Southern Methodist University Press

Southern Methodist University Press (or SMU Press) was a university press that is part of Southern Methodist University. It was established in 1937 and was the oldest academic publisher in Texas. The press released eight to ten titles each year and was known for its literary fiction. It was scheduled to suspend operations on June 1, 2010.[1] The provost of SMU announced in 2011 plans to reorganize the press with a smaller budget and different goals.[2] It closed again in 2015.

Southern Methodist University Press
Parent companySouthern Methodist University
StatusDefunct
Founded1937
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationUniversity Park, Texas
Publication typesBooks

History

The first book published by the press was Samuel Wood Greiser's Naturalists of the Frontier (1937).[3] However, the unofficial start of the SMU Press was in 1924, when the Southwest Review was moved from Austin to Dallas. John H. McGinnis served as the unpaid, unofficial editor-in-chief of the Southwest Review from 1927 to 1943 and played an essential role in founding the press. McGinnis acted as the unofficial director of the press during its first five years, in which only three titles were published. In 1939 Maxwell Allen was the first to become a paid employee of the press. From 1942 to 1945, Allen served in the Navy and then returned on January 1, 1946 as the director of the SMU Press. He continued as director until his retirement in 1981. The press reached its 100th title published in 1964.[4][5]

References
  1. Howard, Jennifer (May 6, 2010). "Southern Methodist U. Puts Its Press on the Chopping Block". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  2. Repko, Melissa (3 Aug 2011). "SMU Press' fate officially unveiled". The Dallas Morning News.
  3. Greiser, Samuel Wood - Texas State Historical Association
  4. Simnacher, Joe (16 Feb 2012). "Allen Maxwell, retired book editor of The News and SMU literary leader dies at age 96". The Dallas Morning News.
  5. The First One Hundred Books: A Brief History of Southern Methodist University Press: 1937 – 1964 by Allen Maxwell Archived 2014-05-15 at the Wayback Machine


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