A History of the Cambridge University Press, 1521-1921

by S. C. Roberts

Chart and compass for the coming century.

Lord Acton, however, did not live to carry out the work and the editorship was entrusted to Sir A. W. Ward, Sir G. W. Prothero, and Sir Stanley Leathes.

The first of the volumes of text appeared in 1902 and the whole work was completed by a general index published in 1912.

This plan of co-operative history has been adopted by the Syndics in several other branches of learning: The Cambridge History of English Literature was completed under the editorship of Sir A. W. Ward and Mr A. R. Waller in 1916, and other works in progress are The Cambridge Medieval History, The Cambridge History of India, The Cambridge History of British Foreign Policy, and The Cambridge Ancient History.

Another important undertaking was the publication of the eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1911.

Short of summarising the forty-five main subject-headings of the current catalogue, it would be difficult—as well as invidious—to enter into further detail concerning the modern publications of the Cambridge University Press. It may suffice to note that in the years immediately preceding the war the average annual output of new books, exclusive of journals, was 150. This figure excludes, of course, the various editions of Cambridge bibles and prayer-books: at the present time there are, apart from the various styles of binding, 26 different editions of the Authorised, and 19 of the Revised Version; 19 editions of the English, and 6 of the Scottish prayer-book; of the latter, as of the new Canadian prayer-book, the Syndics are the sole publishers.

During the war both the printing and publishing businesses suffered from shortage of personnel, of metal, and of paper. Two hundred and fifty-two servants of the Syndics joined His Majesty's forces and of these forty-one were killed, or died, on service.

In conclusion, it may be remarked that the method of the government of the Press by a body of Syndics appointed by the Senate of the university has, with certain important modifications, persisted since 1698.

The constitution of the Syndicate has been more than once revised—notably in 1782 and 1855—and the length of a Syndic's tenure of office varied from time to time. The present body consists of the Vice-Chancellor (ex officio) and fourteen Syndics; the term of appointment is seven years and two Syndics retire each year. The first permanent secretary, Mr R. T. Wright, formerly Fellow of Christ's College, was appointed in 1892; on his retirement in 1911 he was succeeded by the present secretary, Mr A. R. Waller, of Peterhouse.