After four decades of changing its directors and publishing policies, the Harvard University Press is sure of only two things: a high place in the publishing trade and its local confusion with the Harvard Printing Office. Never the proprietor of actual printing presses, the Press has long been identified by students as the place where posters, exam schedules and the like are made up. "Just once," complains a Press official, "I'd like the subject of my job to come up at a party without being congratulated for the clever way in which we manage to keep track of all the times and places that courses meet."

The Press and Printing Office were run as one organization until 1942. But even then, although nominally a unit, they operated separately, since the publishing the printing ends of the book business are quite distinct. In fact, most of today's large publishing houses have either given up their presses or keep them as subsidiary organs.

Historically, printing had been connected closely with Harvard long before the University ever did much for itself. A British minister, Jose Glover, set off from London near the beginning of the 17th century accompanied by his wife, a press and a trivial collection of type. His dreams of editorial glory ended as he died on ship board, but Mrs. Glover set up shop with the assistance of Stephen Day, a worker who had come with her husband.

Smitten with admiration for her pluck and for her thriving little print shop, Harvard President Holyoke married the former Mrs. Glover. His admiration for her business acumen and the monopoly she enjoyed in the trade made him throw the University's printing her way. In addition, her shop printed such books as the bay Pslam Book and the Bible in an Indian dialect.

After Mrs. Glover-Holyoke and Stephen Day died, there is a long lapse in the history of Harvard printing. Then, in 1803, a man named Hilliard began a printing shop in Cambridge called the University Press. Actually, his shop was not connected with the University by even the tenuous bonds of marriage, but he did do most job printing for Harvard.

"University Press" Arrives

Then, in 1860, the firm of John Wilson and Son bought out Hilliard's interest and the name "University Press." Under the new management, with such men as Charles Folsom and Charles Metcalf, the University Press became nationally famous. Increased stores of type, ranging through Greek, Hebrew, German and old English, and new designs made an artistic reputation for the firm that equalled its business success. A chronicler of the University Press, writing for an alumni magazine at the end of the 19th century, said, "From the commencement of the present century almost all the original works of our greatest New England authors . . . come from this press." These was still no Harvard Press.

But while New England's authors, including University professors, were flocking to have their works set up on Mr. Wilson's presses, Harvard was burgeoning under the amiable dictatorship of President Eliot. By 1872, the revolutionary elective system had so widened the scope and number of course that an unseen difficulty arose. It was no longer possible to chalk up examinations on the blackboard, and nothing but printed exams seemed ractical. So, in that year, Eliot bought himself a press and the services of a second-rate journeyman printer, installing them both in a nook of University Hall's basement. All was well, for a while, and Harvard was launched on a printing career. But within a year or two Eliot discovered that his printer was supplementing his wages by selling copies of the exams to students even before the proofs were delivered to the professors. Believing this practise harmful to College morale, Eliot fired the printer, and looked about for a successor.

Adam K. Wilson (no relative of the management) was plant supervisor at the University Press when Eliot came there looking for a Harvard printer. An eminent craftsman, Wilson was fine choice, and remained chief printer for Harvard until his retirement in 1931. From the beginning of Wilson's stay until the late '90's the Printing Office grew in importance, doing all of the University's job printing, and finally printing the University Catalogue. It grew so rapidly that J. Bertram William '77 was appointed as publication agent to smooth over public relations between the Printing Office and faculty members, who were not used to being told where they should send their printing.

Upon William's death in 1908, C. Chester Lane '04 took over, to eventually become the first director of the University Press. Formerly with the textbook publishing firm of Ginn and Co., Lane saw that the University was sending a considerable amount of material to outside publishing houses. The Economics and History Departments were regularly putting out their "Studies," and the "Oriental Series" was an established publication.

Yale, Princeton and Chicago already had publishing houses to take care of the increasing number of scholarly manuscripts that professors felt should see print. So, on January 13, 1913, the Corporation voted to establish the Harvard University Press as a publishing outlet for the University. Lane was head of the organization that included the Printing Office--still the special province of Adam Wilson.

Outgrows Quarters

By 1915 Lane's group, including publishing staff and presses, had outgrown its scant University Hall quarters, so when Widener opened for business, the Press took the book-drained space in Randall Hall, which is still the site of the Printing Office. Then, in July, 1932, the Press moved to Quincy Street, and finally to its present quarters on Francis Street in 1949.

In 1916 a young Business School student named David Pottinger '06 took the printing house managing course that had started in '08. When Lane saw that his time for military service was coming, he arranged with pottinger to start working with the Press. Upon Lane's enlistment in 1918, Pottinger took over as acting director until January 1, 1920, when Lane resigned to take a position as business manager with the New York Evening Post.

The Corporation promptly appointed a retired Boston banker, Harold Murdock, director, making Pottinger his assistant. Murdock a book collector and fancier of fine printing, imported the world famous designer, Bruce Rogers, as printing adviser to the Press. Soon the Harvard University Press became equal to the old, Commercial University Press in fame for masterly editions. Pottinger worked closely with Rogers, and when outside duties slowly took Rogers more and more away from the Press, Pottinger did most of the designing. And it is generally conceded that under Pottinger's aegis the Press' reputation far from diminished.