Cambridge University Press facts for kids
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| Parent company | Cambridge University Press & Assessment |
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| Status | Department of the University of Cambridge |
| Founded | 1534 |
| Founder | King Henry VIII of England |
| Country of origin | Kingdom of England (since 1534) |
| Headquarters location | Cambridge, England |
| Distribution |
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| Key people |
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| Nonfiction topics | Humanities; social sciences; science; medicine; engineering and technology; English language teaching and learning; education; Bibles |
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| Imprints | Cambridge University Press |
| Revenue |  £1 billion (2022) (Reported for Cambridge University Press & Assessment) |
| No. of employees | 6,100 (2022) |
Cambridge University Press is a publishing company that belongs to the University of Cambridge. It was started by King Henry VIII in 1534. This makes it the oldest university publishing company in the world. It is also known as the King's Printer, meaning it has special permission to print certain official documents.
Cambridge University Press is a part of the University of Cambridge. It publishes books and materials for both academic studies and general education. In 2021, it joined with Cambridge Assessment to form Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The company has offices in over 40 countries and sells its books all around the world.
It publishes more than 50,000 different books and other materials. These include over 420 academic journals, special study books, reference works, and textbooks for schools and universities. They also create materials for learning and teaching English. Besides books, they publish Bibles and run a bookshop in Cambridge. Because it's part of the University, Cambridge University Press operates as a non-profit organization.
Contents
History of Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the oldest university publisher in the world. Its story began in 1534 when Henry VIII gave special permission to the University of Cambridge to print books. Cambridge is one of only two "privileged presses" in England, the other being Oxford University Press. Many famous authors have been published by Cambridge, including Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking.
The first University Printer, Thomas Thomas, started printing in Cambridge in 1584. His first book was Two Treatises of the Lord His Holie Supper. The first Cambridge Bible was printed in 1591. A special large edition of the King James Bible was printed in 1629.
In 1833, the press moved into a new building called The Pitt Building. This building is still famous today. In the 1800s, the press helped develop "stereotype printing." This new method allowed many copies of a book to be printed easily from one setup. By the 1850s, they were using steam-powered printing machines.
The press started publishing academic journals in 1893. These included the Journal of Physiology. By 1910, they were publishing many successful journals. In 1949, Cambridge University Press opened its first international office in New York. The main press moved to its current location in Cambridge in 1963.
In 1975, the press began publishing materials for learning English. In 1989, they bought a company called Eyre & Spottiswoode. This acquisition gave Cambridge University Press the special title of "The Queen's Printer." In 1992, they opened a bookshop on Trinity Street in Cambridge. This spot has been a bookshop since 1581, making it one of the oldest in Britain.
In 1999, Cambridge Dictionaries Online was launched, offering dictionaries on the internet. In 2012, the press stopped doing its own printing. Now, other companies around the world print their books for them. In 2021, Cambridge University Press officially merged with Cambridge Assessment. The new organization is called Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Important Publications
- 1584: The first book published by the press was Two Treatises of the Lord His Holie Supper.
- 1591: The first Cambridge Bible was printed.
- 1629: A large edition of the King James Bible was printed.
- 1633: The Temple by George Herbert was published. This book included a famous poem called "Easter Wings," which was shaped like wings on the page.
- 1713: The second edition of Isaac Newton's famous science book, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, was published.
- 1763: John Baskerville's special Bible was printed. It was known for its beautiful type, paper, and printing.
- 1895: The first book by a Nobel Prize winner was published. It was J. J. Thomson's Elements of the Mathematical Theory of Electricity and Magnetism.
Open Access Publishing
Cambridge University Press supports "open access" publishing. This means making research and books available for free online. They offer different ways for authors to publish their work openly. This helps researchers meet the rules of major funding groups.
They publish "Gold Open Access" journals and books. They also work with other groups to make more content open access. They support "Green Open Access," which allows authors to put their work in online libraries. They also let users share articles through their Cambridge Core Share service.
In recent years, the press has made agreements with university libraries. These "Read & Publish" agreements allow students and researchers to read many articles and also publish their own work openly. In 2023, more than half of all research articles from Cambridge University Press were available through open access.
Nobel Prize Winners Published
Cambridge University Press has published works by over 170 Nobel Prize winners. Here are some of them:
- J. J. Thomson (Physics – 1906)
- Ernest Rutherford (Chemistry – 1908)
- Niels Bohr (Physics – 1922)
- Werner Heisenberg (Physics – 1932)
- Charles Scott Sherrington (Medicine – 1933)
- Erwin Schrödinger (Physics – 1935)
- James Chadwick (Physics – 1935)
- Patrick Blackett (Physics – 1948)
- John Cockcroft (Physics – 1951)
- Ernest Hemingway (Literature – 1954)
- Alexander R. Todd (Chemistry – 1957)
- Max Perutz (Chemistry – 1962)
- Eugene Wigner (Physics – 1963)
- Max Born (Physics – 1964)
- Nikolay Basov (Physics – 1964)
- Richard Feynman (Physics – 1965)
- Derek Barton (Chemistry – 1969)
- Samuel Beckett (Literature – 1969)
- Simon Kuznets (Economics – 1971)
- Dennis Gabor (Physics – 1971)
- Kenneth Arrow (Economics – 1972)
- Burton Richter (Physics – 1976)
- James Meade (Economics – 1977)
- Nevill Francis Mott (Physics – 1977)
- Herbert A. Simon (Economics – 1978)
- Steven Weinberg (Physics – 1979)
- Abdus Salam (Physics – 1979)
- Subramanyan Chandrasekhar (Physics – 1983)
- Gérard Debreu (Economics – 1983)
- Richard Stone (Economics – 1984)
- Franco Modigliani (Economics – 1985)
- James M. Buchanan (Economics – 1986)
- Wole Soyinka (Literature – 1986)
- Robert Solow (Economics – 1987)
- Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (Physics – 1991)
- Robert Fogel (Economics – 1993)
- Douglass North (Economics – 1993)
- Harry Kroto (Chemistry – 1996)
- William Vickrey (Economics – 1996)
- Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (Physics – 1997)
- William Phillips (Physics – 1997)
- Amartya Sen (Economics – 1998)
- Gerard 't Hooft (Physics – 1999)
- Martinus J. G. Veltman (Physics – 1999)
- James Heckman (Economics – 2000)
- George Akerlof (Economics – 2001)
- Joseph Stiglitz (Economics – 2001)
- Daniel Kahneman (Economics – 2002)
- Vernon L. Smith (Economics – 2002)
- Clive Granger (Economics – 2003)
- Anthony James Leggett (Physics – 2003)
- Edmund Phelps (Economics – 2006)
- Leonid Hurwicz (Economics – 2007)
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Peace Prize – 2007)
- Elinor Ostrom (Economics – 2009)
- Thomas A. Steitz (Chemistry – 2009)
- Christopher A. Pissarides (Economics – 2010)
- Peter Diamond (Economics – 2010)
- Christopher A. Sims (Economics – 2011)
- Alvin E. Roth (Economics – 2012)
- Angus Deaton (Economics – 2015)
- Kip Thorne (Physics – 2017)
- Joachim Frank (Chemistry – 2017)
- William Nordhaus (Economics – 2018)
How the Press Works
Cambridge University Press is a department of the University of Cambridge. It is managed by a group called the 'Syndics'. These are 18 senior members of the University. They help guide the publishing company. The Syndics have a board that sets the main goals. There are also committees that approve what gets published.
The daily operations are managed by the chief executive. In 2020, the University decided to combine Cambridge University Press with Cambridge Assessment. This merger happened on August 1, 2021. The new organization is called Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Before the merger, Cambridge University Press had three main publishing groups:
- Academic Publishing: This group published research books and journals in many subjects like science, humanities, and social sciences. They also published Bibles. The press is one of only two publishers allowed to print the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Version of the Bible in England.
- English Language Teaching: This group created courses and materials for people learning English around the world.
- Education: This group provided educational products for primary, secondary, and international schools. They worked with Cambridge Assessment to improve education systems in different countries.
After August 1, 2021, Cambridge University Press became mainly focused on academic and Bible publishing. The English language and education parts of the company joined with similar departments from Cambridge Assessment.
Partnerships and New Ideas
Cambridge University Press often works with other organizations.
- In 2011, they partnered with Cambridge Assessment to publish study materials for English exams.
- In 2015, they worked with Edmodo, a large online learning platform, to bring educational content to UK schools.
- In 2019, they bought the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM). CEM creates tests to measure how students are learning.
- In 2020, they partnered with Perlego, an online library, to offer digital textbooks to students.
- In 2021, Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge University Press officially became one organization: Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Digital Progress
In 2016, Cambridge University Press launched Cambridge Core. This is an online platform where people can find all their academic books and journals. It made it much easier to search and access content. A year later, they launched Cambridge Core Share. This feature allows users to share links to certain journal articles for free.
In 2020, they partnered with the online library Perlego to offer digital textbooks. In 2021, the press bought a company called CogBooks. This company uses technology that adapts to users, suggesting learning materials to help them learn better.
Helping the Community and Environment
Community Work
The press is involved in community activities in Cambridge and other places where its employees live. Each year, they choose a UK charity to support. They have helped local charities like Centre 33 and Castle School. In 2016, they supported a college in New York and helped schools in Indonesia and Nepal. They also held workshops for students to learn about publishing. In 2016, they donated over 75,000 books.
Since 2016, they have offered apprenticeship programs. These programs help people learn skills for careers in publishing. By 2022, there were 200 apprentices in the UK.
Protecting the Environment
Cambridge University Press cares about the environment. They check their emissions every year and use energy-saving equipment. They try to use less plastic and make sure their paper comes from ethical sources.
In 2019, the World Wildlife Fund gave the press its highest score for timber sourcing. This means the press is very responsible about where it gets its paper. They also work hard to reduce the number of books that are wasted each year.
The press has won awards for its efforts in sustainability. They have promised to be carbon neutral (meaning they don't add to carbon emissions) for all energy by 2048. They are also part of the SDG Publishers Compact. This means they support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are global goals for a better and more sustainable future. They publish new open access journals related to these goals, such as Coastal Futures and Global Mental Health.
See also
In Spanish: Cambridge University Press para niños
