Cornell University in Ithaca, New York was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White. The coeducational, non-sectarian institution offered admission irrespective of religion or race, following Ezra Cornell’s motto that “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Cornell University Press was founded only four years later to carry this unconventional ideal into the world through its publications.
History of Cornell University Press
Established in 1869, Cornell University Press was the first university press in the United States, following Oxford and Cambridge’s example of successful presses on the other side of the Atlantic, established in 1478 and 1584, respectively. Initially, the press was part of the College of the Mechanic Arts (or mechanical engineering today) because running steam-powered printing presses was considered a job for engineers rather than literature professors and students.
The press began with printing textbooks, pamphlets, official university publications and a weekly student journal. After twenty-one years, however, Cornell University Press remained inactive for four decades before resuming publishing activities again in 1930. In 1933, the press moved to its current location at Sage House, built in the 1880s by Henry Williams Sage, then chairman of the University's Board of Trustees.
Cornell University Press Today
Today, Cornell University Press is a major scholarly publisher with around 150 new titles each year, among them many award winning ones and the well-known “Cornell Studies” series. The press is especially known for its publications in the following disciplines:
- anthropology
- Asian studies
- the classics
- cultural studies
- history
- industrial and labor relations (under the ILR Press imprint)
- the life sciences and natural history (under the Comstock Publishing Associates imprint)
- literary criticism and theory
- medieval studies
- philosophy
- politics and international relations
- psychology and psychiatry
- veterinary science
- women's studies
Cornell University Press Submission Guidelines
Nonfiction authors looking for a publisher in one of the aforementioned disciplines don’t have to go through an agent but can send a proposal directly to the press. The Press’s Author Guidelines section provides helpful information like whom to contact at the Press, a manuscript checklist form and other useful information.
Aspiring authors should include the following in their book proposal:
- a summary of the project
- information about the project length, intended audience and illustrations
- a table of contents
- 1-2 sample chapters
- their curriculum vitae or resume
More information can be found on Cornell University Press’s website or Sage House News, its blog. Readers interested in this article may also find the following useful: an Oxford University Press profile, the Economics of Scholarly Publishing or University Press Publishing Facts.
Simone Preuss - Simone is a freelance writer, editor and translator who decided to go solo after a successful career in publishing. That was more than ...
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