What Kinds of Books Does The Ohio State University Press Publish?

Updated

The Ohio State University Press publishes 50–60 new books a year, with a focus on literary and cultural studies, American studies, rhetoric and communication, gender and sexuality studies, and race and ethnic studies. If your research or reading interest falls in one of those areas—or in regional studies—the press is worth checking directly, since its list is narrow enough that you can scan new titles quickly.

Main subject areas

According to the press's own description, its specialized fields are:

  • Literary and cultural studies, including comics, narrative theory, Victorian studies, and medieval studies
  • American studies
  • Rhetoric and communication
  • Gender and sexuality studies
  • Race and ethnic studies, including Black studies and Latinx studies
  • Regional studies (the press states it also acquires books in this area)

The pattern here is scholarly and humanities-oriented rather than general trade publishing. The subfields listed under literary and cultural studies—comics, narrative theory, Victorian and medieval studies—signal that the press is comfortable with both contemporary cultural analysis and historically grounded literary scholarship.

What the current list looks like

The "New & Forthcoming Titles" section on the site shows how these categories play out in practice. Recent and upcoming books include:

Title Author/Editor Area it reflects
Decolonial Dreamwork: Africanfuturism and Imagination Beyond Development Jenna Hanchey Race and ethnic studies, cultural studies
Fi-Sci: Avatars of Science in Fiction Rhona Trauvitch Literary/cultural studies
The Epic Catalogue: List Form and Reception from Beowulf to Paradise Lost Eva von Contzen Medieval studies, narrative theory
Hard Right: Muscular Rhetoric and the New Nationalism Casey Ryan Kelly Rhetoric and communication
A Conditional Embrace: Black Queer Feminism in Performance Kristyl D. Tift Gender and sexuality studies, Black studies
Ordinary Abortion: Reproductive Choice in Twenty-First-Century Women's Writing Mary Thompson Gender studies, literary studies
Touchdown!: Latinos Breaking Through the NFL's White Lines Frederick Luis Aldama and Christopher González Latinx studies, American studies
The Water Defenders Robin Broad and John Cavanagh Regional/environmental studies

The list also includes poetry (Weird Girl, The Afterlife of Sweetness) and essay collections (Shamewreck, City of Toys, Place Envy), so the press is not limited to monographs.

How to decide if it fits your interest

Use these conditions to judge quickly:

  • If you work in literary or cultural studies—especially comics studies, narrative theory, Victorian or medieval studies—the press is a direct match.
  • If your field is rhetoric, communication, American studies, gender and sexuality studies, or race and ethnic studies, the list overlaps substantially with those areas.
  • If you are looking for regional studies, the press states it acquires in this area, though the current front list shows fewer examples.
  • If you need general-interest or trade nonfiction, this is likely not the right catalog; the output is scholarly.

Where to look next

The site's "New & Forthcoming Titles" page is the fastest way to test the fit, since 50–60 books a year means the front list is short enough to review title by title. The press also offers an email newsletter signup (email, first name, last name) if you want new titles delivered rather than checking back manually.