Archives West Finding Aid

Originally created in the late 1920s by Washington State University (WSU) President Ernest O. Holland, the WSU Press began as a committee focused on scholarly publishing. In April 1929, the Press distributed its first scholarly journal, Research Studies. This journal became WSU’s primary academic publishing outlet until the mid-1940s. Another scholarly journal was added to WSU Press in 1947, Northwest Science, which originated with the Northwest Scientific Association and had already been established for 20 years prior. Northwest Science is still an active journal with the Press as of 2022.

An influential figure in the history of the Press was University Editor Henry Grosshans, who made sweeping changes starting in the 1950s and remained a dynamic force in the Press until his retirement in 1982. Grosshans helped establish journals such as Poe Studies and ESQ: A Journal of the American Renaissance. He also published the works of authors such as Robert Nilan, Arthur Stabler, and John Cutts.

The Press collaborated with the WSU Museum of Art to publish exhibit catalogs including "Gaylen Hansen: The Paintings of a Decade, 1975-1985". In 1990, WSU Press published the three-volume Centennial Histories as part of WSU’s 100th anniversary celebration. The three books include "Going to Washington State: A Century of Student Life" by William Stimson, "The Crimson and the Gray: 100 Years with the WSU Cougars" by Richard Fry, and "Creating the People’s University: Washington State University, 1890-1990" by George Frykman.