Baylor University Press is the academic press of Baylor University, an R1 institution known for its research activities and initiatives across schools and departments. The Press publishes around forty new academic titles each year, focusing on technical scholarship for researchers, tools for teachers, and textbooks for students. All Press publications under our primary academic colophon enjoy rigorous peer review and project development. Our list centers on scriptural, historical, and theological studies of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. An active member of the Association of University Presses, Baylor University Press joins with academic presses worldwide in the belief that ideas matter, that publishing is more than disseminating information, and that books are sustained acts of wisdom.
Our Books
BUP maintains a focused strategy when it comes to the topics we publish and the areas of scholarship we serve. Our staff is a team of publishing experts, equipped through years of professional experience to acquire, develop, and market scholarly books in religious studies and cognate fields. Most of the books on our backlist, which numbers around one thousand titles, are in these disciplines.
The Press boasts an extensive library of books in biblical studies, including numerous monographs on topics in the academic study of the Old and New Testaments, resources for students of the biblical languages, and textbooks for various courses in the field. BUP also publishes a growing list of titles in theology and a number of theological subfields, and our offerings cover the different approaches giving methodological shape to theological discourse today: historical, systematic, constructive, and practical. We have a strong record of publishing at the intersection of theological and religious studies and other academic disciplines, with books on topics such as theology/religion and art, literature, culture, politics, economics, science, race, and philosophy. The Press is in the vanguard of publishers committed to the interdisciplinary conversation between theological/religious studies and disability studies, as demonstrated by our award-winning Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability series. In recent years, BUP has curated a small list of books of poetry, all of which engage with religious themes. Looking ahead, we hope to continue to expand our offerings in Judaism and Islam, and to publish books that contribute to thriving, global conversations in areas such as Black theology, religion and medicine, theology and psychology, and the academic study of spirituality.
In addition to our main list of scholarly titles, the Press annually publishes a handful of nonacademic books under two imprints. The 1845 Books imprint covers a variety of topics, including ministry, spirituality, pastoral care, biography, and regional themes. The Big Bear Books imprint celebrates the history and people—administration, faculty, students, athletes, graduates, and friends—of Baylor University.
Our Mission
The mission of Baylor University Press advances Baylor University’s mission by:
- Publishing annually, in the name of Baylor University, a curated list of academic books in the areas of religious studies and cognate fields. Baylor University Press books:
- Advance knowledge through the publication of cutting-edge research
- Distill important and enduring scholarship through reference works
- Improve and support quality classroom instruction though academic works in specific fields that form the teaching scholars who work in those disciplines
- Facilitate learning through dedicated textbooks
- Enhancing the Baylor brand through the global dissemination of rigorous scholarship in Baylor’s name. Baylor University Press books are:
- Evaluated by way of a rigorous peer-review process aligned with the standards of the Association of University Presses (of which BUP is a member in good standing)
- Used for tenure and promotion in universities, colleges, and other academic institutions across the globe
- Reviewed in prestigious periodicals in religious studies and cognate fields
- Read and cited by the world’s top scholars who work in our areas of publishing
- Serving the publishing needs of BU faculty, staff, students, and stakeholders. The Press:
- Leads publishing workshops in departments across Baylor’s campus and beyond
- Partners with Baylor departments, institutes, and centers to host events
- Offers students learning and employment opportunities
- Publishes Baylor-specific and local interest titles under two nonacademic imprints
Located at one of the few research universities that maintains meaningful ties with its founding faith community, Baylor University Press publishes books with a moral arc, books possessed by a decisive public vocation. In an age burdened by information, Baylor University Press cultivates and curates wisdom. Baylor University Press publishes books for good.