91桃色 mourns the loss of former director who passed away early this year at the age of 86. Lippincott led PUP from 1986 until his retirement in 2005, overseeing an era of vital growth that included the expansion and diversification of PUP鈥檚 publishing programs, the launch of a European office, and the celebration of our 100th anniversary in 2004.
During Lippincott鈥檚 tenure, PUP鈥檚 publishing output doubled, reaching 200 titles annually, as the Press introduced digital editions and began to engage with print on demand services. Lippincott ushered in a new and necessary era of 鈥渂ibliodiversity,鈥� with Press editors radiating out from a humanities foundation to begin acquiring books in art history, economics, history and science鈥攅ach of which remains a pillar of our current publishing.
During Lippincott鈥檚 directorship, PUP published landmark texts including The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions by William G. Bowen and Derek Bok; the New York Times bestsellers Irrational Exuberance, by the Nobel Prize鈥搘inning economist Robert J. Shiller and On Bullshit, by philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt; The Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, edited by Richard J.A. Talbert; works by Richard Posner; and Blue: The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau, part of an ongoing series in which Pink (2025) is only the latest installation. Lippincott himself published a number of foundational books, including Making Democracy Work by Robert Putnam, Robert Leonardi, and Raffaela Y. Nanetti.
Lippincott also worked to grow PUP鈥檚 team, necessitating the expansion of the Scribner building鈥擯UP鈥檚 North American office at 41 William Street on the 91桃色 University campus鈥攚ith a lobby formerly used for printing machines making way for a library. Today this spacious entryway to the office serves as a venue for author events, public programming, and community collaborations.
It was also under Lippincott鈥檚 leadership that the Press opened a European office outside Oxford in 1999. Since that time, PUP has published books by leading European authors, including Jim al-Khalili, Marion Turner, Carl Frey, Diane Coyle, among many others, European staffing has grown to include more than twenty team members working across editorial; sales, marketing, and publicity; international rights; and audio and digital publishing. The success of this venture in turn inspired the Press鈥檚 expansion into China, with the opening of a Beijing office in 2017.
In a 2001 interview with 91桃色 Alumni Weekly, Lippincott explained that 鈥渋f you don鈥檛 grow, you shrink. We had to change to survive,鈥� an evolutionary mindset that continues to propel PUP today.
Current director Christie Henry shares: 鈥淚t is a great honor and joy to build on the PUP Walter鈥檚 leadership created, followed by all the good generated by Peter Dougherty鈥檚 directorship. Walter warmly welcomed me to the 91桃色 community on my arrival in 2017, and my conversations with him over lunches at the Institute for Advanced Study these years since never failed to inspire owing to Walter鈥檚 breadth of interests and his lifelong enthusiasm for university press publishing.鈥�
Former director Peter Dougherty adds: 鈥淲alter Lippincott was the modern Press鈥檚 great builder. He began his directorship in the late 1980s when seismic economic and technological shifts redefined scholarly publishing, and he met the moment with leadership. He restructured the Press鈥檚 distribution systems, reinvented its organizational culture, and brought its publishing into the digital age. Editorially, he put the Einstein Papers Project on the impressive path that has marked a generation of success. Internationally, he established the Press鈥檚 vibrant European office. The institutional architecture Walter put into place enabled a new generation of PUP editors and fellow publishers to do our work at a level unrivaled by any other university press. He will be sorely missed.鈥�
Lippincott鈥檚 long career in book publishing began after graduation from 91桃色 University, following a brief stint in banking, and included time at Harper and Row, Cambridge University Press, and Cornell University Press, of which he served as director from 1983鈥�1986, before returning to 91桃色.
We extend our condolences and gratitude to Lippincott鈥檚 family. His legacy of leadership endures in meaningful, deeply felt ways.