UT Press was established in 1940 by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.

The University of Tennessee Press issues about 35 books each year.

Notable books about Tennessee or Appalachia that were issued by the Press include: Six UT Press books related to Appalachia, including the Encyclopedia of Appalachia, have won the Appalachian Studies Association's annual Weatherford Award.

Four UT Press books in the field of material culture have won the Abbott Lowell Cummings Award: Some other noteworthy books that UT Press has published are: A major online publication project of the UT Press is the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, created in cooperation with the Tennessee Historical Society.

According to UT Press, its long-term plans include the creation of digital editions of the Encyclopedia of Appalachia and The Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English.