Harvard University Press
Harvard University's academic publisher, established in 1913 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for the Loeb Classical Library, the Belknap Press and books by Rawls and Dickinson.
- Editions tracked
- 65
- First editions
- 37
- Books
- 56
- Years
- 1905 to 2022
Harvard University Press is a publisher based in Cambridge, founded in 1913. We track 65 editions it published between 1905 and 2022, 37 of them first editions across 56 books. Each book lists its first edition and the points that identify it.
About Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is the academic publisher of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded on 13 January 1913 and known for scholarly books, the Belknap Press imprint and the Loeb Classical Library.
Origins. Harvard opened a publication office in University Hall in 1892, and in 1913 that office became Harvard University Press. The first book to bear the new imprint was James Barr Ames's work on legal history, published the same year.
Key works and series. After Harvard acquired Emily Dickinson's manuscripts in 1950, the Press published the first scholarly edition of her nearly 1,800 poems, edited by Thomas Johnson. It also publishes the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures, given over the years by T.S. Eliot, Octavio Paz and Leonard Bernstein among others. John Rawls's A Theory of Justice is one of its best-known books, and its authors include E.O. Wilson, Stephen Jay Gould, Amartya Sen and Thomas Piketty. The Loeb Classical Library, founded by James Loeb and first issued by Heinemann of London in 1912, became a joint Harvard publication in 1934 and wholly Harvard's in 1989; its Greek texts are bound in green and its Latin in red. The Belknap Press imprint began in May 1954 with the Harvard Guide to American History. HUP also publishes the I Tatti Renaissance Library and the Murty Classical Library of India.
Today. The Press, a division of the university, had published more than 10,000 titles by its centenary, when its director said it paid its way through sales and its endowment. It has offices in Cambridge and London.
We have not yet written the guide to Harvard University Press's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Harvard University Press marked its firsts? Tell us.
Authors
Series
Published by Harvard University Press
Frequently asked questions
How many Harvard University Press books does MyVolumes track?
We track 65 editions published by Harvard University Press, 37 of them first editions, across 56 books.
Where these facts come from
- Harvard University Press, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- As many books as possible, short of bankruptcy, Harvard Magazine, 2013 (harvardmagazine.com)
- 100 years of Harvard University Press, Harvard Gazette, 2013 (news.harvard.edu)
- Loeb Classical Library, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.