University of Pennsylvania Press
The University of Pennsylvania Press was incorporated by the Pennsylvania state government on the 26th of March, 1890. That date placed it among the earliest university press imprints in America. One of its first books was The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study, published in 1899. Its author, W. E. B. Du Bois, was a black reformer, scholar, and social critic. What drove this press toward human rights, medieval studies, and landscape architecture rather than a broader academic spread? And why does the building that houses it predate the press by fourteen years?
Upward of 120 new books leave Penn Press each year. The press focuses on American history and culture, ancient, medieval, and Renaissance studies, anthropology, landscape architecture, studio arts, human rights, Jewish studies, and political science. That active backlist holds roughly 2,000 titles. Beyond books, Penn Press produces 27 peer-reviewed academic journals, most of them in the humanities, and the magazine Dissent. The Wharton School Press functions as a dedicated imprint within the Penn Press organization. The press conducts all of that work from a Spruce Street address in Philadelphia. The building there served very different organizations before any academic publishing began inside it.
The Wilson Brothers & Company architecture firm completed the Potts House at 3905 Spruce Street in Philadelphia in 1876. International House Philadelphia and WXPN both used the building as a headquarters before Penn Press made it its home. Penn Press is incorporated as a nonprofit Pennsylvania corporation under Section 501(c)(3). The University of Pennsylvania owns it outright, a structural fact that continues to shape where the press operates.
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Common questions
What is the University of Pennsylvania Press?
The University of Pennsylvania Press is an academic publisher affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It publishes books in areas including American history and culture, ancient, medieval, and Renaissance studies, anthropology, human rights, and political science, and also produces 27 peer-reviewed journals and the magazine Dissent.
When was the University of Pennsylvania Press founded?
The University of Pennsylvania Press was incorporated by the Pennsylvania state government on the 26th of March, 1890, making it one of the earliest university press imprints in America.
What was the first book published by the University of Pennsylvania Press?
One of the first books published by the University of Pennsylvania Press was The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study by W. E. B. Du Bois, issued in 1899. Du Bois was a black reformer, scholar, and social critic.
How many books does the University of Pennsylvania Press publish each year?
The University of Pennsylvania Press publishes upward of 120 new books each year, across a focused editorial program. The press maintains an active backlist of roughly 2,000 titles.
Where is the University of Pennsylvania Press headquartered?
The University of Pennsylvania Press is headquartered at 3905 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, inside the former Potts House. The building was completed by the Wilson Brothers & Company architecture firm in 1876.
What academic journals does the University of Pennsylvania Press publish?
The University of Pennsylvania Press publishes 27 peer-reviewed academic journals, most of them in the humanities. It also publishes the magazine Dissent.
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9 references cited across the entry
- 6Wharton School Press Merges with Penn PressJul 11, 2023
- 8Imprints: Wharton School PressErin Somers — July 12, 2023
- 9A Brief History of the "Carriage House" at the Rear of 3905 Spruce Street: Part I: The Family of Joseph D. Potts, its Connection with the University, and the Property at 3905 Spruce Street 1875 - 1917Mark Frazier Lloyd — University of Pennsylvania Archives and Records Center — August 2000