University Press of Kansas

The University Press of Kansas largely publishes works that explore American politics (including the presidency, American political thought, and public policy), military history, American history (especially political, cultural, intellectual, and western), environmental policy, American studies, film studies, law and legal history, Indigenous studies, Kansas, and the Midwest.

The press's specialty areas were cultivated in 1981, when then-director Fred Woodward noticed that, aside from a successful series on the US presidents, the press had published few works about political science. Woodward subsequently decided to focus on building a list of publications that explored the politics of the United States.

In 2021, leadership of the press was incorporated into the responsibilities of the dean of the University of Kansas Libraries, a position then held by Kevin Smith. In 2022, Mike Haddock, the associate dean for research, education and engagement at K-State Libraries, was appointed interim director of the press following Smith's departure from KU Libraries.

The University Press of Kansas's "Kansas Open Books" initiative is project aimed at scanning out-of-print UPK books and offer them for free download. The project is funded by the Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Major book series published by the University Press of Kansas include:

• "American Political Thought"
• "American Presidential Elections"
• "American Presidency"
• "Civil Military Relations"
• "Congressional Leaders"
• "Constitutional Thinking"
• "CultureAmerica"
• "Environment and Society"
• "Kansas Nature Guides"
• "Landmark Law Cases and American Society"
• "Modern First Ladies"
• "Modern War Studies"
• "Rethinking Careers, Rethinking Academia"
• "Studies in Government and Public Policy"
• "US Army War College Guides to Civil War Battles"

• List of English-language book publishing companies
• List of university presses

• Official website
• Kansas Open Books Initiative