Scholarly book publishing and printing has a long tradition, starting with Oxford University Press (1478) and Cambridge University Press (1584). The American colonies, and later the United States, lived in the shadow of these two great presses. While many of the US presses today are quite large, with global operations, they were, in the late 19th century and the early years of the 20th century, far from the professional operations of today. This chapter gives an introduction to book history in the United Kingdom and the United States with an emphasis on university presses and competition from commercial publishers for authors, readers, and sales. It provides a review of substantive market drivers, revenues, new title output, and production costs. A sample book contract and profit and loss statement (for a hardcover and digital book) are presented and analyzed.
