West Virginia University Press is the only university press, and the largest publisher of any kind, in the state of West Virginia. A part of West Virginia University, they publish books and scholarly journals by authors around the world, with a particular emphasis on Appalachian studies, history, higher education, the social sciences, and interdisciplinary books about energy, environment, and resources. They also publish works of fiction and creative nonfiction, and collaborate on innovative digital publications, notably West Virginia History: An Open Access Reader.
Perfect Dirt
And Other Things I've Gotten Wrong
Recounted with humor and honesty, Lester invites us into his life as he struggles with masculinity and searches for a place where he fits.
The Harlan Renaissance
Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns
A personal remembrance from the preeminent chronicler of Black life in Appalachia.
Rock Climbing in Kentucky's Red River Gorge
An Oral History of Community, Resources, and Tourism
Tells the fascinating story of the Red’s climbing community through interviews with the people who lived that history and considers how sustainable ecotourism might contribute to the region economically.
Past Titan Rock
Journeys into an Appalachian Valley
A classic book about Appalachian life and music, now updated with new material.
On Dark and Bloody Ground
An Oral History of the West Virginia Mine Wars
An oral history of the West Virginia Mine Wars published to coincide with the centennial of the Battle of Blair Mountain.
Cannel Coal Oil Days
A Novel
A newly discovered nineteenth-century novel about West Virginia breaking away from Virginia, set amid the cannel coal boom and featuring an interracial abolitionist movement.
American Vaudeville
A dreamlike, evocative reckoning with a lost epoch in popular culture—and with old, weird America.
Skim, Dive, Surface
Teaching Digital Reading
Students are reading on screens more than ever—how can we teach them to be better digital readers?
Fierce and Delicate
Essays on Dance and Illness
Memoir about ballet and illness from a creative writing teacher whose career as a ballerina was stopped by rheumatoid arthritis.
Minding Bodies
How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning
What happens to teaching when you consider the whole body (and not just “brains on sticks”)?