Columbia University Press was founded in May 1893. In 1933, the first four volumes of the
History of the State of New York were published. In the early 1940s, the Press' revenues rose, partially thanks to the
Encyclopedia and the government's purchase of 12,500 copies for use by the military. Columbia University Press is notable for publishing reference works, such as
The Columbia Encyclopedia (1935–present), ''
The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry (online as The Columbia World of Poetry Online
) and The Columbia Gazetteer of the World'' (also online) and for publishing music. The press is the first of all American university presses to publish music. In 1998, the Press founded an online-only site,
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO), and
Columbia Earthscape (in 2009). Their books have been positively reviewed by several notable outlets, including
Cleveland Review of Books. From 2014 to 2026, the press was led by Jennifer Crewe, who was the first female director of an
Ivy League university press. ==Imprints==