What'syour favorite academic press?
February 17, 2016 10:30 AM Subscribe
I like to browse the websites of academic publishing houses for new releases. For example, University of Minnesota Press has a deliciously quirky list of titles. Who else should I follow?
It depends on what you're interested in, but a lot of my (quirky) favorites are from Duke University Press.
posted by bibliotropic at 10:40 AM on February 17, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by bibliotropic at 10:40 AM on February 17, 2016 [4 favorites]
New Books Network might be a worth following/browsing since they feature books from a range of university presses. Their podcasts are a bonus. I enjoy listening to New Books in History when it's on a topic that interests me.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:43 AM on February 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:43 AM on February 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Wesleyan University Press publishes a lot of interesting stuff, including a book on maple sugaring in their latest catalog. (Also a cookbook from O'Rourke's, if that means anything to you.)
posted by holborne at 10:46 AM on February 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by holborne at 10:46 AM on February 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
The University of Chicago Press is pretty fantastic AND just happens to offer a new free e-book every month. You can sign up to receive an email notification at the beginning of each month when the new e-book becomes available.
posted by Asterism at 10:56 AM on February 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Asterism at 10:56 AM on February 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Routledge Publishing!
For fun I like to imagine that it's run by British actor Patricia Routledge, who played Hyacinth on Keeping Up Appearances.
posted by infinitewindow at 11:18 AM on February 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
For fun I like to imagine that it's run by British actor Patricia Routledge, who played Hyacinth on Keeping Up Appearances.
posted by infinitewindow at 11:18 AM on February 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Is it too obvious to say Oxford?
posted by kevinbelt at 11:21 AM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by kevinbelt at 11:21 AM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
I really like Hackett Publishing Company. They publish some good philosophical work accompanied with masterful commentaries. For instance, they carry Plato's Theaetetus with Myles Burnyeat's commentary. They produce the Bryn Mawr Commentaries, which are good for learning Greek. For their more conventional textbooks, prices seem fair, and they don't undergo constant revisions, and their sensibilities match mine well.
For instance, I was looking for a textbook for teaching an introduction to philosophy course, and they have a nice book that's grouped thematically, and uses largely modern, analytic pieces. Most introduction to philosophy textbooks are going to be historically based, which I find pedagogically inappropriate. It's edited by professors from Harvard and CUNY. And there's only one edition, so while it runs around $40 used, you can get it used in the $20's.
I was also looking for a selection of Buddhist writings for teaching an introduction to world religions course. I wanted selections that were as close as possible to the actual Buddha's teachings, so I was looking specifically for selections from the Pali Canon. There's a publication called In The Buddha's Words, which I was already aware of, and which met that requirement. But I noticed it was published through a Wisdom Publications, it didn't feature academic reviews, and it wasn't edited by a scholar. Well, lo and behold, Hackett has a similar offering edited by a proper academic. For a not bad price of $16. Used copies at below $10.
They've served me so well that the first thing I always do when I need a book for a course or my own pleasure, I first check if Hackett offers anything.
(I forgot --- I don't know if they were the original publishers, but apparently they publish the Lingua Latina series, which is pretty cool.)
posted by Dalby at 11:30 AM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
For instance, I was looking for a textbook for teaching an introduction to philosophy course, and they have a nice book that's grouped thematically, and uses largely modern, analytic pieces. Most introduction to philosophy textbooks are going to be historically based, which I find pedagogically inappropriate. It's edited by professors from Harvard and CUNY. And there's only one edition, so while it runs around $40 used, you can get it used in the $20's.
I was also looking for a selection of Buddhist writings for teaching an introduction to world religions course. I wanted selections that were as close as possible to the actual Buddha's teachings, so I was looking specifically for selections from the Pali Canon. There's a publication called In The Buddha's Words, which I was already aware of, and which met that requirement. But I noticed it was published through a Wisdom Publications, it didn't feature academic reviews, and it wasn't edited by a scholar. Well, lo and behold, Hackett has a similar offering edited by a proper academic. For a not bad price of $16. Used copies at below $10.
They've served me so well that the first thing I always do when I need a book for a course or my own pleasure, I first check if Hackett offers anything.
(I forgot --- I don't know if they were the original publishers, but apparently they publish the Lingua Latina series, which is pretty cool.)
posted by Dalby at 11:30 AM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
The University of Arkansas Press is small but underrated. Here's a list of some of their works that have won awards (I just got a copy of the first book on this list and it's wonderful). I got into them mostly for the Chronicles of the Ozarks (I'm a displaced Arkie who likes to keep in touch with his rots).
They're not quite what you're asking for, but have you ever browsed the reports written by the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress? They're wonderful resources.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:43 AM on February 17, 2016
They're not quite what you're asking for, but have you ever browsed the reports written by the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress? They're wonderful resources.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:43 AM on February 17, 2016
Oxford, University of Chicago, and MIT Press are my favorites.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 2:22 PM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gemutlichkeit at 2:22 PM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Broadview Press has some really excellent critical editions of classic literature as well as other academic works. I will absolutely go out of my way to get a copy of their edition whenever I feel like reading 19th century fiction, for example. Their editions are lightly footnoted, but come with a selection of original historical documents that put a work in the context.
posted by matematichica at 7:37 PM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by matematichica at 7:37 PM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
In my field, the history of science, the University of Chicago Press is the major publisher. I'm not just saying that because they published my first book! But there are others, too. Johns Hopkins has some interesting titles, as do Princeton, California, and Harvard. Yale has some good titles in the field and does a good job with illustrations.
posted by brianogilvie at 8:16 PM on February 17, 2016
posted by brianogilvie at 8:16 PM on February 17, 2016
Really depends on the field. In philosophy, Hackett, as noted above, is great. Oxford UP is the main philosophy press.
posted by persona au gratin at 12:41 AM on February 18, 2016
posted by persona au gratin at 12:41 AM on February 18, 2016
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posted by the_blizz at 10:36 AM on February 17, 2016 [3 favorites]