A tradition of excellence

[img1]The UW is a world-renowned scientific research institution. Its hospital is among the best, and the UW is considered "the place to go" for medical school.

It would then logically follow that the press of such a prestigious institution would be on the cutting edge in scientific publications.

In fact, the University of Washington Press' books are far from the latest and greatest in science research. Rather, after 86 years of publishing, the Press is renowned for glossy-paged art tomes and insightful, scholarly volumes.

The UW Press, a little-known branch of the University, makes its home at 5th Avenue and Union Street in the Skinner building. Tucked away in his office, which is down a long hallway, Pat Soden, director of the Press, is surrounded by books -- which fill every corner.

He grabs one and with a dramatic flair drops a copy of Northwest Coast Indian Art on the table.

Soden said the book was instrumental in getting the Press into the world of art because of its ground-breaking subject material. For many art researchers, the book unlocked a new world in understanding regional Native American art.

"The Rosetta Stone of [art book] publishing goes back to the 1960s with the publishing of this little book," Soden said, adding that it established the Press as an art-book publisher worthy of recognition.

The book is a good illustration of the Press's goals as an institution.

"We have two functions really," Soden said. "Our mission is to publish books that reflect the best scholarly work and that reflect the strength of our institution."

Soden also said that the Press works to publish books accessible to a non-academic audience, citing books like Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest, by Russell Link. The book gives tips and explanations for more wildlife-supportive landscaping and is perennially popular with customers.

If a book had a GPA it'd have to be near a 4.0 to get published by the Press, which is highly selective in the books it publishes. Compared to the UW's acceptance rate of 67 percent in 2005, the Press has a miniscule 7-percent acceptance rate. All potential books, regardless of their audience, must pass rigorous reviewing before being accepted.

Soden said that of more than 1,000 books submitted, the Press only accepts about 70.

Yet, as scary as that figure might look to new authors, the Press accepts about 10 books by new authors every year, Soden said.

After surviving the acceptance gauntlet, books must go through vigorous rounds of refinement before they're ready for the public.

[img2]Manuscripts must go through numerous editing, reviewing and design sessions, explained author Gerald Baldasty, chair and professor of the Department of Communications, and adjunct professor for women studies.

In most cases, the Press contracts with the author for a new book based on the author's previous work. Then the author finishes the book and sends it back for revisions. There are several rounds of review by competent academics as well as a very thorough proofread by Kerrie Maynes, the Press' in-house copy editor.

Copy editing is Maynes' dream job. After graduating from the University of Utah with an English degree, Maynes figured she'd most like to work with an academic press, given the range of subjects and depth of investigation presented in scholarly works.

As an editor, Maynes doesn't really correct the writer's style, only the grammar and especially the citations. One of her constant companions is about three inches thick and proclaims itself a 15th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. Some books may have over 100 pages of notes, Maynes said.

Despite his distinguished title at the UW, Baldasty had to go through all the editing sessions just like any other author.

Baldasty said he was impressed by those who worked on the book throughout the year it took to go from manuscript to book, particularly the editors.

"They're editors in the best sense of the word," he said. "They give you advice."

Baldasty also noted that the whole process was a constant desire for a better work.

"The goal [is] to make the book the best it can be," he said.

His book, Vigilante Newspapers, is typical of the kind of book the Press chooses to publish. In the very early years of the 1900s scandal rocked the cities of Corvallis, Ore. and Seattle, when a jealous brother murdered the religious fanatic he believed had illicit relations with his sister.

Baldasty takes a scholarly look at the story, not only exploring the facts, but delving into the role that major Northwest newspapers had in creating the public opinion of the murder, the trial and subsequent events.

Considering that Vigilante Newspapers is one of the few books selected by the Press, it is no surprise to see where they received their reputation for excellent works.

According to a flyer from the Press, 11 UW Press books have won major prizes within the past two years. The prizes include the Washington State Book Award and the Choice Magazine Outstanding Book Award, which chooses books from "the thousands of academic books published each year," Soden said. For their art books, the Press has won two Association of American University Presses Design Awards.

However, the Press has not always been the distributor of such acclaimed reading material. Beginning with the first collection of poems edited in 1920 by Frederick M. Padelford (yes, the man for whom they named the crazy building), the Press published only four or five books a year until the 1960s.

"In 1963, then-president Charles Odegaard decided a major institution should have its own press," Soden said, noting that the Press really began turning out lots of books after Odegaard's decision.

As for the future of the Press, Soden does not know what role the firmly-established Press will play. The use of and demand for electronic information is steadily growing.

"I still think there will be a need and a demand for the traditional printed book, but I think that books will be a part of an electronically assisted way that information is passed along," Soden said, later suggesting the possibility of a computer chip containing illustrations to go along with art books.

"It's your generation that will decide how you want to access information," he said.

But for Maynes, the UW Press' mission is best encapsulated by the niche it can fill as part of the academic publishing community.

"The most important thing is that we publish books that wouldn't be published any other way," Maynes said.