University Park, PA -- "Smart Books, Smart Design," an exhibition spotlighting the contributions of design and production to scholarly publishing, is on display March 19 through May 3, 2002, in the Diversity Studies Room, 109 Pattee Library. It will showcase books and journals from Penn State Press along with award-winners in the 2001 Book, Jacket, and Journal Show sponsored by the Association of American University Presses (AAUP).

The AAUP fosters collaboration among university presses and represents the interests of university publishing to other organizations and the general public. Its annual Book, Jacket, and Journal Show recognizes accomplishment in design and production while stimulating the creativity of those involved in the art of bookmaking. The judges of the 2001 Book, Jacket, and Journal Show—leaders in the field of graphic design—have honored Penn State Press for the jacket designs of Roy Eriksen's The Building in the Text and Ricardo Castells's Fernando de Rojas and the Renaissance Vision.

That success has not come overnight. Since 1956, Penn State Press—an active member of AAUP—has published scholarly work of the highest intellectual and artistic quality. In the past five years alone, Penn State Press has won more than thirty awards for the general excellence of its publications, including first prize (in the biography category) from the Association of American Publishers for Ezra Greenspan's George Palmer Putnam; the Best New Journal Award from the Council of Editors of Learned Journals for Book History; three awards for Jon Markoff's The Abolition of Feudalism, including the David Pinkney Prize from the Society for French Historical Studies and the Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award from the American Sociological Association; and the Eleanor Tufts Award from the American Society for Hispanic Art Historical Studies for Lynette Bosch's Art, Liturgy, and Legend in Renaissance Toledo.

Penn State Press has achieved wide recognition for its work in the humanities and social sciences—especially in art history, philosophy, medieval studies, Latin American studies, and American history—and for its Keystone Book series, which focuses on the culture, natural environment, and history of Pennsylvania. An integral part of the University community, the Press remains dedicated to serving that community, the citizens of Pennsylvania, and the worldwide network of scholars. With a current annual output of sixty to seventy titles, the Press continues to promote the advancement of scholarship and to reflect the academic strengths of Penn State.

The book show will feature a presentation by Chip Kidd, celebrated book designer and author, on April 4, 2002, at 5:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library. Kidd will read from his debut novel The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters. The lecture is sponsored by the Penn State Press, the University Libraries, and the Graphic Design program, School of Visual Arts, College of Arts and Architecture. For more information, call 814-865-1327.