"As far as I can recall, there has been only one student who ever tried to get information from the examination papers we print," David T. Pottinger '06, Associate Director of the University Press, stated yesterday, reflecting on his forty years of service with the Press.
"He was a sly fellow who tried to get friendly with one of our workmen and buy an exam paper from him. But we discovered the leak within an hour, and within the next he was packed and leaving for home. "That," Pottinger added, "happened fifteen years ago, and since then no one has had the nerve to try it again.
"In fact, the University Press is fairly peaceful. It is one of those organizations that performs a necessary and useful work but isn't very exciting, "the Associate Director commented.
Since its founding sixty-eight years ago, the Press has been migratory. It was first established on the second floor of Wadsworth House, then moved to the basement of University Hall and finally come to a halt in Randall Hall. Since 1932 the executive offices have been located in the little yellow clapboard house at 38 Quincey Street.
"The work of the Press is not confined to authors who are connected with the University," Pottinger continued. "We print the works of scholars from all over the world. The Syndics of the Press, which means a group of Harvard professors, pass judgement on what we decide to publish."
Pottinger is justifiably proud of the Press's work. It is the American agent for the publications of the Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, whose headquarters are in Oslo, Norway, and it has thrice been awarded medals by the American Institute of Graphic Arts for careful and beautiful printing.
The Press is now planning to print "The Quest for Peace" by William E. Rappard, the eminent Swiss political scientist. A study of De Quincey's "Opium Eater," by John C. Metcalf, was published last Friday.
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