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For a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material, permission in writing from the office of origin and the University Archivist is required for use. After twenty-five years, records that have been processed may be consulted with the permission of the University Archivist.
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Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
[Identification of item], Duke University Press Records, University Archives, Duke University.
The Duke University Press Records were received by the University Archives as a series of transfers from 1956-1993, 2010.
Processed by Archives Staff, July 2007
Encoded by Kimberly Sims, July 2007
Accessions A56-699, A80-237, A90-116, A93-54, A72-73, A74-130, A75-152, A83-41 and UA2010-0004 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
The origins of Duke University Press date back to 1892 and the establishment of the Trinity College Historical Society. In 1921, the Trinity College Press was officially founded. William T. Laprade served as the first Director until 1926. That same year, Duke University Press was founded with William K. Boyd as Director. Following Boyd as Director were the following: Paul F. Baum (1927-1930), J. Fred Rippy (1930-1936), Henry Dwire (1936-1944), Laprade (1944-1951), Ashbel G. Brice (1951-1981), Richard C. Rowson (1981-1989), Lawrence J. Malley (1989-1993), and Stanley Fish (1993-1998).
Duke University Press publishes approximately 120 books annually and more than 30 journals. It publishes primarily in the humanities and social sciences and issues a few publications for primarily professional audiences (e.g., in law or medicine). It is best known for its publications in the broad and interdisciplinary area of theory and history of cultural production.
The records are arranged in the following series: Director's files, Editorial Advisory Board, Editorial files, Author files, Subject files, Financial records, Catalogs, the Association of American University Presses and the Carlyle Letters. The collection consists of correspondence, annual catalogs, advertisements, Board minutes, annual reports, contracts and agreements, book and journal reviews, financial records and facsimiles of the Carlyle letters. The material ranges in date from 1812-1991.
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
This series consists primarily of the Director's correspondence. Unlike other series, the Director's files are arranged by accession due primarily to the presence of two very different periods of time.
Accession A56-699 contains correspondence from 1932-1957, covering the tenures of J. Fred Rippy (1930-1936) and Henry Dwire (1936-1944), and W. T. Laprade (1944-1951). Both Dwire and Laprade were named Acting Director while also serving as Editor of the
Accession A93-54 contains subject files during the 1980s. Subjects include
Records included in this series are minutes, correspondence and subject files of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Press. The Board was established by an action of the University Trustees in 1926. Original responsibilities included selecting the Director, approving budgets, giving final approval on manuscripts, advising on staffing, establishing policies, and supervising periodical publications.
Some discrepancies on the exact title of the Board can be seen throughout this series. The Board was established as the Editorial and Administrative Board and is also referred to as the Duke Press Board. Moreover, the Board has also been considered a standing University committee.
Primarily correspondence between Duke Press editors and authors of books or journal articles. The folders are arranged alphabetically by author's last name or by journal/article title. This series reflects day-to-day operations of the Press. The correspondence with authors concerns topics related to seeing the book through publication such as content, editorial style, financial issues (includes some contracts), photos and indexes. Of particular note are the correspondence of the
This series consists of correspondence with authors and publicity material related to the publication of individual books. Includes reviews, requests for review copies, lists of who should receive review copies, and correspondence with authors regarding publicity efforts. Mainly correspondence of the publicity director.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series includes advertisements for publications, annual reports and correspondence from Ashbel Brice to President Knight, agendas, correspondence, and memoranda for meetings of the Southern University Presses.
Also included is correspondence showing how inquiries about manuscript publication was handled during the 1940s and 1950s. There are also files on manuscripts possible, mansucripts unlikely, manuscripts rejected, and permission to quote from articles or books. This material has been sampled and around 20% retained.
This series includes detailed financial information, primarily annual reports, showing income and expenses for a given fiscal year. The material is often broken down between books and journals and occasionally documents how well individual books did also.
This series contains announcements, catalogs and trade lists advertising upcoming and current publications by Duke University Press.
The Association of American University Presses is a professional organization whose membership consists of University presses or publishers. The material relates to Duke University Press' membership to the AAUP and includes correspondence, memoranda, annual meeting minutes, questionnaires and a survey.
This series contains an account book which lists all expenditures and revenue for Duke University Press between 1925-1946. This box is located on-site.
This series contains facisimiles of the Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle letters which comprise