stanfordpress.typepad.com/blog/2017/10/accent-on-quality.html|title=Accent on Quality|website=Stanford University Press Blog|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> In 1917, the university bought the printing works, making it a division of Stanford.

[[File:SUP colophon.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The original Stanford University Press colophon.|alt=The words "Stanford University Press" superimposed on a line drawing of one of the gates to the main quad|left|333x333px]]

In 1925, SUP hired William Hawley Davis, Professor of English, to be the inaugural general editor at the press. In the following year, SUP issued its first catalog, listing seventy-five published books.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sup.org/about/|title=About the Press|website=www.sup.org|language=en|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.stanford.edu/2017/11/09/press-celebrates-125th-anniversary/|title=Stanford University Press celebrates 125th anniversary|last=University|first=Stanford|date=2017-11-09|website=Stanford News|language=en |access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref> University President [[Ray Lyman Wilbur]] established a Special Committee in 1927 comprising the editor, the press manager, the sales manager, and the comptroller in service of the press, whose "principal object is to serve in the publication of University publications of all sorts and to promote human welfare generally.”"<ref name=":0" />

In 1999, the press became a division of the [[Stanford University Libraries]]. It moved from its previous location adjacent to the Stanford campus to its current location, in Redwood City, in 2012–13.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mimi Calter |date=2014-01-07 |title=Redwood City moves complete |url=http://library.stanford.edu/news/2014/01/redwood-city-moves-complete |titlepublisher=RedwoodStanford CityUniversity movesLibraries |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624205539/http://library.stanford.edu/news/2014/01/redwood-city-moves-complete}}</ref>

Stanford Business Books, an imprint for professional titles in business, launched in 2000, with two publications about [[Silicon Valley]]. The press launched the Briefs imprint in 2012, featuring short-form publications across its entire list.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sup.org/books/imprints/?imprint=Stanford%20Briefs|title=Stanford Briefs Thumbnails|last=Press|first=Stanford University|website=www.sup.org|language=en|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://stanfordpress.typepad.com/blog/2015/02/on-the-merits-of-brevity.html|title=On the Merits of Brevity|website=Stanford University Press Blog|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, SUP debuted a publishing program for [[Digital scholarship|born-digital interactive scholarly works]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://stanfordpress.typepad.com/blog/2015/01/taking-digital-scholarship-to-the-presses.html|title=Taking Digital Scholarship to the Presses|website=Stanford University Press Blog|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sup.org/digital/|title=Stanford Digital Projects|website=www.sup.org|language=en|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref> That same year, it launched its trade imprint, Redwood Press, with a novel by [[Bahiyyih Nakhjavani|Bahiyyah Nakhjavani]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=39|title=Stanford University Press Launches Trade Imprint |website=PublishersWeekly.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref>

In April 2019, the provost of Stanford University announced plans to cease providing funds for the press, drawing widespread criticism.<ref>{{cite web |urldate=https://www.chronicle.com/article/Proposed-Cut-of-Stanford-U/246200April 26, 2019 |title=Proposed Cut of Stanford U. Press's Subsidy Sparks Outrage |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/Proposed-Cut-of-Stanford-U/246200 |last=Kafka |first=Alexander C. |date=April 26, 2019 |website=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]] |access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/04/29/stanford-moves-stop-providing-funds-its-university-press |title=Stanford Moves to Stop Supporting Its University Press |last=Jaschik |first=Scott |date=April 29, 2019 |website=[[Inside Higher Ed]] |access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Elise |date=2019-04-29 |url=https://www.stanforddaily.com/2019/04/29/stanford-community-outraged-at-su-press-defunding-over-1000-sign-petitions/ |title=Stanford community outraged at SU Press defunding, over 1,000 sign petitions|last=Miller|first=Elise|date=2019-04-29 |website=The Stanford Daily|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref> Following protests from Stanford faculty and students, as well as the wider academic and publishing community,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aupresses.org/news-a-publications/news/1770-association-stands-in-support-of-stanford-university-press|title=Association Stands in Support of Stanford University Press |website=www.aupresses.org|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> the subsidy for the 2019–20 academic year was reinstated, with additional options for future fundraising on the press's part to be discussed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/Facing-Blowback-Stanford/246211|title=Facing Blowback, Stanford Partly Reverses Course and Pledges Press Subsidy for One More Year |last=Kafka|first=Alexander C.|date=2019-04-30|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=2019-05-07|language=en-US|issn=0009-5982}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.stanforddaily.com/2019/05/01/provost-compromise-a-step-in-the-right-direction-on-su-press-defunding-but-not-enough-say-faculty/|title=Provost compromise a 'step in the right direction' on SU Press defunding, but not enough, say faculty |last=Miller |first=Elise|date=2019-05-01|website=The Stanford Daily|language=en-US |access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/05/01/stanford-backs-down-year-ending-support-university-press|title=Stanford backs down -- for a year -- on ending support for university press|website=www.insidehighered.com|language=enInside Higher Ed |access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stanforddaily.com/2019/05/02/op-ed-graduate-students-on-sups-future/ |title=Op-Ed: Graduate students on SUP's future|date=2019-05-02|website=The Stanford Daily|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref>

SUP's digital projects initiative, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, advances a formal channel for peer review and publication of born-digital scholarly works in the fields of digital humanities and computational social sciences.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sup.org/digital/|title=Stanford Digital Projects|website=www.sup.org|language=en|access-date=2019-05-16}}</ref>

Major award won by the press and its publications are as follows:<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.sup.org/books/awards/ |title = Stanford University Press Awards |website = www.sup.org |language = en-US |access-date = 2019-05-15 }}</ref>

*René Welleck Prize, [[American Comparative Literature Association]] (1996): ''The Problem of a Chinese Aesthetic''

In 1933, David Lamson, a sales manager at SUP, was accused of murdering his wife, Allene, at their home on the Stanford campus.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://stanfordmag.org/contents/was-it-murder |title=Was It Murder?|website=stanfordmag.org |date=January 2000 |access-date=2019-05-07 }}</ref> [[Janet Lewis]], wife of Stanford poet [[Yvor Winters]], campaigning for Lamson's acquittal, wrote a pamphlet emphasizing the dangers of using circumstantial evidence. Lamson was ultimately released after being tried four times.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://malefactorsregister.com/wp/the-ordeal-of-david-lamson/ |title=The Ordeal of David Lamson |date=16 December 2012 |website=malefactorsregister.com }}</ref>