University of Nebraska Press

The University of Nebraska Press began in November 1941 at the prompting of chancellor Chauncey Samuel Boucher, who hired Emily Schossberger as UNP's first editor. UNP became the 32nd American university press and seventh in the Midwest. During Schossberger's seventeen-year tenure UNP published 97 books, primarily focused on regional titles and the works of Louise Pound, Karl Shapiro, and George W. Norris. Following Schossberger's departure, Bruce Nicoll became UNP's first official director and Virginia Faulkner became editor-in-chief. Nicoll led the UNP for seventeen years and expanded its focus to publish books of more diverse backgrounds, not simply monographs for and by scholars. That led to the launch of UNP's first imprint in 1961, Bison Books, specializing in paperback books to be sold in non-traditional places such as truck stops, drug stores, and gas stations. In 1966 the press expanded by creating distribution partnerships overseas.

In 1975, Dave Gilbert became UNP director and reoriented Bison Books toward a more western focus. Gilbert hired designer Richard Eckersley and his wife Dika to bring all book design in-house. Gilbert eventually left for a post at Cornell University and was succeeded by editor-in-chief Bill Regier, UNP's third full-time director. Regier expanded UNP's focus beyond the American West into foreign translations and literature, particularly France and Scandinavia, with three translation authors later receiving Nobel Prizes. By 1991, UNP had 2,000 books in print, was adding 100 new books per year, and had annual sales of $4.5 million. Dan Ross became director in 1995, expanding Bison Books to focus on sports, especially baseball, the start of UNP's highly regarded sports publishing program. In Ross's first year, UNP's annual sales topped $6 million, a 600-percent increase from 1980.

By the early 2000s, Gary Dunham became director and in 2009 UNP sold its longtime warehouse in the Haymarket District. With Donna Shear as editor-in-chief, Bison Books was redefined to solely represent books of the west and UNP switched to a print-on-demand model of publishing, coordinating the simultaneous release of ebooks with the print editions. Shear also tripled journal production to thirty publications and in September 2011 the press entered into a collaborative publishing arrangement with the Jewish Publication Society, one of the oldest Jewish publishers in the United States. In April 2013, the press acquired Potomac Books, a publisher specializing in military and diplomatic topics. With the new additions, UNP surpassed $7 million in sales in 2015, moved up in status with the Association of University Presses, and become the twelfth-largest university press in the country. Three of the press's books have received the Bancroft Prize, the highest honor bestowed on history books in the U. S.