In This Newsletter
Welcome to the Spring 2025 issue of the University Press of Florida and UF Press newsletter! We have big news for 2025. The Press turns 80 this year!
Our 80th year marks big changes for the Press, including the retirement of a longtime, beloved staff member and our transition to a new distributor for Press books. Read about these things in this issue. On the occasion of our 80th year, this issue also highlights our enduring mission and what it means to be a not-for-profit university press.
Finally, mark your calendar for Giving Day! On February 20, 2025, we will ask for gifts to support our publishing program. The new year is a great time to make new giving plans, and we hope you will consider participating. Find more information in this newsletter.
About the Press
The University Press of Florida and UF Press produce exceptional books for students, scholars, and general readers. From transformative research to engaging, authoritative information on local history and culture, we bring works of significance and lasting value to readers everywhere.
New Books
Spring & Summer 2025
We are looking forward to our new season of books to be published between March and August 2025. This forthcoming season includes books of special interest to Florida readers, including stories of Florida surf culture and nature near at hand in South Florida, as well as scholarly work on many topics, from modern art in Cuba during the 1940s to strategies for preserving the maritime cultural heritage of shipwrecks. Each one of the books in this season represents a subject area that we specialize in publishing, whether regional history and culture or one of several select academic disciplines, which we highlight later in this newsletter.
Meet the Book Designer
We are taking the opportunity to introduce some of our publishing staff in each of our newsletters. In this issue we are celebrating and bidding farewell to a member of our design and production team whose tenure at the Press is unprecedented. In our last issue, in case you missed it, we introduced our team of acquisitions editors.
Our design manager, Larry Leshan, is retiring in March 2025. Larry has been with the Press for over 45 years. We are sad to see him go, and we are grateful and appreciative of all the work he’s done to make our books the best they can be. He leaves big shoes for the next book designer to fill, both as a designer and as a kind friend and ever-dependable coworker. Read on for an interview with Larry in which he describes his experience working for the Press and the changes he has seen in the publishing industry over the decades.
Q&A with Larry Leshan, Design Manager
When did you start at University Press of Florida and how did your role change over time?
I started in 1979. I was hired just to do charts and graphs. I came from the University of Florida as a graphic design major. I asked Phil Martin, the director, if I could do covers and he said yes. He liked that I was interested in learning book design.
I started to do some covers, but I didn’t realize that book interiors were designed too until editor/designer Frank Solely said, “There’s this whole other world of design.” We started reading about all these great typographers and book designers. We were totally captivated by it.
Back then I was designing books the old-fashioned way, which was: you designed an interior by sketching it. If there was something you didn’t like, you had to erase it and draw again. When we got computers we started doing basic layout, so the type was easier to move around.
What were some of your favorite books you worked on, and what were some of your proudest accomplishments?
Some of my favorite books to work on were African Art at the Harn Museum by Robin Poynor and Classical Ballet Technique by Gretchen Ward Warren (it was grueling—every photo hand-placed). Jerry Uelsmann’s books were fun because I could vary the photo size. The books could have a nice flow to them. I like to have some variation, different sizes of the art on every page.
I also loved Picturing Apollo 11 by J. L. Pickering and John Bisney. Working with an enthusiastic author on a great project is a treat. And it’s very gratifying to see the success.
What books that you’ve designed have won awards from the AUPresses Book, Jacket, and Journal Show?
I’m probably most proud of the award for African Art at the Harn Museum. Robert Bringhurst was a judge, and he wrote the bible on typography. Also, The Southern Movie Palace by Janna Jones (the judge said that my marble endpapers were “tragic”). Some of the other cover selections were Glazed America by Paul R. Mullins, Images of Persephone edited by Elizabeth T. Hayes, and Salt by Heather McKillop.
What would surprise an outsider most about university press publishing?
I think the amount that we do; small staffs do lots of work. When we started to publish more books, we began to use design templates to save time. We tweak each one to the look and feel of each book.
Announcing Our New Distributor
In our 80th anniversary year, we are announcing a new partnership that marks a major change for the Press. Effective March 1, 2025, Longleaf Services will provide fulfillment and distribution services for University Press of Florida and UF Press books. Having distributed our books in-house for 80 years, this transition is bittersweet for us. We are looking ahead to the benefits our partnership with Longleaf will bring, including much-needed improvements in inventory technology and robust, efficient distribution networks.
Longleaf Services, Inc., is a nonprofit company exclusively serving the university press community since 2006. Operating with a collaborative philosophy, Longleaf enables client publishers to enhance their competitiveness, improve operating efficiencies, and create economies of scale, resulting in better service to their customers and lowering overall operating costs for both publisher and book buyer.
As part of the Longleaf family, we will be able to focus on publishing high-quality books while taking advantage of the services Longleaf provides to ensure our books make their way quickly and smoothly to readers everywhere.
New Reviews
Modern Cuban: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Recipes
Ana Quincoces
The Washington Post featured Modern Cuban and its recipe for black bean soup.
Booklist also reviewed the book: “The influence of American culture has brought about evolution in Cuban cooking. Quincoces documents these changes, contending that the beloved fundamentals of Cuban classics remain as they always were. . . . Color photographs attract almost as much as Quincoces’ recipes.”
Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People
Evan P. Bennett
In the wake of Hurricane Helene and as Hurricane Milton approached Florida’s Gulf Coast last fall, the New York Times interviewed Evan P. Bennett, author of Tampa Bay, about the environmental and economic factors causing change in the Tampa area.
Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida’s Film and Television Industry
David Morton
“Exactly what a localized and geographically specific history should be. . . . Morton’s research is quite remarkable, and his extensive use of primary sources make this a valuable study. . . . A phenomenal history.”—Choice, a publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries
The Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration: New Deal Public Works, Modernization, and Colonial Reform
Geoff G. Burrows
“Burrows makes a groundbreaking contribution to the regional historiography devoted to the study of the Great Depression. For Puerto Rican, US, and Latin American scholars, this study provides a powerful history that clearly explains how the economic havoc experienced by the United States in the 1930s transcended its national boundaries and affected the destinies of the inhabitants of a Spanish-speaking territorial possession in the Caribbean for years after.”—H-Net
New Awards
Bertha Maxwell-Roddey: A Modern-Day Race Woman and the Power of Black Leadership
Sonya Y. Ramsey
North Carolina Society of Historians Book Award
Below Baltimore: An Archaeology of Charm City
Adam D. Fracchia and Patricia M. Samford
Society for Historical Archaeology James Deetz Book Award
Underwater and Coastal Archaeology in Latin America
Edited by Dolores Elkin and Christophe Delaere
North American Society for Oceanic History John R. Lyman Book Award for Maritime and Nautical Archaeology
Ancient Foodways: Integrative Approaches to Understanding Subsistence and Society
Edited by C. Margaret Scarry, Dale L. Hutchinson, and Benjamin S. Arbuckle
Society for Ethnobotany Daniel F. Austin Award
Recent Author Events
Our Mission
Who We Are and What We Do
Eight things to remember for our 80th anniversary
1
We are a not-for-profit, mission-driven scholarly publisher.
A member of the Association of University Presses, we are committed to generating and disseminating knowledge through publishing. Our books undergo peer review—the hallmark of a university press—and we publish them not to make a profit but to serve the public good.
2
We are the only university press in Florida.
Located in a state that serves as a hub for important technological and environmental research, we draw on local expertise to move conversations forward around topics of local, national, and global relevance.
3
We publish authors from around the world.
While many of our authors live in Florida, many others are based outside the state, representing all 50 states in the USA and countries across six continents.
4
We publish authors who are experts in their fields.
Our authors engage in peer review and other scholarly best practices, resulting in publications of the highest quality both in terms of rigor and reliability.
5
We participate in initiatives to increase the availability and accessibility of scholarship.
We are closely involved in open access programs and grant-funded projects to make publications available at affordable prices and in multiple formats.
6
We publish authoritative information of special relevance to our local communities here in Florida.
In addition to publishing scholarship in different academic subject areas, it is part of our mission to help readers discover and understand the history and culture of our state and region.
7
We are a resource for scholars and writers in Florida and beyond.
We host free webinars open to the public on aspects of academic publishing, give presentations to groups of faculty at schools both in and outside the state, and meet frequently with prospective authors. We invite writers, especially those in Florida, to reach out to us with questions if they are considering preparing book projects for submission to a publisher, even if we are not the press they ultimately end up publishing with.
8
Our team of dedicated and experienced publishing professionals guides, supports, and partners with authors at every step of the publishing process.
Beginning with our acquisitions editors, who are usually the first point of contact for authors, and extending to our project editors, designers, production staff, and marketers, our staff members work with authors to ensure their publications become the best they can be.
Subject Areas
Florida History and Culture
Art, Architecture, and Photography
Cooking and Foodways
Gardening, Nature, and Sustainability
Music
Dance
Literature
Archaeology, Anthropology, and Forensics
African American Studies
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
American History
Space
A Letter from the Director
Dear Reader,
80 years ago the Press published its first book, Florida Under Five Flags, a centennial history of the state, by Rembert Patrick, one of the first scholars to “penetrate the history of Florida.”i Much has changed since 1945, and Florida Under Five Flags is now in its fifth edition. The Press grew from publishing one or two books per year to publishing 70 books per year today, with a backlist catalog of more than 3,000 titles. We’ve had several colophons and logos and even our official name has changed more than a few times, from the University of Florida Press to the University Presses of Florida to our current imprints as the University Press of Florida and the University of Florida Press. The technologies to edit, typeset, design, and print books changed, as our book designer Larry Leshan discusses in his interview. The tools for selling and marketing books have also evolved, as have book formats, which now include digital and audio. Today, the reach of our books is global, and we have readers on every continent. Yes, even Antarctica, where a copy of the original edition of Archaeology of Precolumbian Florida was discovered at McMurdo Station by one of our globe-trotting former interns. (The book is now available in a free digital version as part of an open access initiative in collaboration with the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries.)
What has not changed in these 80 years is the Press’s commitment to its mission: to publish relevant works of exceptional quality and lasting value that are globally significant and regionally important; to promote new scholarship and preserve important voices from the past; to provide reliable resources for scholars, students, researchers, and readers across the world; and to be a dynamic part of the creative exploration, exchange, and evaluation of ideas that lead to a better understanding and experience of the world around us.
Maintaining this commitment as a not-for-profit publisher, especially against the backdrop of a seemingly ever-changing publishing industry, has not always been easy, but we have done so with the support of so many who share a similar commitment, beginning with readers and authors who share our enthusiasm for ideas. Generous donors have helped support specific book projects and various initiatives like our student internship program. University administrators have supported the Press since the beginning, and that support continues to this day, including the provosts of the state universities.
We are incredibly grateful to all of our past, current, and future supporters. We hope you will continue to support the Press’s mission by purchasing one of our books at your local independent bookstore or by checking one out from your library; by telling a friend about your latest “Florida read” or attending one of our upcoming author events. And, if it is possible for you, and we understand it is not possible for many in these difficult times, by donating to the University Press of Florida Fund on Giving Day.
Thank you for supporting mission-first publishing.
Sincerely,
Romi Gutierrez
Director, University Press of Florida and UF Press
i Eckert, Edward. “Patrick Bibliography.” Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. XLVI, no. 4.
A Gift for You
On Giving Day, donations of $80 or more will receive our special 80th anniversary poster.
This poster features 80 books from the past and present of University Press of Florida and UF Press. The selection of books featured represents the strengths of our publishing program and the depth and breadth of research that we have published and continue to publish. We had so many excellent books to choose from and we couldn’t include them all, but we think these 80 titles give a great introduction to what we are all about. If you love our books, make a plan to give $80 for our 80th and display your copy of this poster proudly!
The poster is 11″ x 17″ and is printed on matte paper stock.
Save the Date for Giving Day
Please consider participating in Giving Day on February 20, 2025. Previous gifts have funded our internship program, allowing students to explore publishing as a career and gain useful workplace experience. Gifts have also supported publications by first-time authors, enabling the Press to publish change-making works by new voices. Your gift will enable the Press to continue both initiatives. Donations of at least $80 will receive our 80th anniversary poster.
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