Columbia University Press: A Legacy of Scholarly Publishing

Columbia University Press (CUP), affiliated with Columbia University in New York City, stands as one of the oldest and largest American university presses. Founded in 1893, the Press plays a vital role in advancing Columbia University’s global mission by publishing, translating, and distributing books across a wide array of disciplines and professional programs, focusing on subjects of worldwide significance.

A Diverse Publishing Program

Throughout its history, Columbia University Press has distinguished itself through the diversity of its publishing program. The Press's list encompasses a broad spectrum of subjects, reflecting the evolving intellectual landscape and the diverse interests of the academic community.

Sociology

Sociology at Columbia University Press focuses on books that engage the subject of inequality from a range of domains and methodologies. Core topics for the list are culture, organizations, community, race, and public health.

Business

The business list at Columbia University Press is rooted in the Columbia Business School Publishing imprint, which reflects the mission of Columbia Business School to stand at the forefront of innovation and business education by evolving alongside the intellectual landscape.

Global History

Major geopolitical shifts in the contemporary world have opened up many exciting new intellectual pursuits in the field of global history. Columbia University Press recognizes that in an ever more interconnected world, knowledge of the past is essential to understanding the present and the future. The Press's releases in global history examine the afterlives of war and the stories we tell about them.

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In Global Easts: Remembering, Imagining, Mobilizing, Jie-Hyun Lim unpacks the global history of memory in the postwar twentieth-century from Eastern Europe to East Asia, exploring the transcultural bonds created by genocide, mourning, and political resistance. Eva-Maria Muschik’s Building States: The United Nations, Development, and Decolonization, 1945-1965 takes a bird’s-eye view of this same period, demonstrating the crucial role of international organizations in forming modern states after World War II. On the other hand, Jonathan Wyrtzen’s Worldmaking in the Long Great War: How Local and Colonial Struggles Shaped the Modern Middle East complicates this notion, arguing that local actors’ ambitions in the years leading up to and following the First World War were integral to creating the divisions, borders, and complexities that persist in the region to this day. The Press also has a new book series covering United-States-in-the-world histories: Global America, edited by Jay Sexton and Sarah B. Snyder.

Asian Humanities

Columbia University Press publishes scholarly and general interest books on a variety of topics in the Asian humanities. The list emphasizes global, transnational, and interdisciplinary approaches to scholarship and encompasses a broad temporal sweep, from the ancient world to the present day. 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.

Critical Theory

Columbia University Press publishes in critical theory-in an expansive sense-across a range of fields. The list in theory includes scholarship in political theory, literary studies, media studies, gender and sexuality, environmental humanities, and animal studies. The Press values fearless, provocative narrative with a strong authorial point of view and an openness to critical engagement.

Food Studies

One of the first scholarly presses to develop a list in the history and science of food, Columbia University Press focuses on humanistic approaches to food-history and culture-and on food science. The ideal book presents original scholarship but is accessible to a general readership. Works on the science of flavor and sustainability are of strong interest.

Film & Media Studies and Literary Studies

In film and media studies, journalism studies, and literary studies, Columbia University Press publishes ambitious, well-written books that offer new perspectives on core critical and historical questions and their continued relevance for contemporary society. Through the Wallflower imprint, Columbia University Press publishes works that reflect on and illuminate our relationship to moving images. The list includes scholarly and critical works animated by a spirit of cinephilia that seek to help readers, students, and researchers understand classic and contemporary works in new ways. Columbia University Press acquired Wallflower Press in 2011.

US Politics and Foreign Relations

In US politics and foreign relations, Columbia University Press publishes monographs and trade books of all methodologies and ideologies on the questions that animate contemporary political debate. The Press looks for fresh arguments on political behavior and public opinion, policy, race and social issues, carceral studies, and US political history. Examining the continuum from the ACS’s actions to the later crisis establishes a broader trend of US interventions having enduring, unforeseen implications, positioning the Liberian case as emblematic of a larger phenomenon where ostensibly short-term actions possess far-reaching and unforeseen consequences within US foreign relations.

Social Work

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.

European Perspectives

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.

Key Publications and Initiatives

Throughout its history, Columbia University Press has been associated with groundbreaking publications and initiatives that have shaped scholarly discourse and advanced knowledge in various fields.

Early Publications and Series

The Press has published prominent authors from a variety of disciplines, including 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.

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Reference Works

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.

Electronic Publishing

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.

Noteworthy Books

Columbia University Press has published a number of noteworthy books across various disciplines, contributing significantly to scholarly conversations and public understanding. Some notable examples include:

Albert O. C. T. Chinese History and Culture: Sixth Century B.C.E.
The Cinema of George A.
Debating Race, Ethnicity, and Latino Identity: Jorge J. E.
Democracy and Beauty: The Political Aesthetics of W. E. B.
Discovered but Forgotten: The Maldives in Chinese History, c.
The Education of Booker T.
Faster, Pussycat! Kill!
A Genetic and Cultural Odyssey: The Life and Work of L.
Hollywood's Censor: Joseph I.
Humanist Reason: A History. An Argument.
In His Own Right: The Political Odyssey of Senator Robert F.
The Inner Life of Mrs.
The Insider: A Life of Virginia C.
Inventing Tomorrow: H. G.
Journey from St.
Let in the Light: Learning to Read St.
The Making of Lee Boyd Malvo: The D.C.
Mary C.
Me Medicine vs.
Nicholas Miraculous: The Amazing Career of the Redoubtable Dr.
Randall Jarrell on W. H.
Robert K.
Robert N.
Taking It Big: C. V. S.
What Is a Nation?
Your Friend Forever, A.
Sundial House: The Company, by Verónica Gerber Bicecci. Translated by Christina MacSweeney.
Peterson Institute for International Economics: Behind the Curve, by Robert Z.

Columbia Journal of History

The Columbia Journal of History aims to increase accessibility within the academic publishing landscape. The Editors welcome the submission of historical research papers produced in seminars, upper-level electives, independent study, or thesis programs. The journal highlights its long-standing commitment to Black studies across disciplines and invites contributions that celebrate the richness and ongoing significance of Black history.

Controversies

Columbia University Press has submitted contact information for all Press authors listed in the settlement. If a book was included in the list, a notice from the Settlement Administrator should be received with instructions to submit a claim.

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