About OUP (USA)

Oxford University Press, Inc. (OUP USA), is Oxford University Press’s second major publishing center, after Oxford (UK). It publishes works that further Oxford University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education.

The Press had its origins in the information technology revolution of the late fifteenth century, which began with the invention of printing from movable type. The first book was printed in Oxford in 1478. In 1586, the University itself obtained a decree confirming its privilege to print books. This was further enhanced in the Great Charter secured by Archbishop Laud from King Charles I, which entitled the University to print “all manner of books.” The University first appointed Delegates to oversee this privilege in 1633. Minutes recording their deliberations date back to 1668, and OUP as it exists today began to develop in a recognizable way from that time.

OUP’s international expansion began with the opening of a US office in 1896. The office was established initially simply to sell bibles published in Oxford, but by the 1920s, the office began to produce books on its own. The first nonfiction work published by OUP USA, The Life of Sir William Osler, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1926. Six more Pulitzers, several National Book Awards, and over a dozen Bancroft Prizes in American history have followed since.

OUP USA is by far the largest American university press and perhaps the most diverse publisher of its type. It publishes at a variety of levels, for a wide range of audiences in almost every academic discipline. The main criteria in evaluating new titles are quality and contribution to the furtherance of scholarship and education. OUP USA produces approximately 500 titles each year, of which 250 are scholarly research monographs, and imports close to 800 such works from our UK and branch offices. OUP USA has 3,300 scholarly books in print and stocks another 8,700 imports from other OUP offices around the world. All publications are first vetted by OUP’s Delegates, who are leading scholars at Oxford University and from other top US institutions.

OUP USA employs nearly 500 people in the US, evenly divided between its offices in New York City and the Research Triangle area of North Carolina.