Originally established in 1898, during its first 42 years, UT Press published annual reports, commencement speeches, and other official documents of UT. In 1940 it was reorganized as a scholarly publisher under the Publications Council, with the charge to stimulate “scientific and scholarly research in all fields.” It published its first book, Tennessee: A Political Study by William H. Combs and William E. Cole, in 1940. The University of Tennessee Press specializes in American studies, concentrating on history, archaeology, vernacular architecture, material culture, religion, folklore, literature, African American studies, Native American studies, and works in all disciplines concerned with Appalachia and the Southeast.