IU Press celebrates 50th anniversary

Michael Dirda, the Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post Book World columnist was on hand to sign autographs at an IU Press book sale and signing Thursday. \nThe Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union was home to the sale from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., held to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the printing of the organization's first book.\nDirda, who won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism in 1993, had his book "Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments," a compilation of his various columns and writings, published earlier this year by the IU Press.\n"I couldn't have asked for a better publishing experience," he said. "Everybody was extremely professional and attentive. The book was publicized well, and I enjoyed working with the editors."\nDirda also gave a lecture and book signing at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union.\n"IU has a wonderful campus," he said. "It's a fun place to be. I studied to be a college professor, so being here has made me realize my lost fondness for university life. It's been very gratifying."\nGraduate student Kendra Boileau Stokes, assistant sponsoring editor of the IU Press, said she felt the sale was successful.\n"We offered a good selection, and from the looks of things, people were really interested in what we offer."\nStokes discussed the organization's future plans.\n"The director's plans are to promote growth in titles, areas of publication, staff and income," she said.\nFounded in 1950 by former IU President Herman B Wells to publish scholarly literature and journals, the IU Press did not print its first work until 1951. \nDirector Peter-John Leone described the publishing company's expansion since then.\n"The IU Press has grown remarkably fast in the past 50 years," he said. "We have become the largest university press in the Big Ten and the ninth-largest in the country, as well as the publisher of choice for many scholars. Many of the other university presses are twice as old as we are."\nSponsoring Editor Dee Mortensen said IU Press employees hope to expand into online publishing.\n"We want to branch out into electronic publishing, and we want to offer a searchable Web site," she said. "Publishing is a good area to be in right now, and the IU Press is in an excellent position to take on the next 50 years"