Stanford University Press celebrates 125th anniversary

Image credit: Stanford Historical Photograph Collection, Stanford Department of Special Collections and University Archives Since its inception in 1892, Stanford University Press has published thousands of books and other research works authored by faculty at Stanford and across the world. About a year after Stanford University opened its doors in 1891, then-sophomore Julius Andrew Quelle set up a one-man printing shop inside the university's powerhouse near the Main Quad. A 22-year-old New Yorker who spent his pre-college years working for a printing and bookbinding company, Quelle borrowed $25 from each of the university's 12 professors to purchase a small secondhand press. He was encouraged by his classmates to start printing the first editions of the student-run newspaper, the Daily Palo Alto , today known as the Stanford Daily . There, in a cramped, one-story building with a tall stone chimney, next to boilers and generators, Stanford University Press was born. A photo from the 1890s shows the powerhouse - the building with the chimney - where Julius Andrew Quelle, then a Stanford student, set up his printing shop initially. (Image credit: Stanford Historical Photograph Collection, Stanford Department of Special Collections and University Archives) In addition to printing the student paper, the press also began producing publications by Stanford faculty and community members.