by Liz Pilcher, Griffis Publishing Intern
This month marks the 55th anniversary of the OSU Press. While there have been struggles throughout the history of the Press, many amazing things have been accomplished. We currently have about 250 books in print, and have published over 600 books total.
OSU Press began as part of the Office of University Publications, who had long published a “Monograph Series.” These were research reports written by OSU faculty, mainly in the science departments, and published in pamphlet form. In 1961 there were 46 monographs in bacteriology, botany, economics, education and guidance, entomology, geology, history, literature and language, mathematics and statistics, political science, and zoology. They had cost an average of $1.20, for as little as $0.35 and $5.00 at most.
Some titles included: Microorganisms and Soil Fertility; Tuberales of North America; The Salmon Canning Industry; A Functional Curriculum in Professional Forestry; Review of the Genus Eucerceris; A New Turtle from the Marine Miocene of Oregon; Opening and Penetration of Foreign Influence in Samoa; The Literary Impulse in Pioneer Oregon; Table of Derivatives for Damped Vibration; The Initiative and Referendum in Oregon: 1938-1948; and Birds of Oregon.
The founder of the Press, Ken Munford, had been the Director of University Publications for decades. He saw the value that a university press, dedicated to publishing full-length scholarly books, would bring to the OSU community. Originally, staff from the publications office worked on OSU Press projects. When Munford retired in 1977, he appointed the first managing editor, Rita Miles, who worked under the Acting Director of Publications, Gwil Evans, who was later replaced by Tom Sanders.
In order to operate at OSU, the Press had to be approved by the State Board of Higher Education. The Board agreed to approve the Press, but they did not approve any additional resources beyond the staffing and infrastructure provided by the Office of University Publications. The first books published under the new OSU Press name were: Atlas of the Pacific Northwest; A Manual of Higher Plants of Oregon; Home Visits Abroad; Manual of Vascular Plants of the Lower Yangtze Valley; Weeds of the Pacific Northwest; and Oregon Signatures by twelve Oregon poets.
In 1978, Jeffery B. Grass was hired as Managing Editor at the OSU Press. At that time, there were 96 books in print, 43 series and serials, 10 Pacific Northwest Conference on Higher Education proceedings, 9 Biology Colloquium Series proceedings, 39 Yearbooks of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, and 5 Manpower Management Program papers in the catalog. Two of these books were extremely successful and provided a solid financial footing for the Press: Atlas of the Pacific Northwest and Retaliation: Japanese Attacks on the U.S. Mainland during World War II. Revenue from the sales of these books was sufficient to pay the printing bills and fund new publishing projects, although staffing and overhead expenses were still paid for by the Office of University Publications.
In 1978, a sixth edition of Atlas of the Pacific Northwest was scheduled for publication. The Press was also planning to publish a series of proceedings from the 37th Biological Colloquium in a 500-page hardcover book, under the title Historical Biogeography: Plate Tectonics and the Changing Environment. The Press was stuck with the realization that we didn’t have enough money to print both of these major books. Tom Sanders, the Director of Publications, appealed to the Vice President of Administration, Clifford Smith, who agreed to pay for the printing of 2000 copies of Historical Biogeography.
While most Press books at the time were priced around $10, this one had a price tag of $59.95. Within six months, we had sold over one thousand copies. This provided the press with a big enough cushion of cash to stop publishing the monograph series and conference proceedings, and start focusing more on publishing “real” books. Tom Sanders didn’t know a lot about book publishing, but he was a quick and enthusiastic learner, who immersed himself in the community of western publishers and university presses. When Sanders left in 1984, the Press was regularly publishing four or five books a year.
In 1990, Ballot Measure 5 was passed. This amendment to the Oregon Constitution established limits on Oregon’s property taxes and dictated the amount at which school funding was capped. Anything at the University that wasn’t related to the academic core was at risk of being cut, including the Press. Ironically, this spurred on a period of growth. It was important for the Press to grow rapidly to increase revenue, and the decision was made to hire a full-time acquisitions editor. The Press went from publishing five books a year to twenty books a year. Because of this sudden increase in production, it was hard for the scholarly and publishing communities not to take note.
The Oregon Literary Coalition played a major part when the University was considering closing the Press. The Press was involved in publishing the Oregon Literature Series, which was an important six volume series of anthologies. It was a multi-year project that had started in 1991, and the Press was far too invested to pull out. After receiving and reviewing community input, the University recognized the scholarly and cultural importance of keeping Oregon’s only university press intact.
Jeff Grass retired in 2003 and Tom Booth was appointed as Interim Press Director. In 2003, the Press was moved to its new home within OSU Libraries. Under the current leadership of the University Librarian and Press Director, Faye Chadwell, we continue to publish approximately 20 books a year, primarily in the areas of environmental history, natural history, indigenous studies, and Pacific Northwest history. We have published dozens of award-winning titles to critical acclaim and popular success, and we hope to stick around for another 55 years, at least.
Facts and information retrieved from OSU Valley Library Special Collections & Archives Reserarch Center in An Oral History of the OSU Press featuring Jo Alexander and Jeff Grass.