Oxford University Press is perhaps the most diverse publisher of its type. It publishes in many countries in a variety of different languages, for all levels, and across virtually the whole range of academic disciplines. The main criteria in evaluating a new title are its quality and the contribution it makes to the furtherance of scholarship and education. The strong academic programmes in both the UK and USA span almost all subjects, while the Indian scholarly list is widely acknowledged to be among the most distinguished in the world on subjects of particular relevance to South Asia.Oxford is among the leading publishers of English Language Teaching books and materials, complemented by a respected list of titles in linguistics and pedagogical theory. The Oxford Reading Tree is the most widely used reading programme in UK schools and has been adapted for use in many other countries worldwide. All of OUP's international branches are leading publishers of schoolbooks, college textbooks, and reference books for their own markets. Oxford University Press is particularly famous for its dictionaries and reference works. The Oxford English Dictionary, first published in 1928, is a historical dictionary of English, covering the language from the earliest times to the present day. It aims to show not only the current meanings of words, but also to trace their development through time. Entries can contain detailed etymological analysis, and are illustrated by quotations from a wide range of English language sources from around the world, making the OED a unique historical record. It was launched online in March 2000.

As well as the OED, OUP publishes a range of other dictionaries, from the popular Concise Oxford Dictionary to school dictionaries, the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, designed for learners of English as a foreign language, and dictionaries looking at different varieties of English, such as the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the Australian Oxford Dictionary, or the Dictionary of South African English. Important reference works include the American National Biography, published in 1999, and, in the UK, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, published in 2004.

Oxford University Press had its origins in the information technology revolution of the late fifteenth century, which began with the invention of printing from movable type. The first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, only two years after Caxton set up the first printing press in England.

Despite this early start, the printing industry in Oxford developed in a somewhat haphazard fashion over the next century. It consisted of a number of short-lived private businesses, some patronized by the University. But in 1586 the University itself obtained a decree from the Star Chamber confirming its privilege to print books. This was further enhanced in the Great Charter secured by Archbishop Laud from King Charles I, which entitled the University to print 'all manner of books'.

The University first appointed Delegates to oversee this privilege in 1633. Minute books recording their deliberations date back to 1668, and OUP as it exists today began to develop in a recognizable form from that time.

The University established its right to print the King James Authorized Version of the Bible in the seventeenth century. This Bible Privilege formed the basis of a profitable business throughout the next two centuries and was the spur to OUP's expansion. A Bible warehouse was set up in London, which later grew into a major publisher of books with educational or cultural content aimed at the general reader. OUP then began to expand internationally, starting with the opening of an American office in 1896.

Oxford's traditions of religious and academic publication were followed in New York. The first book published by the American office was the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. After it came The Life of Sir William Osler, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1926. Six more Pulitzers, several National Book Awards, and over a dozen Bancroft Prizes in American history have followed since. Today OUP USA is Oxford University Press's second major publishing centre, after Oxford, producing nearly 500 titles a year.

Since 1896, the business has changed considerably, with the growth and evolution of schools' publishing, particularly in the Branches; the introduction of English Language Teaching, Music, Journals, and Trade and General publishing; and the use of new technologies. OUP is now one of the largest publishers in the UK, and the largest university press in the world.

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