Founded in 1963, the University of Massachusetts Press publishes scholarship, literature, and books for general readers that reflect the quality and diversity of intellectual life on UMass campuses, in their region, and around the world. UMass Press has sold more than 2,000,000 volumes since its inception, and currently has over 1,400 titles in print.  

In recent years, the Press has focused primarily on books in the field of American studies broadly defined—books that explore the history, politics, literature, culture, and environment of the United States—as well as works with a transnational perspective. In addition to publishing works of scholarship, the Press produces books of more general interest for a wider readership and launched its regional trade imprint, Bright Leaf in 2017.