Penn State University Press

American university press

The Penn State University Press, also known as The Pennsylvania State University Press, is a non profit publisher of scholarly books and journals. Established in 1956, it is the independent publishing branch of the Pennsylvania State University and is a division of the Penn State University Library system. Penn State University Press publishes books and journals of interest to scholars and general audiences. As a part of a land grant university with a mandate to serve the citizens of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it also specializes in works about Penn State University, Pennsylvania, and the mid Atlantic region. The areas of scholarship the Press is best known for are art history, medieval studies, Latin American studies, rhetoric and communication, religious studies, and graphic medicine. The press produces about 80 books a year and over 60 journals. The Press employs 25 to 30 people, and has several internship programs for Penn State students interested in a publishing career.

The first book published by Penn State University Press was Penn State Yankee: The Autobiography of Fred Lewis Pattee, the autobiography of a noted Penn State faculty member who was the first professor of American literature in the United States. In 2016 the Press launched PSU Press Unlocked, an open access platform featuring over 70 books and journals. The Press acquired academic publisher Eisenbrauns, which specializes in ancient Near East and biblical studies, in November 2017. Eisenbrauns continues to publish as an imprint of the Press. In 2021, the Press launched the Graphic Mundi graphic novel imprint.