Four Way Books — first-edition identification

Levis Prize in Poetry (Larry Levis)
Intro Prize in Poetry

Four Way Books (USA (New York, New York); 1993–present). First-edition identification: Number line on the copyright page; the lowest number present indicates the printing. Firsts typically state 'First Edition' with a year on the copyright page. Single-printing titles are common, so absence of a later-printing statement generally indicates a first printing. Imprints and series: Levis Prize in Poetry (Larry Levis); Intro Prize in Poetry. Background: Founded in 1993 by four writers — Jane Brox, Helen Fremont, Dzvinia Orlowsky, and Martha Rhodes — as a nonprofit poetry and short-fiction press; its first list of titles appeared in 1995. Martha Rhodes is the director and founding editor. Prize-series labels (Levis Prize, Intro Prize) date and categorize titles but do not by themselves establish printing state.


Fourth Estate — first-edition identification

Fourth Estate (UK (London); 1984–present (HarperCollins from 2000)). First-edition identification: Copyright page states 'First published in Great Britain in [year] by Fourth Estate' (early independent years sometimes 'Fourth Estate Ltd'). Descending number line; a first printing ends in '1' (e.g. '1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2' or '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'). No subsequent-impression or reprint note appears on a true first. Imprints and series: Fourth Estate; 4th Estate; William Collins (sister HarperCollins literary imprint). Background: Founded 1984 by Victoria Barnsley as an independent in Notting Hill; acquired by HarperCollins in 2000, after which titles follow HarperCollins number-line conventions. Independent-era firsts (1984–2000) are the more sought-after; the original independent imprint details on the copyright page help confirm a pre-HarperCollins first. Hilary Mantel ('Wolf Hall', 'Bring Up the Bodies'), Anthony Doerr and Siddhartha Mukherjee (UK editions), and Carol Ann Duffy have appeared under Fourth Estate.

New Mexico Literacy Project (newmexicoliteracyproject.org)


Frances Lincoln Children's Books — first-edition identification

Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Lincoln Children's Books
Wide Eyed Editions
words & pictures
Happy Yak
QED (children's)

Frances Lincoln Children's Books (UK; 1977–present). First-edition identification: British convention: a first printing has a full number line on the copyright page ending in 1; lowest digit present = printing Frequently NO 'First edition' statement; rely on the complete number line and the 'First published in [year]' line Imprints and series: Frances Lincoln Children's Books; Lincoln Children's Books; Wide Eyed Editions; words & pictures; Happy Yak; QED (children's). Background: Frances Lincoln founded as an independent in 1977; the children's list is now part of The Quarto Group, which acquired Frances Lincoln in 2011 (some titles carry the 'Lincoln Children's Books' brand) Many titles are co-editions or illustrated nonfiction — for co-productions a foreign original-edition date may also appear, but the UK number line governs the UK first Sister Quarto children's imprints (Wide Eyed Editions, founded 2014; words & pictures; QED) follow the same British number-line convention


Frank Amato Publications — first-edition identification

Frank Amato Publications (USA (Portland, Oregon); 1970s-present). First-edition identification: 1970s-present: Fly-fishing and fly-tying firsts state 'First Edition' or 'First printing' and/or carry a descending number line ('1' present = first). Spiral-bound fly-pattern and regional river guides are frequently reprinted and revised, so confirm both the printing statement/number line and that the copy matches the edition in hand. All eras: Premium titles and the 'River Journal' single-river series were also issued in signed/numbered limited formats identified by a limitation page (the River Journal limiteds ran roughly 300-500 copies per title); the standard trade first is identified by the copyright-page printing line. Imprints and series: Frank Amato Publications; Amato Books. Background: Leading specialist fly-fishing and fly-tying publisher (also publisher of fishing periodicals including Salmon Trout Steelheader) based in Portland, Oregon, with a catalog of several hundred titles. Publisher of the 'River Journal' single-river guide series (issued in part as limited editions, c. 1993-2001); ongoing guidebook revisions make edition-tracking important.


Frank-Maurice, Inc. — first-edition identification

Frank-Maurice, Inc. (New York, USA; c.1924-1926). First-edition identification: No reliable printed first-edition statement is documented for this obscure, short-lived house. Treat a copy as a first printing when the copyright page carries no later-printing or reprint notice, consistent with general 1920s trade practice in the Boni & Liveright orbit; later printings, when they exist, are typically noted. Because no single bibliographic rule is firmly established here, confirm priority by binding and dust-jacket state and by jacket pricing rather than relying on any printed statement, and keep confidence low on any individual title. Background: A real but very obscure New York imprint of the mid-1920s; confirmed surviving titles include a two-volume Goethe study, indicating general literary and classical output rather than a large trade list. Operated in the orbit of the Horace Liveright / Boni & Liveright circle during the firm's mid-1920s restructuring; the precise corporate relationship and the origin of the 'Frank-Maurice' name are not firmly documented and should not be asserted as fact. Output was very small and records are sparse, so it is best treated as a long-tail imprint whose firsts are identified by physical points rather than by a stated convention.


Franklin Library — first-edition identification

Franklin Library (US; 1973–c.2000). First-edition identification: Two distinct categories: (1) 'Signed First Edition' series — true first printings with a SEPARATELY BOUND-IN leaf bearing a GENUINE author autograph; (2) classics reprints where the introduction is signed but that signature is FACSIMILE (reprinted), not original Genuine signed firsts: author signature stands alone on its own conjugate/inserted leaf; facsimile signatures appear at the END of a printed introduction Binding tells: full genuine leather throughout the run; imitation leather and quarter-bound genuine leather only in the 1970s–80s; full-leather volumes carry a satin ribbon page-marker bound in Gilt page edges, moiré or silk endpapers, gilt spine decoration; no copyright-page number line — identify by the signature leaf type and series statement Imprints and series: Franklin Mint (parent); Signed First Edition Society; 100 Greatest Books of All Time; Oxford Library of the World's Greatest Books; Pulitzer Prize Classics. Background: Franklin produced NO reprints of its own titles in the rare sense — but most volumes are reprints of classic TEXTS, so they are not collectible firsts of the work; the Signed First Edition Society volumes ARE genuine signed firsts (e.g., signed by living authors at publication) Key confusion: facsimile 'signed' introduction vs. a genuinely signed bound-in leaf — only the latter is an authentic autograph Quarter-bound and imitation-leather volumes are less valued than full genuine leather Franklin Library (Franklin Mint) ceased operations c.2000; values track the author and signature authenticity


Frederick A. Stokes Company — first-edition identification

White & Stokes (1881)
White, Stokes & Allen (1883)
Frederick A. Stokes & Brother (1887)
Frederick A. Stokes Company (1890-1941)

Frederick A. Stokes Company (New York, NY (USA); 1881-1941 (Frederick A. Stokes Company from 1890)). First-edition identification: 1881-1890 (White & Stokes; White, Stokes & Allen; Frederick A. Stokes & Brother): no first-edition statement. Date the book by the imprint name itself, which changed on a known schedule: 'White & Stokes' indicates 1881-1883, 'White, Stokes & Allen' 1883-1887, and 'Frederick A. Stokes & Brother' 1887-1890. A first printing is inferred when the title-page or copyright date agrees and no later-printing notice is present. 1890-c.1910 (Frederick A. Stokes Company): no formal first-edition statement. A first printing is identified when the title-page date matches the copyright date with no later printings listed. A London branch was established in 1895, so 'London' on the title page indicates 1895 or later. Many titles of this era carry no date on the title page, throwing weight onto the copyright-page date. c.1900s-1920s: practice was not uniform across the list. On dated books a first printing's title-page year should equal the copyright year, while reprints add printing or impression lines; printing notations appear on some titles but not all. 1930s-1941: the firm generally designated only later printings, leaving first printings unmarked; by about 1940 it began stating 'First published (year)' on the copyright page and continued to note subsequent printings. The firm was absorbed by J. B. Lippincott in 1941. Imprints and series: White & Stokes (1881); White, Stokes & Allen (1883); Frederick A. Stokes & Brother (1887); Frederick A. Stokes Company (1890-1941). Background: Founder Frederick A. Stokes and Joel Parker White (with Frank Allen) came out of Dodd, Mead; the firm passed through four imprint names from 1881 to 1890, which themselves serve as a dating tool. The 1895 London branch is a useful dating boundary: 'London' on the title page means 1895 or later. Strong in fiction, juveniles, and lavishly illustrated gift books; the 'Lucile' editions are a documented example with collation states tied to roman-versus-arabic numerals and undated title pages. Acquired by J. B. Lippincott in 1941, after which many Stokes titles continued under the Lippincott imprint.


Free Press — first-edition identification

Free Press (US (New York); 1947–c.2012 (independent house, then Simon & Schuster imprint)). First-edition identification: Identify chiefly by the general first-printing convention of the era: a "First Edition" or "First Printing" statement and/or a number line ending in 1; do not rely on an imprint-specific "First Free Press edition" wording, which was not consistently used Imprints and series: Free Press. Background: Founded 1947 by Jeremiah Kaplan and Charles Liebman as an independent house focused on social science and religion; passed through Macmillan and was acquired by Simon & Schuster in 1994; largely folded into the S&S flagship by around 2012 Most collectible titles predate full S&S integration, so era-appropriate (Free Press / Macmillan-era) identification practice applies rather than modern S&S house rules


Fremantle Press (Fremantle Arts Centre Press) — first-edition identification

Fremantle Press (Fremantle Arts Centre Press) (Australia (Fremantle, WA); 1976–present). First-edition identification: Copyright page states 'First published [year] by Fremantle Arts Centre Press' (1976–2007) or 'Fremantle Press' (2007 onward); a first printing shows no 'Reprinted' line and a publication year matching the copyright year. Later printings add an explicit 'Reprinted [year]' line — important for heavily reprinted titles such as A.B. Facey's 'A Fortunate Life'; the first printing carries the bare statement only. Imprint-name era tell: a 'Fremantle Arts Centre Press' colophon indicates pre-2007; 'Fremantle Press' indicates 2007 onward. No formal descending number line is used. Because the statement alone is not absolutely diagnostic, confirm a first by the combination of the bare 'First published' line, a matching year, and the absence of any reprint/impression notice. Imprints and series: Fremantle Press; Fremantle Arts Centre Press (FACP, 1976–2007). Background: Established 1976 by the Fremantle Arts Centre as an independent not-for-profit, with Ian Templeman as inaugural chief executive; renamed Fremantle Press in March 2007. Its first book was Elizabeth Jolley's 'Five Acre Virgin and Other Stories' (1976), an important Western Australian literary first. A.B. Facey's 'A Fortunate Life' (1981, FACP imprint) is a major collectible that was reprinted heavily, so the desirable state is the true first printing under the FACP imprint with no reprint line. Focus on Western Australian writers; many titles appear in card wrappers where condition strongly affects desirability.


Frommer's — first-edition identification

FrommerMedia (current owner, from 2013)
Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel

Frommer's (US (New York); 1957-present). First-edition identification: Identified by the EDITION/year statement on the cover and title/copyright page; the franchise revises on a regular cycle, so the year and stated edition are primary. The landmark first title 'Europe on the original price a Day' (1957) is the historic collectible, and the dollar figure in the title rose over the decades, so the title itself helps date the printing. Owner-era guides (Wiley and after) typically carry a standard descending number line alongside the edition statement, where the lowest digit indicates the printing. Imprints and series: FrommerMedia (current owner, from 2013); Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel. Background: Arthur Frommer self-published 'Europe on the original price a Day' in 1957, helping launch budget-travel publishing; first printings are sought after, and the escalating dollar amount across successive titles is a built-in dating device. Ownership passed from Frommer to Simon & Schuster (1977), then through Pearson/IDG to John Wiley & Sons, then to Google (2012), then back to Arthur and Pauline Frommer as FrommerMedia (2013); the owner shown on the imprint page helps date the era. Routine later editions hold little collectible interest; the historic firsts and earliest titles are the collectibles.


Fulcrum Publishing — first-edition identification

Fulcrum Publishing
Speaker's Corner Books

Fulcrum Publishing (Mountain West — Golden, Colorado (founded Denver); 1984-present). First-edition identification: 1984–c.1995: First printings identified by copyright-page data — a single copyright year, a matching title-page date, and no later-printing statement; some titles state 'First Edition'. c.1995–present: Number line standard on the copyright page ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest digit present indicates the printing. Many titles also print an explicit 'First Edition' line above the number line. Imprints and series: Fulcrum Publishing; Speaker's Corner Books. Background: Founded 1984 in Denver by Robert C. (Bob) Baron, a former Prime Computer executive; later based in Golden, Colorado. Independent publisher focused on conservation/stewardship, the American West, civics, Native American subjects, and nature writing. 'Speaker's Corner' is its civics/current-affairs series, launched around 2004.


Funk & Wagnalls — first-edition identification

Funk & Wagnalls (New York, USA; 1877-c.1990s). First-edition identification: 1877-c.1929: first editions carry no later-printing statement; occasionally a 'Published [month, year]' line appears on the copyright page. Identify a first by the absence of any later-printing notice. c.1929-c.1965: first editions state 'First published [month, year]' and show a Roman numeral 'I' (or Arabic '1') on the copyright page; later printings increment the numeral (II, III, ... / 2, 3, ...). The 'First published' line together with the 'I' / '1' indicates a first printing. Note occasional exceptions, such as Cheever's The Enormous Radio (1953), which carries the numeral but no first-edition statement. c.1965 onward (under various owners): conventions move toward a standard number line, with the lowest digit (1) present indicating the first printing. Imprints and series: Funk & Wagnalls; Wagnalls Memorial; Minerva Press (paperback); Funk & Wagnalls (under Reader's Digest/later owners). Background: Founded 1877 by Isaac Funk and Adam Wagnalls; best known for the Standard Dictionary and the Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia rather than for literary firsts. The 'First published [date]' line combined with the Roman-numeral 'I' (post-1929) is the most reliable Funk & Wagnalls first-printing marker. The trade imprint passed through Reader's Digest and other owners; the name survives mainly on reference works.


G. P. Putnam's Sons — first-edition identification

G. P. Putnam's Sons (USA (New York); 1838–present (independent trade house 1838–1996; Penguin / Penguin Random House imprint 1996–present)). First-edition identification: PRE-1928 (early independent house): Putnam printed NO first-edition statement. Identify a first by matching the copyright-page year to the title-page year with no reprint/later-printing notice on the copyright page. After the 1930 merger with Minton, Balch & Co. the 'G. P. Putnam's Sons' imprint name persisted, so a post-1930 imprint line alone does not date or rank a copy. US, 1928–1959: still NO positive first-edition statement — firsts are identified by ABSENCE. Later printings add a dated 'First printed' (and subsequent-printing) notice beneath the copyright notice; a copyright page lacking any such reprint line indicates a first. Putnam avoided 'Second Edition' unless the text was materially revised. UK arm (G. P. Putnam's Sons, Ltd.), 1928–1947: DIFFERENT convention from New York — the London title page (or its verso) states 'First published' with the month and year for a first; later printings carry a 'Reprinted' line with its own month and year. Do NOT apply the US absence-rule to a British-printed Putnam. US, 1960–1988: first editions remain UNSTATED. Every printing after the first carries the words 'Second impression' (or 'Third impression,' etc.) on the copyright page; a copyright page with no 'impression' statement is the first printing. This is the dominant mid-century adult-trade tell — e.g. Puzo's 'The Godfather' (1969) is a first only when the copyright page bears no 'Second impression' line (confirmed against dealer point-guides). NUMBER-LINE ADOPTION (CONTESTED DATE): Putnam moved to a printer's-key number line on the copyright page. A complete ascending line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (all ten numerals present, lowest = 1) indicates a first printing, and the lowest surviving digit gives the printing — the line ENDS IN 1 for a Putnam first (unlike Random House, whose full line ends in 2). Sources DISAGREE on the start date: Quill & Brush dates it to 1985 ('Since 1985, have used a number row'); BooksTellYouWhy/ILAB date the 1-to-10 line to 1989–1992. Treat the mid-1980s through early-1990s as a transition zone and confirm against a second source. MODERN PENGUIN ERA (1993–present): with the shift to Putnam & Grosset / Penguin house style, many firsts are marked only by the copyright year, but a printer's-key number line remains the primary tell — a first must include the '1' (whether the line runs ascending 1…10 or in the fanned form 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, which is a generic trade pattern, not Putnam-specific). Some 1993+ titles instead carry an alphabetical code, where a full 'A B C D E F G H' = first printing and the lowest surviving letter gives the printing. Where an explicit 'First Edition' line ALSO appears, confirm it against the number line/letter code, since Putnam has been inconsistent about deleting the words on later printings. CHILDREN'S / PHILOMEL branch (distinct from adult trade): Philomel Books and some Putnam juveniles state 'First Impression' alongside a number code for a first; on later printings the 'First Impression' line is deleted and the lowest number in the code gives the printing. Do NOT generalize this 'First Impression' wording to the adult trade line — though note it does surface on a few specific adult titles (e.g. Mailer's 'Why Are We in Vietnam?', 1967, whose first carries a stated 'First Impression'). CROSS-CHECK RULE: because Putnam's practice changed at least four times and the number-line start date is contested, verify any single-copy determination against Zempel & Verkler ('First Editions: A Guide to Identification') and McBride ('A Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions'), and against title-specific point guides (FEDPO / dealer records) for high-value titles. Imprints and series: Wiley & Putnam (1838–1848 founding partnership; dissolved when Putnam went solo); G. P. Putnam's Sons, Ltd. (London / UK arm, distinct 'First published' convention); Coward-McCann (sister imprint under the Putnam Publishing Group); Berkley Books (mass-market, acquired 1965); Philomel Books (children's — uses a 'First Impression' + number-code convention); The Putnam & Grosset Group (children's, 1990s house-style umbrella); Penguin Putnam Inc. (1996 merged corporate entity). Background: 'First Impression' is NOT the standard adult G. P. Putnam's Sons tell — it is the Philomel/children's-imprint wording, which also happens to appear on a handful of specific adult titles (e.g. Mailer's 'Why Are We in Vietnam?', 1967). The mainstream adult-trade tells are the ABSENCE of a later-'impression' line (1960–1988) and, from the mid-1980s/early-1990s on, a number line (or A–H letter code) — not a blanket 'First Impression' statement. Book-club editions are the most common trap: a Putnam BCE is flagged by a clipped/absent dust-jacket price, 'Book Club Edition' on the jacket flap, and a small blind-stamp (dot/square/circle/maple-leaf deboss) on the lower rear board near the spine. These BCE blind-stamps are a general book-club-industry mark, not a Putnam house device, and Putnam club copies generally lack the copyright-page number line. Do NOT confuse this with a rear-GUTTER alphanumeric code — that gutter code is Doubleday's system (mid-1958 to mid-1987), signalling a Doubleday product, not Putnam. Do not mistake a house colophon for a printing indicator: Putnam's historic 'Knickerbocker Press' seated-figure device is a branding mark and by itself confirms neither a first printing nor an edition — only the 'impression' statements, the number line, or the A–H letter code are true printing tells. Era-boundary ambiguity to disclose: reputable references disagree on when the number line began — Quill & Brush dates it to 1985 while BooksTellYouWhy/ILAB date the 1-to-10 line to 1989–1992 (treating 1993+ as a separate Penguin-style regime). Any book from the mid-1980s to early-1990s is a transition zone; confirm against a second source. Corporate-history flags affecting the imprint line: 1930 merger with Minton, Balch & Co. (imprint name persisted); Berkley acquired 1965; MCA bought Putnam 1975; merged into Penguin Group in 1996 (Penguin Putnam Inc.), now under Penguin Random House (2013). A 'G. P. Putnam's Sons' imprint on a post-1996 book is a Penguin-era product following the modern number-line/letter-code convention, not the mid-century 'impression' rule.


G. Schirmer, Inc. — first-edition identification

G. Schirmer, Inc. (USA (New York, NY); 1861-present). First-edition identification: 1861-1892 (founding era): Printed music is identified by the engraved PLATE NUMBER at the foot of the page and the firm imprint 'G. Schirmer' with address; editions are distinguished by plate number, not by edition statements. 1892-c.1960s (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics, the yellow-cover series begun 1892): Each volume carries a 'Library Vol. No.' plus an engraving/plate number; reissues keep the same Library number, so printings are NOT bibliographically distinguished — identify the issue by plate number and copyright year. The familiar canary-yellow cover marks the series. 1973-1986 (Schirmer Books, the trade/textbook book imprint founded 1973 as a Macmillan division): Trade music BOOKS use a descending number line on the copyright page; the lowest digit present indicates the printing. Printed music continues plate-number identification. 1986-present (Music Sales Group ownership; Hal Leonard exclusive print distributor since 1986; later rebranded Wise Music Group, 2020): G. Schirmer/AMP scores are distributed by Hal Leonard, so the copyright page may carry a Hal Leonard distribution credit. Scores keep plate/catalog numbers; the separate Schirmer Books trade imprint passed to Macmillan/Schirmer Reference and was later folded. Imprints and series: Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics; G. Schirmer; Associated Music Publishers (AMP); Schirmer Books (trade book line, Macmillan era). Background: Founded 1861 by Gustav Schirmer Sr.; iconic yellow-cover 'Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics' since 1892 — printings within a Library number are generally indistinguishable, so use plate number plus copyright year. TWO Schirmers to separate: the MUSIC publisher (G. Schirmer, scores) and Schirmer Books / Schirmer Reference (the trade/textbook book line of the Macmillan era). Macmillan acquired G. Schirmer in 1968; Music Sales Group acquired Schirmer and AMP in 1986 with Hal Leonard as exclusive print distributor; now part of Wise Music Group. Plate number, not a number line, is the core identifier for engraved music.


G.W. Carleton & Co. — first-edition identification

Rudd & Carleton (1857–1861)
G.W. Carleton
G.W. Carleton & Co.
Carleton, Publisher

G.W. Carleton & Co. (New York, New York (US trade); 1857–c.1886). First-edition identification: 1857–1861 (Rudd & Carleton): first editions carry the 'Rudd & Carleton' imprint; there is no first-edition statement, so identify by imprint form, the dated title page, and the absence of any later-printing notice. 1861–c.1886 (G.W. Carleton / G.W. Carleton & Co.): first printing is identified by the Carleton imprint, a dated title page agreeing with the copyright, and bound-in advertisement catalogs. The publisher's catalog (frequently dated and listing recent titles) is the principal issue-dating tell. There is no 'First Edition' wording. Carleton's distinctive cloth-and-gilt bindings and house device help confirm the period; later reissues from the same plates lack the earliest advertisement state. Mark Twain attribution caution: Carleton declined Twain's first book, and 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog' (1867) was published by C.H. Webb, not Carleton — confirm the imprint before attributing any Twain first to Carleton. Imprints and series: Rudd & Carleton (1857–1861); G.W. Carleton; G.W. Carleton & Co.; Carleton, Publisher. Background: George W. Carleton was a leading mid-19th-century New York publisher of humor and popular literature; the firm began as Rudd & Carleton. Published Artemus Ward and other humorists; Carleton famously passed on Mark Twain (declining his first book, and giving the 'Jumping Frog' sketch to Henry Clapp's Saturday Press in 1865). Advertisement-catalog dating is the key to separating first from later printings given plate reuse. The firm wound down in the mid-1880s, with lists and plates dispersed to other houses.


Gale (Gale Research / Gale Group / Cengage Gale) — first-edition identification

Gale (Gale Research / Gale Group / Cengage Gale) (United States (Detroit / Farmington Hills, MI); 1954-present). First-edition identification: 1954-c.1985: Founded 1954 in Detroit by Frederick Gale Ruffner Jr. as a reference-only house (Encyclopedia of Associations from 1956, Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography). Multi-volume reference sets are identified by VOLUME NUMBER and EDITION/copyright year; there is generally no first-edition point system because each new edition supersedes the prior. First printing = absence of a later-printing notice. c.1985-present: A number line may appear on the copyright page (lowest digit = printing), but the meaningful unit for serial reference works is the edition number and volume number. Library-bound; the first-printing premium is effectively nil. Corporate eras: acquired by International Thomson/Thomson Corporation in 1985, branded Thomson Gale in the 2000s, then sold to Cengage in 2007 (Cengage Gale). The copyright-page imprint reflects the era's parent. Imprints and series: Gale Research; Gale Group; Gale (a Cengage company); St. James Press; Charles Scribner's Sons Reference (acquired); Macmillan Reference USA; Twayne Publishers; UXL; Greenhaven Press; Lucent Books; Thomson Gale (2000s). Background: Quintessential reference publisher; collectors and librarians track edition currency, not first printings. Acquired the Scribner and Twayne reference lines plus St. James Press, and issues Macmillan Reference USA. Contemporary Authors and the Dictionary of Literary Biography are flagship continuing serials.


Gallery Books — first-edition identification

Pocket Books (sister/legacy)
Scout Press
Saga Press (SF/fantasy)
Gallery 13
Threshold Editions (sister)
Pocket Star
Star Trek/franchise lines

Gallery Books (US; 2009 (as Gallery)–present; Pocket 1939–present). First-edition identification: States 'First Gallery Books hardcover edition (Year)' or 'First Edition' on the copyright page WITH a descending number line ending in 1. Pocket Books legacy mass-markets: printing-history line; true first lists only the first printing. S&S-family convention: explicit 'First [Imprint] edition' statement plus line-to-1. Saga Press (SF/fantasy) uses the same stated-edition + number line approach. Imprints and series: Pocket Books (sister/legacy); Scout Press; Saga Press (SF/fantasy); Gallery 13; Threshold Editions (sister); Pocket Star; Star Trek/franchise lines. Background: Gallery Books launched 2009 as the renamed/expanded Pocket Books trade hardcover program within Simon & Schuster. Pocket Books (founded 1939) was the first major US mass-market paperback house — many genre/franchise firsts are Pocket paperbacks. Threshold Editions is the conservative-politics S&S imprint; Saga Press is the SF/fantasy line — both follow S&S convention. Franchise tie-ins (Star Trek etc.) are collected differently; rely on the printing line.


Garden Way Publishing — first-edition identification

Garden Way Publishing (Charlotte / Pownal, Vermont, USA; c.1970-1983). First-edition identification: c.1970-1983 (publishing arm of Garden Way Inc.): gardening, homesteading, and country-skills how-to. First printings: earliest copyright year; many trade titles and saddle-stitched bulletins carry no number line, so identify by 'Garden Way Publishing' with a Charlotte or Pownal, Vermont imprint on the title page and the absence of later-printing notation. The imprint passed to the Storeys in 1983 (see Storey). Note: titles reissued after 1983 carry the Storey imprint, so a Garden Way Publishing imprint reliably indicates the pre-1983 first-state window. Imprints and series: Garden Way Publishing; Country Wisdom Bulletins (predecessor of Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins). Background: Publishing arm of Garden Way Inc. (maker of Troy-Bilt rototillers and garden carts); the Country Wisdom Bulletin pamphlet format carried forward into Storey's long-running Country Wisdom Bulletin series. In 1983 John and Martha Storey bought the publishing arm of Garden Way and formed Storey Communications in Pownal, Vermont, so a 'Garden Way Publishing' imprint reliably dates a book before 1983. Practical gardening and homesteading list; foundational to the later Storey catalog.


Garland Publishing — first-edition identification

Garland Publishing (United States (New York); 1969-c.2006). First-edition identification: 1969-c.1990: Founded 1969 (by Gavin Borden); specialized in scholarly reference, facsimile reprint series, bibliographies, and the numbered 'Garland Reference Library of the Humanities / Social Sciences' series. Many titles are reprint or facsimile sets, so a first Garland edition is identified by the series-volume statement plus the absence of a later-printing notice; reference sets are identified by SERIES NUMBER rather than by printing. c.1990-2000s: A number line appears on the copyright page of newer titles, lowest digit = printing. Garland Science (cell and molecular biology textbooks, e.g. Alberts's 'Molecular Biology of the Cell') uses the standard number-line convention, and the edition number is the practical collecting and identification unit. Post-2003: Absorbed into Taylor & Francis / Routledge; later editions carry the Taylor & Francis or Routledge imprint. Imprints and series: Garland Publishing; Garland Reference Library; Garland STPM Press; Garland Science (textbooks; later Taylor & Francis). Background: Two distinct faces: humanities reference and facsimile reprints (collected by series number) versus Garland Science life-science textbooks (collected by edition). Garland Science's 'Molecular Biology of the Cell' and 'Janeway's Immunobiology' are the famous STM titles. Now defunct as an independent name, having merged into Taylor & Francis.


Gaspereau Press — first-edition identification

Gaspereau Press
Gaspereau Press Printers
Devil's Whim chapbook series

Gaspereau Press (Canada (Kentville, Nova Scotia); 1997-present). First-edition identification: Fine-press / printer-publisher house: identification is colophon- and production-driven. Check the colophon (often at the back) for type, paper, press, and binding notes; Gaspereau prints and binds in-house, so production detail is integral to the book. Most titles are single small letterpress/offset printings, so the absence of any later-printing statement combined with the first-appearance copyright year establishes a first printing. Devil's Whim chapbooks and signed/limited issues carry limitation statements that define the point. When a title was reissued in a licensed trade edition after award attention, distinguish the original Gaspereau printing (its distinctive design) from the later trade reprint. Imprints and series: Gaspereau Press; Gaspereau Press Printers; Devil's Whim chapbook series. Background: Founded 1997 by Andrew Steeves and Gary Dunfield in Kentville, Nova Scotia; known for fine-press, letterpress-influenced design with in-house printing and binding (Smyth-sewn paperbacks, cloth hardcovers, letterpress limiteds). Famous point: Johanna Skibsrud's novel The Sentimentalists won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize, but Gaspereau's small hand-production (initial run reported around 800 copies) could not meet demand, so trade-paperback rights were licensed to Douglas & McIntyre. The original Gaspereau printing is the true collectible first, distinct from the higher-volume licensed Douglas & McIntyre trade edition. Production-distinctive: French-fold covers and letterpress wrappers; the design itself functions as an identifying feature.


Gehenna Press — first-edition identification

Gehenna Press (US; 1942–2000 (Baskin d. 2000; some posthumous completion)). First-edition identification: Letterpress limited editions, most with a printed colophon stating a small limitation (often well under 300, some only a few dozen) Colophon often signed by Leonard Baskin (and/or collaborating poet, e.g., Ted Hughes, Anthony Hecht); original wood engravings/etchings by Baskin are integral Hand-numbered limitation; deluxe sub-states may add an extra signed print suite or special binding No number line — identify by the signed/numbered colophon and Baskin's engraved device Imprints and series: Leonard Baskin (founder/artist-printer); associated with Eremite Press collaborations. Background: Founded 1942 by Leonard Baskin (Northampton, MA; named for the biblical valley of Gehenna) Celebrated collaborations with Ted Hughes (e.g., 'Crow' related work, 'A Primer of Birds'), Anthony Hecht ('The Seven Deadly Sins') Books are art objects; Baskin's wood engravings and the press device authenticate Very small editions make every numbered copy scarce; condition of the prints matters


Geoffrey Bles — first-edition identification

Geoffrey Bles (UK (London); founded 1923; independent trade imprint until acquired by William Collins c.1953; the Bles imprint name continued in use into the 1970s (the name was bought by The Garnstone Press from Collins in 1971)). First-edition identification: Look for the British-style edition statement on the copyright/verso page: a true first prints 'First published [year]' (sometimes 'First published in Great Britain [year]') with NO later-printing line beneath it. Confirmed on Bles titles: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe reads 'First published 1950'; The Screwtape Letters 'First published 1942'. Bles did NOT use a number line. Do not look for a '1' or a descending digit string — number lines were not standard UK trade practice in this period (most UK houses adopted them only decades later), so identification rests entirely on the printed 'First published' statement plus the ABSENCE of any reprint notice. The decisive later-printing tell is an ADDED line under the original statement: 'Reprinted [year]', 'Second impression [year]', 'New impression', etc. If any such line is present it is not a first impression, even though 'First published [year]' still appears above it. A first impression carries the 'First published' date and nothing further. For the Narnia titles, confirm the publisher is Geoffrey Bles (London), not a later reissue (Puffin/Penguin, The Bodley Head, or Collins/HarperCollins). Only the first FIVE were Bles first editions: LWW (1950), Prince Caspian (1951), The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader' (1952), The Silver Chair (1953), The Horse and His Boy (1954). A Bles imprint plus the correct year is the baseline first-edition test for these five. Corroborate with first-state binding and jacket points. For LWW (1950) the well-documented first is bound in publisher's GREEN cloth with the spine lettered in silver, illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and the unclipped first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price '8s. 6d. net'; Screwtape (1942) is bound in black cloth with a spine label and a cream jacket (a later dark-blue jacket appears on 1944 reprints). A clipped/price-changed jacket or a rebound copy weakens the first-impression claim. NOTE: some catalogue descriptions of LWW cloth vary (a few say 'blue'), so treat exact cloth shade as a corroborating point, not a sole test. Because Bles reprinted popular titles in the SAME format, a dated title page alone is not proof. Always turn to the copyright page for the reprint line and check the dust-jacket flap: first issues carry no list of later printings, whereas later impressions often advertise the reprint history. Imprints and series: Geoffrey Bles; Geoffrey Bles Ltd; Geoffrey Bles, London; Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press (merged/associated imprint, used on some late-1930s–1940s titles including several early C.S. Lewis religious works). Background: Biggest trap: Bles first editions of the Narnia and Lewis titles exist in many later impressions that keep the identical Geoffrey Bles format and STILL show 'First published [year]' — the only reliable separator is whether a 'Reprinted...' / '...impression' line has been added on the copyright page. Reprint-line-bearing copies are not firsts. Do NOT expect a Bles imprint on all seven Chronicles of Narnia. The final two — The Magician's Nephew (1955) and The Last Battle (1956) — were first published by The Bodley Head, not Geoffrey Bles. Only the first five Narnia titles (1950–1954) are Bles first editions. Bles was acquired by William Collins around 1953 and the Bles imprint name persisted for years afterward (later sold to The Garnstone Press in 1971), so late-life 'Bles' books may reflect Collins-era ownership; verify the imprint string and dating on both the title and copyright pages. 'Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press' was a merged imprint (Bles bought Ashley Sampson's Centenary Press); several early Lewis religious works (e.g. The Problem of Pain, 1940) carry the joint Bles/Centenary imprint rather than plain 'Geoffrey Bles' — match the exact imprint string when confirming a title. This is a house convention inferred from consistent British trade practice plus multiple confirmed Bles titles, not a published Bles house-style statement; individual titles carry title-specific points of issue (binding colour, ad-dating, textual states) that a specialist C.S. Lewis / Bles bibliography should be checked against.


George Allen & Unwin — first-edition identification

George Allen & Unwin (UK; 1914-1990 (UK independent); Australian arm continues). First-edition identification: First editions state "First published [Year]" or "First published in [Year]" on the copyright page (frequently with the printer named), later printings noted with added impression lines First printing = the 'First published' statement with NO subsequent-impression notation Early/mid-20th-c. titles list later printings as 'Second impression [year]' etc. beneath the original line Confirm clean copyright page free of reprint lines Imprints and series: Allen & Unwin; Unwin Hyman (1986-1991); Unwin Paperbacks; Allen & Unwin Australia (later separate). Background: Published J.R.R. Tolkien — 'The Hobbit' (1937) and 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954-55) true firsts have famously intricate points: 'Hobbit' first issue with green cloth & dustjacket, and the LotR Fellowship 'first impression' with the corrected/uncorrected text and the well-known signature-line points Also Bertrand Russell, Arthur Waley translations Allen & Unwin Australia became an independent Commonwealth house — distinguish from the UK parent


George H. Doran Company — first-edition identification

George H. Doran Company (New York, USA (founder Canadian-American); 1908–1927 (merged into Doubleday, Doran)). First-edition identification: 1908–c.1920: inconsistent; first editions usually (but not always) bear a black oval colophon enclosing white script 'GHD' on the copyright page (sometimes the title page). The practice was not consistent until the early 1920s, so the colophon alone is not conclusive for this period. Early 1920s: the 'GHD' oval colophon on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice, becomes the reliable first-printing point. About 1925: began the general practice of printing 'First Edition' in the book or placing the GHD device under the copyright notice. Post-1927 (as Doubleday, Doran): first editions carry 'First Edition' on the copyright page under the Doubleday, Doran imprint. Imprints and series: Doubleday, Doran & Company (1927 merger successor). Background: Founded 1908 by George H. Doran; strong in British authors (Arnold Bennett, Frank Swinnerton; Michael Arlen's 'The Green Hat'). Merged with Doubleday, Page & Company in 1927 to form Doubleday, Doran & Company. The black-oval 'GHD' colophon is the best-known Doran first-edition tell; its inconsistency before the early 1920s is the key caveat. Imprint name is a dating aid: 'George H. Doran Company' = 1908–1927; 'Doubleday, Doran' = 1927 onward.


George Routledge (George Routledge & Sons) — first-edition identification

George Routledge (George Routledge & Sons) (London, UK; 1836–20th c. (this slice = 19th c.)). First-edition identification: Primarily a reprint and cheap-edition house: most Routledge books are NOT first editions of the work — first establish whether Routledge issued the title first or is reprinting another publisher's edition. No edition statement on the firm's own firsts: use the title-page date, the imprint partnership style ('George Routledge & Co.' to 1864 vs '& Sons' from 1865), and dated rear advertisements to fix a printing. Routledge's Railway Library 'yellowbacks' (pictorial glazed boards) are cheap reprints dated by the rear catalogue/ads and series number, not first editions of the text. Collate against the author bibliography for any title where Routledge claims priority; treat plain Routledge reprints as later editions by default. Imprints and series: George Routledge (bookseller from 1836; publisher from 1843); George Routledge & Co. (from 1851); George Routledge & Sons (from 1865); Routledge's Railway Library (yellowbacks). Background: Famous for the Railway Library yellowbacks — cheap pictorial-board reprints sold at railway bookstalls; collectible as a format but rarely first editions of the text. Imprint evolved George Routledge (bookselling 1836, publishing 1843) → George Routledge & Co. (1851) → George Routledge & Sons (1865, when son Edmund became a partner) — a useful dating aid. A reprint specialist, so the default assumption for a Routledge title is 'not the first edition' unless priority is proven. Took over management of Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner in 1912 and formally merged as Routledge & Kegan Paul in 1947.


Georgetown University Press — first-edition identification

Georgetown University Press (US (Washington, D.C.); 1964-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts use a copyright-page number line; a sequence terminating in 1 indicates the first printing. First printings carry a single year with no subsequent-printing list. Later printings or editions are explicitly stated; the absence of such a statement indicates the first. Imprints and series: Georgetown University Press. Background: Founded in 1964, originally as part of the School of Languages and Linguistics; strengths in linguistics, international affairs, ethics, and religion. Publishes the Al-Kitaab Arabic-language textbook series, the most widely used set of its kind in the United States, which goes through frequent new editions. Small scholarly list not separately itemized in first-edition guides; confirm the edition number before assessing the printing, because language and applied-linguistics texts are reissued often.


Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd. — first-edition identification

Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd. (UK (London); founded 1898; independent literary house through the mid-20th c. (Anthony Powell titles 1931–1936)). First-edition identification: Duckworth is NOT separately listed in the standard publisher-by-publisher first-edition guides (verified absent from the QBBooks A–G 'First Edition Identification by Publisher' table), so there is no documented Duckworth-specific 'First Edition' formula — identify a period Duckworth first by the general British-literary-house convention of its era plus the individual title's bibliography, not by a proprietary house rule. For the interwar/mid-century period (the Anthony Powell era: Afternoon Men 1931, Venusberg 1932, From a View to a Death 1933, Agents and Patients 1936) the first edition is normally shown on the copyright/verso page by a bare 'First published [year]' (sometimes 'First published in Great Britain [year]') together with a 'Made and Printed in Great Britain' printer line — the same pattern seen on period Duckworth versos (e.g. Galsworthy's Old English, 'First published, 1924'). The decisive tell is absence, not a positive mark: a first impression carries NO 'Second impression', 'Reprinted', or later-date line on the verso. If the copyright page adds 'Second impression', 'Reprinted [year]', or a printing history, it is a later printing. Read the whole verso before calling a copy a first. Do NOT expect a printer's number line (the descending '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' row) on early/mid-century Duckworth books — number lines are a later-20th-century device; their presence indicates a modern printing (late-century or a Duckworth Overlook/Duckworth Books issue), not a period first. (This is the general trade convention; it is inference, not a Duckworth-documented rule.) Confirm the stated 'First published' year matches the recorded first-publication year for the title and that the imprint reads Gerald Duckworth & Co. (Ltd.), London, at a period address (3 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden in the early years; later The Old Piano Factory, Old Gloucester Street). A 'First published [later year]' differing from the recorded original date is a reset/later edition. Cloth colour is NOT a reliable first-issue point for the Powell novels — the 1931 first impression of Afternoon Men is recorded in green, lilac AND blue cloth (all gilt-lettered at the spine). Instead corroborate against the title bibliography (Lilley: Afternoon Men = Lilley A.1) and the first-issue Misha Black dust jackets, which are the integral first-issue points for the pre-war Powell novels (Afternoon Men 1931, ~2,000-copy first impression; Agents and Patients 1936 in red cloth with the yellow pictorial Misha Black wrapper). Imprints and series: Gerald Duckworth and Company; Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd.; Duckworth; Duckworth & Co.; Duckworth Overlook (trade imprint, from 2007); Duckworth Books (from 2018). Background: No dedicated Duckworth entry exists in the mainstream publisher first-edition guides (confirmed absent from QBBooks A–G), so treat any claimed Duckworth 'points' rule cautiously and verify against the individual title's bibliography (for Powell, the Lilley bibliography) rather than a house formula. Because a period Duckworth first is identified largely by the ABSENCE of a reprint line, later impressions are easy to mistake for firsts — a genuine 1931 second impression of Afternoon Men exists and looks similar; always locate an explicit 'Second impression'/'Reprinted' statement before ruling it out. For the scarce Powell firsts the Misha Black dust jacket carries most of the identification weight; cloth colour varies across the first impression, so a rebound or jacketless copy is far harder to authenticate as a true first. Beware imprint drift: 'Duckworth Overlook' (trade, 2007+) and 'Duckworth Books' (2018+) are modern successor imprints — books bearing those forms, or a number line, are not the interwar literary firsts collectors seek and should not be conflated with the Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd. period editions.


Getty Publications (J. Paul Getty Museum / Getty Trust) — first-edition identification

Getty Publications
J. Paul Getty Museum
Getty Research Institute
Getty Conservation Institute
Getty Trust Publications

Getty Publications (J. Paul Getty Museum / Getty Trust) (US (Los Angeles); 1980s–present). First-edition identification: Identify by the copyright page: it names the issuing Getty body and the publication year. For these scholarly/institutional titles the primary first-printing tell is the original publication year combined with the absence of any reprint or revised-edition statement. A descending number line is NOT a consistent Getty convention. Where a number line does appear, the lowest digit present indicates the printing (a line ending in 1 = first printing), but most Getty titles do not carry one, so do not treat its absence as evidence against a first. Most Getty scholarly titles and exhibition catalogues see a single printing; when reprints occur they are stated explicitly on the copyright page. Exhibition catalogues co-published with other museums may carry a co-publisher colophon; match the Getty first-published year and check for any later-printing line. Imprints and series: Getty Publications; J. Paul Getty Museum; Getty Research Institute; Getty Conservation Institute; Getty Trust Publications. Background: Getty publications are scholarly and institutional; print runs are usually well-documented and most titles are not heavily reprinted. The imprint on the title page (Museum, Research Institute, Conservation Institute, or Trust) identifies the issuing program, not the printing. Open-content digital and print-on-demand later issues exist for some titles; a POD or revised digital-print copy is not the original first printing.


Gibbs Smith — first-edition identification

Gibbs Smith
Gibbs Smith Education
Peregrine Smith Books (earlier imprint)

Gibbs Smith (US; 1969–present). First-edition identification: Number line on copyright page indicating printing; first printing shows the full line ending in 1 'First Edition' statement present on many trade titles; format follows modern American convention Layton, Utah publisher founded 1969 (as Peregrine Smith) by Gibbs M. Smith; Western Americana, architecture/design, cookbooks, humor Printing year and number line read together; revised editions stated explicitly Imprints and series: Gibbs Smith; Gibbs Smith Education; Peregrine Smith Books (earlier imprint). Background: Earlier output under the 'Peregrine Smith' / 'Gibbs M. Smith, Inc., Peregrine Smith Books' imprint — same conventional identification; the imprint name on the title page dates the era Strong in regional Western art/architecture monographs that get reprinted; later printings drop the '1' No idiosyncratic house code


Ginn & Company (Ginn Brothers / Ginn, Heath & Co.) — first-edition identification

Ginn & Company (Ginn Brothers / Ginn, Heath & Co.) (Boston, Massachusetts (Northeast USA); printing plant in Cambridge from 1895; 1867-1900 (within slice); firm continued into the 20th century). First-edition identification: 1867-1876 (Ginn Brothers): educational/textbook publisher using no trade 'First Edition' statement. First printing by title-page/copyright date concordance; because textbooks were routinely revised, the absence of an 'edition' or revision note combined with matching dates indicates an early/first printing. 1876-1885 (Ginn & Heath / Ginn, Heath & Co.): same convention, after Daniel Collamore Heath joined in 1876. An 'edition' or 'Revised Edition' statement, when present, indicates a later issue. 1885 onward (Ginn & Company): textbooks frequently carry stacked copyright accretions; the earliest single copyright year with no added later copyrights and no 'revised' note marks the first printing. From 1895 the Athenaeum Press (Cambridge) colophon may appear and, because the plant opened in 1895, its presence rules out a pre-1895 printing. No number line was used in the 19th century; textbook collectors rely on the copyright-date stack (the earliest single year = first printing). Imprints and series: Ginn Brothers; Ginn & Heath; Ginn, Heath & Co.; Ginn & Company; Athenaeum Press (printing imprint, from 1895). Background: A leading American schoolbook/textbook house; not a literary-firsts house, but a major presence in the 19th-century Northeast trade and frequently encountered. Because textbooks are revised repeatedly, watch the stacked copyright dates: a single earliest year with no later copyrights or 'revised' wording signals the first printing. The Athenaeum Press, its Cambridge printing plant, opened in 1895; its colophon therefore both aids identification and marks a copy as 1895-or-later.


Giramondo Publishing — first-edition identification

Giramondo
Southern Latitudes (translation series)
Giramondo Shorts (short-form series)
HEAT (literary journal/magazine)

Giramondo Publishing (Australia (Sydney/Parramatta, NSW; Western Sydney University); 1995–present (books since 2002)). First-edition identification: On a first printing the copyright page states 'First published [year] ... by the Giramondo Publishing Company' with the issuing research-centre/university address, carries no reprint line, and the stated year matches. This statement is the primary first-printing signal. Print runs are small, so reprints are explicitly noted with an added 'Reprinted [year]' line when they occur; the absence of any such line indicates a first printing. Number lines are not a reliable tell for this house. Series identification: Southern Latitudes (translations) and the Giramondo Shorts short-form series carry distinctive series statements; HEAT issues are numbered serials, not book firsts. Imprints and series: Giramondo; Southern Latitudes (translation series); Giramondo Shorts (short-form series); HEAT (literary journal/magazine). Background: Founded 1995 by Ivor Indyk and Evelyn Juers; the book imprint began in 2002, before which output was the journal HEAT (launched 1996, first series 1996–2000, second series 2001–2011). Publisher of major literary firsts and prize-winners (e.g. Alexis Wright, Gerald Murnane, Jessica Au); small runs make true firsts scarce, so the condition of card/wrappered editions matters. Address changes track the era: University of Newcastle (from 2001), then Western Sydney University Bankstown (from 2005), then Parramatta — the colophon address helps date the printing.


Gnome Press — first-edition identification

Gnome Press (US; 1948–1962). First-edition identification: First editions generally STATE 'First Edition' on the copyright page — but this alone is NOT conclusive: in offset reprints Gnome sometimes left a prior publisher's 'First Edition' statement standing Confirm via binding measurements/bulk and priority dust-jacket points (rear-panel ad titles, jacket art state) documented title-by-title in the Gnome bibliography Beware copies bound from Gnome sheets but carrying a 'Doubleday Science Fiction' designation at the spine base — these are late reissues, NOT true Gnome firsts regardless of the copyright statement Imprints and series: Gnome Press. Background: Founded 1948 by Martin Greenberg and David Kyle; published Asimov's 'Foundation' trilogy, Robert E. Howard's Conan in hardcover, and Clarke Famously undercapitalized — variant bindings/jackets and sheet reissues make point-by-point checking essential 'Foundation' (1951) priority points: cloth binding of specified bulk; priority jacket rear panel advertises only three titles (Foundation; Tomorrow and Tomorrow / The Fairy Chessmen; The Sword of Conan) Definitive reference: 'Gnome Press: The Complete History and Bibliography'


Gnomon Press — first-edition identification

Gnomon Press (Lexington, later Frankfort, Kentucky, USA; 1965-present). First-edition identification: Jonathan Greene's literary press: poetry-focused; limited issues identified by the colophon limitation and signed/numbered states alongside trade paperbound issues. First printing: no later-printing statement present; a signed/numbered hardbound state is distinguished from the simultaneous wrappered trade state by binding and a numbered colophon. Identify by Gnomon's Kentucky/Appalachian and small-press literary list and by Greene's book design. Background: Founded 1965 by Jonathan Greene; originally in Lexington, later Frankfort, Kentucky. More a literary small press than a deluxe fine press, it issues signed/limited states of poetry and literary titles. Published authors include Wendell Berry, Robert Duncan, Jonathan Williams, James Still, and Gurney Norman. Distinguish the signed/limited issue from the ordinary trade issue; the premium attaches only to the limited state.


Gold Medal Books (Fawcett) — first-edition identification

Gold Medal Books
Fawcett Gold Medal
Crest (sister reprint imprint)
Premier (sister imprint)

Gold Medal Books (Fawcett) (USA (Greenwich, Connecticut - Fawcett Publications); 1950-1990s (imprint name continued under Ballantine)). First-edition identification: 1950-c.1962 (mass-market originals): paperback originals were the house specialty. Fawcett first issued a pair of unnumbered test anthologies (reprinting Fawcett magazine material) to clear a contractual loophole, then launched the numbered line beginning at 101 with Alan Hynd's 'We Are the Public Enemies' (101), 'Man Story' (102) and John Flagg's 'The Persian Cat' (103). A first printing of a given catalog number is identified by the printing-history block on the copyright page; a title showing only 'First printing, [month year]' (with no second/third) is the first. The catalog number alone does not prove a first printing, because reprints reused the same number with an updated printing line. 1950s reprint tell: when Gold Medal reprinted a title it stated 'Second printing,' 'Third printing,' etc., often with dates and sometimes total-copies-in-print figures. The earliest dated printing line with no prior printing noted is the first. c.1962-1970s: numbering shifted to letter-prefixed price codes, with the catalog numbers climbing into the thousands over time. First printing is still shown by the stated printing history. Later Fawcett (under CBS from 1977, then distributed via Ballantine/Random House from 1982): adopts standard conventions - a stated Fawcett Gold Medal printing line plus a descending number line, with 1 present indicating the first printing. General rule across all eras: trust the stated printing line over the catalog number; Gold Medal was diligent about printing statements, which makes firsts relatively easy to confirm. Imprints and series: Gold Medal Books; Fawcett Gold Medal; Crest (sister reprint imprint); Premier (sister imprint). Background: Launched in 1950; pioneered the paperback original (no prior hardcover), so for a Gold Medal original the 'first edition' is the Gold Medal paperback itself. Home of John D. MacDonald, Richard S. Prather, Charles Williams, Day Keene, Gil Brewer, Donald Hamilton, Harry Whittington and MacKinlay Kantor. The cover number is a catalog/price code, not an edition number; later printings reuse the number with an updated printing line. Crest was Fawcett's reprint imprint; Gold Medal proper denotes originals. Acquired by CBS in 1977; distribution moved to Ballantine/Random House in 1982.


Golden Cockerel Press — first-edition identification

Golden Cockerel Press (UK; 1920–1961). First-edition identification: Letterpress limited editions with a printed colophon stating the limitation; many titles in tiered states — e.g., a numbered standard edition plus a smaller SPECIAL/deluxe edition (extra plates, full-morocco binding, sometimes signed) Original wood engravings by major artists (Eric Gill, Robert Gibbings, John Buckland Wright, Eric Ravilious, etc.) integral to the book; the cockerel device authenticates Deluxe/special copies are at a lower number range and stated separately in the colophon No number line — colophon limitation and engraver/device identify Imprints and series: Harold Taylor (founder); Robert Gibbings era (1924–1933); Christopher Sandford / Owen Rutter / Francis Newbery era (from 1933). Background: Founded 1920 by Harold Taylor; revived under Robert Gibbings (1924–33), then Christopher Sandford — its golden age for wood-engraved illustration Landmark: 'The Four Gospels' (1931) designed and engraved by ERIC GILL — one of the great illustrated press books; Gill also engraved 'The Canterbury Tales' Tiered states (ordinary numbered vs. deluxe full-morocco special) are the key collation point Standard reference: 'The Golden Cockerel Press: A Bibliography' (Cockerel checklists); beware that the press changed hands several times


Golden Gryphon Press — first-edition identification

Golden Gryphon Press (US; 1997–2010s). First-edition identification: Trade first edition: copyright-page first-printing indication (number line with '1' / no later printings) Signed limited states identified by a tipped-in or bound signature/limitation page Most output is single-print-run hardcover, so absence of later-printing notation typically confirms the first Imprints and series: Golden Gryphon Press. Background: Founded 1997 by Jim Turner (formerly of Arkham House) and continued by his brother Gary Turner; specialized in single-author short-story collections Small print runs; quality production reminiscent of Arkham House lineage


Goose Lane Editions — first-edition identification

Goose Lane Editions (Canada (Fredericton, New Brunswick); 1954-present (Fiddlehead Poetry Books 1954-1981; Goose Lane Editions 1981-present)). First-edition identification: Modern Goose Lane titles state 'first edition' and carry a number line ('1' present = first printing) on the copyright page. Predecessor Fiddlehead Poetry Books titles (1950s-1970s) are small chapbook/poetry runs; identify by the Fiddlehead Poetry Books imprint, the original year, and the absence of later-printing notes. Many are scarce single-printing items. icehouse poetry imprint titles follow the parent Goose Lane copyright-page convention. Imprints and series: Goose Lane Editions; Fiddlehead Poetry Books (predecessor, 1954-1981); icehouse poetry (poetry imprint). Background: Canada's oldest surviving independent publisher: traces to Fiddlehead Poetry Books, founded 1954 by Fred Cogswell in Fredericton, growing out of his work editing The Fiddlehead literary journal. Era change matters: a 'Fiddlehead Poetry Books' imprint indicates the early era; 'Goose Lane Editions' indicates the post-1981 era. The press was renamed in 1981 when Cogswell retired and passed it to Peter Thomas. Attribute the imprint to the correct era when describing a first. Strong Atlantic-Canada and poetry list; icehouse poetry is the dedicated poetry imprint.


Grabhorn Press — first-edition identification

Grabhorn Press (US; 1919–1965 (Grabhorn-Hoyem 1966–1973)). First-edition identification: Fine letterpress limited editions (San Francisco); printed colophon with stated limitation, often signed by the Grabhorns or the artist Distinctive bold display typography, decorated papers, and the Grabhorn device authenticate; handmade papers Deluxe sub-states at lower numbers (special binding/extra plates) stated in the colophon No number line — colophon limitation and Grabhorn imprint/device identify Imprints and series: Edwin & Robert Grabhorn (founders); Grabhorn-Hoyem (1966–1973, successor partnership). Background: Founded 1919 (Indiana, moved to San Francisco 1920) by brothers Edwin and Robert Grabhorn; the preeminent Western American fine press Landmark: the Grabhorn 'Leaves of Grass' (Whitman, 1930, with Valenti Angelo illustrations) — a high point of American fine printing Lineage continues: Grabhorn-Hoyem (1966–73) then Andrew Hoyem's Arion Press — useful for distinguishing successor imprints Standard reference: 'The Grabhorn Press: A Bibliography' (the two-volume bibliographies, 1940 & 1957)


Grand Central Publishing — first-edition identification

Warner Books (former name)
Twelve
Forever (romance)
Vision
GCP Balance
Mulholland Books (sister, crime)

Grand Central Publishing (US; 1970s (as Warner)–present). First-edition identification: Modern: states 'First Edition' on the copyright page AND uses a descending number line; first printing retains the lowest number (1 or, for Warner-era, sometimes 10). Warner Books-era (pre-2007): 'First Printing: (Month Year)' on the copyright page plus a number line; true first lists only the first printing. Hachette-family convention: 'First Edition' / 'First Printing' statement is the reliable signal alongside the line. Absence of later printings on the copyright page confirms a first. Imprints and series: Warner Books (former name); Twelve; Forever (romance); Vision; GCP Balance; Mulholland Books (sister, crime). Background: Was Warner Books until 2007, when Hachette acquired Time Warner Book Group and renamed it Grand Central Publishing. Now part of Hachette Book Group USA. Mulholland Books is the crime/thriller imprint (launched 2011) — same Hachette convention. Twelve is the prestige one-book-a-month imprint; Forever is the romance line.


Granta Books — first-edition identification

Granta Books (UK (London); 1989–present). First-edition identification: Copyright page states 'First published in Great Britain by Granta Books [year]'; a first carries no reprint or later-impression note. Descending number line ending in '1' indicates a first printing on titles that carry one. Granta Books was distributed by Penguin at its 1989 launch, so early Granta Books firsts can show Penguin-related distribution imprint lines on the copyright page even though Granta is the publisher — confirm Granta Books is named as publisher, not just distributor. Imprints and series: Granta; Granta Books; Portobello Books (separate imprint, closed January 2019). Background: Granta Books was founded in 1989 by Bill Buford, growing out of the Granta literary magazine (relaunched 1979); the magazine itself dates to 1889 as a Cambridge student paper. Independent (Granta Publications, consolidated 2011 under Sigrid Rausing) rather than part of a conglomerate, so it uses standard modern UK 'First published' plus number-line conventions. Portobello Books was a SEPARATE imprint founded in 2005, merged into Granta Publications in 2011, and CLOSED in January 2019 — its contracted authors then moved to the Granta Books imprint. Older Portobello firsts carry the Portobello imprint and are distinct from Granta Books firsts.


Graphic Arts Books / Alaska Northwest Books (West Margin Press) — first-edition identification

Graphic Arts Books / Alaska Northwest Books (West Margin Press) (Portland, Oregon & Anchorage, Alaska (Pacific NW / Alaska); 1959-present (Alaska Northwest) / 1967-present (Graphic Arts)). First-edition identification: Alaska Northwest Publishing era (1959-1993): Early Alaska Northwest titles often carry no number line; identify first printings by a copyright/publication year that matches the title's first appearance and by the absence of any later-printing notice. Where present, a stated 'First printing' on the copyright page is the clearest tell. Graphic Arts Center Publishing era (1967 onward, large-format/coffee-table titles): Photo-book first editions frequently state 'First edition' and/or carry a printing line; the lowest number in a printing line indicates the first printing. The pioneering large-format title was 'Oregon' (Ray Atkeson photographs). After 1993 (Graphic Arts acquired Alaska Northwest Books): titles appear under Graphic Arts, Alaska Northwest Books, and WestWinds Press imprints, generally with a standard descending number line where the lowest digit marks the printing. 2019 rebrand to West Margin Press: the parent was renamed West Margin Press in 2019, with Graphic Arts Books and Alaska Northwest Books continuing as imprints. A West Margin Press colophon dates a printing to 2019 or later; the imprint name on the copyright page is the key era tell. (Ownership passed to Ingram and later to Turner Publishing, so distribution/ownership notices can also date later printings.) Imprints and series: Graphic Arts Books; Alaska Northwest Books; WestWinds Press; West Margin Press (parent imprint, 2019-). Background: Two distinct lineages: Alaska Northwest Publishing (founded 1959, Alaska) and Graphic Arts Center Publishing (Portland, founded 1967 as a division of Oregon's largest printer; an early pioneer of full-color coffee-table books). Graphic Arts acquired Alaska Northwest Books in 1993, then the largest Alaskan trade publisher. The parent was renamed West Margin Press in 2019 (not 2018); the imprint name on the copyright page is the strongest era tell. Collectible large-format Atkeson and Alaska photography titles; photographer-signed copies are sought after.


Graphic Books / Graphic Mystery — first-edition identification

Graphic Books / Graphic Mystery (USA (New York, NY); late 1940s-c.1957 (paperback-original program from c.1951)). First-edition identification: Late 1940s-c.1957 (entire run): mass-market paperbacks strong in mystery and hardboiled fiction. Titles were numbered sequentially (for example a Graphic title at #14 in 1949 and #21 in 1950), with later 1950s titles using letter-prefix codes. The catalog number identifies the title slot; a first printing is shown by the absence of a later-printing statement on the copyright page and the original cover price. The line published paperback ORIGINALS as well as reprints, but its original-novel program began only around 1951 (Publishers Weekly reported in May 1952 that Graphic had begun publishing originals about a year earlier) — that is, AFTER Fawcett Gold Medal launched the paperback-original boom in 1950, not before it. For a Graphic original (including titles by hardboiled authors such as Harry Whittington and Gil Brewer), the Graphic edition is the text's first edition. Reprint tell: a copyright page acknowledging a prior hardcover publisher means the Graphic is a reprint, not the first; an original has no such acknowledgment. Later printings reuse the catalog number with an added printing note — trust the stated printing line over the cover number. Printing-level data is partial, so corroborate per-title against a Graphic checklist such as the BookScans database. Imprints and series: Graphic Books; Graphic Mystery; Graphic (numbered series, later letter-prefix codes). Background: Active from the late 1940s to about 1957; its paperback-original program began around 1951, after (not before) Gold Medal's 1950 launch. Published paperback originals by hardboiled writers including Harry Whittington and Gil Brewer, and was an early paperback home for Day Keene's work. Distinguish the Graphic Books paperback line from unrelated 'Graphic' comic imprints. Per-title printing data is partial; lean on number-and-date checklists rather than the copyright page alone.


Gray's Sporting Journal Press / GSJ Press — first-edition identification

Gray's Sporting Journal Press / GSJ Press (USA (South Hamilton, Massachusetts; later Augusta, Georgia); Mid-1970s-1980s (book/anthology issues)). First-edition identification: 1980s: Book collections and anthologies drawn from the journal (e.g., the 'Tales from Gray's' / 'Gray's Journal' selections) were issued in trade and signed/numbered limited states. The limited issue is identified by a numbered limitation/colophon page (commonly out of 2,000) and the author's or editor's signature; the trade issue is the standard hardcover. All eras: Where both a numbered limited and a trade hardcover exist, the signed/numbered limitation page identifies the senior state. Confirm a stated printing or the limitation page rather than assuming a number line, which these issues do not reliably carry. Imprints and series: Gray's Sporting Journal. Background: Book-publishing activity of the prestige sporting periodical Gray's Sporting Journal, founded 1975 by Ed and Rebecca Gray; collections gathered the journal's literary hunting and fly-fishing writing. The magazine was acquired by Morris Communications in 1989 and later headquartered in Augusta, Georgia; the book-publishing program was a 1980s-era activity tied to the original Massachusetts operation.


Graywolf Press — first-edition identification

Graywolf Press (US; 1974–present). First-edition identification: Modern convention: copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a descending number line (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); the lowest number present indicates the printing — a first shows '1'. First printing has no additional printing/date notice beyond the stated first. Earliest Graywolf (late 1970s Port Townsend era) included letterpress/limited chapbooks with rear colophons — identified by limitation statement rather than a number line. Imprints and series: Graywolf Rediscovery; Graywolf Poetry / Graywolf Nonfiction Prize titles. Background: Founded 1974 by Scott Walker (with Kathleen Foster) in Port Townsend, WA — literally in space provided by Copper Canyon Press; relocated to Saint Paul, Minnesota (1984). Now a major nonprofit literary press (distributed via Macmillan/FSG): poetry, fiction, essays — Tracy K. Smith, Claudia Rankine's Citizen, Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts. Citizen (2014) went through many printings rapidly — number line is the practical way to separate first from later printings. Because of Macmillan distribution, later printings follow standard trade number-line conventions.


Great Lakes Books (series imprint) — first-edition identification

Great Lakes Books (series imprint) (Detroit, Michigan; 1986–present). First-edition identification: 1986–present: A regional series of Wayne State University Press; a first printing is identified by Wayne State's number line on the copyright page (the lowest digit, or a '1', present indicates the first printing) together with the 'Great Lakes Books Series' designation on the series or title page. For reprinted Michigan/Great Lakes classics issued in the series: the Great Lakes Books edition is a new edition with its own copyright/series page and is not the true first edition of the work — its number line dates only that reissue. Imprints and series: Wayne State University Press. Background: Not a standalone publisher — a named regional series under Wayne State University Press; listed separately because catalog and dealer records often cite 'Great Lakes Books' as the publisher. Inaugurated in 1986 to honor Michigan's 1987 sesquicentennial; mixes original titles with reissues of regional classics, which is the chief first-edition pitfall.


Greenberg, Publisher — first-edition identification

Greenberg, Publisher (New York, USA; c.1924–1958). First-edition identification: Like most American trade houses of the period, Greenberg did not use a consistent 'First Edition' statement; the practical test is the absence of any later-printing notice on the copyright page, with subsequent printings noted there. Treat this as the standard-era convention rather than a house-specific rule, and confirm per title. Where a copyright page carries 'Published [Year]' or a 'First printing' line with no later-printing notice, that indicates the first printing. When no statement is present, corroborate priority through binding and dust-jacket state, and keep per-title confidence guarded. Imprints and series: Greenberg Publishing Company. Background: New York trade house (Greenberg, Publisher / Greenberg Publishing Company) founded in 1924 by Jacob W. and David B. Greenberg; David B. Greenberg ran it as president into the 1950s. Published popular nonfiction, how-to and hobby titles, health, cooking, humor, art and some fiction — a mid-tier trade and reference house, not a modernist literary press. Acquired by the Chilton Company in 1958; the Greenberg imprint continued briefly under Chilton (notably as the line that later issued Frank Herbert's 'Dune' in 1965). Distinct from unrelated figures (photography dealer Howard Greenberg; science-fiction anthologist Martin Greenberg) and from Gnome Press — do not conflate.


Greenwillow Books — first-edition identification

Greenwillow Books (US; 1974-present). First-edition identification: On first printings, the copyright page carries a 'First Edition' statement together with a number line whose lowest digit is 1 First printing is indicated by the presence of '1' as the lowest number in the number row Background: Imprint of HarperCollins (it came into the Harper fold via William Morrow); follows the HarperCollins children's convention Standard HarperCollins caveat: the 'First Edition' statement can be left in place on later printings, so the number line is the deciding evidence Founded 1974 by Susan Hirschman; Kevin Henkes and Donald Crews titles are flagship collectibles


Greenwood Publishing Group / Greenwood Press — first-edition identification

Greenwood Press
Praeger
Praeger Security International
Quorum Books
Bergin & Garvey
Auburn House
Libraries Unlimited (acquired)
ABC-CLIO (parent/licensor post-2008)

Greenwood Publishing Group / Greenwood Press (United States (Westport, CT / Santa Barbara, CA); 1967-present (as imprint group)). First-edition identification: 1967-c.1990: Founded 1967 (by Harold Mason and Harold Schwartz) as a reprint house and academic/reference publisher; many early titles are scholarly reprints, so a first Greenwood edition is identified by the reprint statement plus the absence of a later-printing notice. Reference works are identified by edition and copyright year. c.1990-present: Number line on the copyright page, lowest digit = printing. For multi-volume reference encyclopedias the edition plus copyright year is the practical identification unit, and the first-printing premium on such reference titles is minimal. Post-2008: ABC-CLIO took a perpetual license to the Greenwood imprints; Greenwood and Praeger titles are now issued under the ABC-CLIO (Bloomsbury-affiliated) umbrella and follow its copyright-page style. Imprints and series: Greenwood Press; Praeger; Praeger Security International; Quorum Books; Bergin & Garvey; Auburn House; Libraries Unlimited (acquired); ABC-CLIO (parent/licensor post-2008). Background: Praeger Publishers (founded 1950) was acquired by Greenwood from CBS, Inc. on January 1, 1986 — NOT in 1975 — and is the prestige scholarly and political-science imprint within the group. Library-market reference focus means a low collector premium; identification is about edition and year rather than points of issue. Now an imprint family under ABC-CLIO (which took a perpetual license to the Greenwood imprints in 2008).


Gregynog Press — first-edition identification

Gregynog Press (UK (Wales); 1923–1940 (original); 1974–present (revived)). First-edition identification: Hand-press letterpress limited editions printed at Gregynog Hall, Wales; printed colophon with stated limitation (usually small) A subset of each edition bound in elaborate SPECIAL bindings by the Gregynog bindery (George Fisher) — these specially-bound copies are a distinct, far more valuable sub-state, identified in the colophon and by the binding Original wood engravings (Blair Hughes-Stanton, Agnes Miller Parker, etc.); press device authenticates No number line — colophon limitation plus binding state (ordinary vs. special binding) identify Imprints and series: Gwendoline & Margaret Davies (founders); Gwasg Gregynog (the revived press, 1974–present). Background: Founded 1923 (active to 1940) by the Davies sisters; revived 1974 as 'Gwasg Gregynog' — distinguish original press from the modern Welsh-language revival Renowned for its special bindings — the small number of specially-bound copies (often a dozen or fewer per title) are the prizes; the ordinary cloth/quarter-leather copies are the standard state Wood-engraved work by Hughes-Stanton and Agnes Miller Parker is a hallmark Standard reference: Dorothy A. Harrop, 'A History of the Gregynog Press'


Greycliff Publishing Company — first-edition identification

Greycliff Publishing Company (USA (Helena, Montana); 1990s-2000s). First-edition identification: 1990s-2000s: Trade firsts state 'First Edition' or 'First printing' and/or carry a descending number line ('1' = first); the 'Greycliff River Book Series' of single-river guides and the Montana fly-fishing guides are revised, so the edition number is restated for new editions. All eras: Confirm both the edition currency (river/access data) and the printing statement before assigning a first printing of a given edition. Imprints and series: Greycliff Publishing Company. Background: Helena, Montana fly-fishing guidebook house active from the mid-1990s, publisher of John Holt's Montana fly-fishing guides (East and West of the Continental Divide) and the multi-volume 'Greycliff River Book Series' (e.g., Craig Mathews' Fly Fishing the Madison). Small regional outdoor publisher whose titles overlap the broader Montana fly-fishing guidebook scene.


Grosset & Dunlap (children's / series books) — first-edition identification

Grosset & Dunlap
Tempo Books
Illustrated Junior Library

Grosset & Dunlap (children's / series books) (New York, NY; 1898–present (as imprint)). First-edition identification: 1898–c.1930s (reprint house): founded 1898 and primarily a reprint publisher. For reprinted titles, the Grosset & Dunlap imprint itself signals a reprint, not a first edition — the true first is the original trade publisher's edition. For G&D's own first-published titles, first printings may state 'First Printing' on the copyright page, but most G&D books carry no printing statement at all, so the printing is surmised from the copyright-page date and the rear-endpaper or jacket title list. Series books (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Bobbsey Twins), c.1910s–1970s: early states are identified not by a printing statement but by the advertised-title-list point system — the list of titles advertised in the series ends with the latest title available at the time of printing, so a jacket or endpaper listing titles only through book N dates that printing to when book N was newest. Format points (jacket art, wraparound versus white-spine jackets, frontispiece versus internal illustrations, tweed/cloth versus picture-cover boards) further pinpoint era. When no jacket is present, use the last title in the pre-text or post-text list inside the book. Specialist guides (Farah's for Nancy Drew; Carpentieri for the Hardy Boys) detail every printing. 1930s–1960s originals: genuine G&D firsts (e.g., the King Kong photoplay and Lone Ranger titles) state 'First Printing' or similar on the copyright page; absence of any later-printing note plus the earliest title list indicates first issue. 1982 onward: acquired by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1982; thereafter first-edition practice follows the Putnam/Penguin group conventions (number line, lowest digit indicating the printing). Imprints and series: Grosset & Dunlap; Tempo Books; Illustrated Junior Library. Background: Founded 1898 by Alexander Grosset and George Dunlap; built the inexpensive cloth-reprint market. Home of the Stratemeyer Syndicate series (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Bobbsey Twins) — collected via the advertised-title-list and format-point system, not edition statements. Because it was chiefly a reprinter, a G&D imprint on a famous title usually means a reprint, not the first edition. Gained control of Wonder Books (1949) and acquired Platt & Munk (1957); itself bought by Putnam in 1982 and now within the Penguin lineage. Some genuine G&D firsts exist (the King Kong photoplay, Lone Ranger titles) and state 'First Printing.'


Groundwood Books — first-edition identification

Groundwood Books
Libros Tigrillo (Spanish)
House of Anansi (parent)

Groundwood Books (Canada; 1978-present). First-edition identification: First printing: a descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; often with a 'First published in [year]' or 'First edition' statement The lowest digit present in the number line indicates the printing Imprints and series: Groundwood Books; Libros Tigrillo (Spanish); House of Anansi (parent). Background: Toronto literary children's house founded in 1978 by Patricia (Patsy) Aldana; sold to House of Anansi Press in 2012 and now part of that family Strong in translated and Indigenous and Latin American children's literature, with a Spanish-language list (Libros Tigrillo); translated titles may carry an original-language edition date alongside the English first-edition line Reliable modern descending-number-line convention


Grove Press — first-edition identification

Grove Atlantic (parent)
Black Cat
Evergreen
Atlantic Monthly Press (sister)
Grove Weidenfeld (1989–1993)

Grove Press (New York, NY (US); 1947–present (as Grove/Atlantic since 1993)). First-edition identification: First editions and later printings are noted on the copyright page; the modern practice uses a number row/printer's key, with the presence of '1' (or the lowest digit) indicating a first printing. Grove added a number row around 1969 (initially on the last page before the rear free endpaper, later on the copyright page) but often failed to remove a 'First Edition' statement from reprints — so a 'First Edition' line alone is not conclusive for that era; corroborate with the number row. Later-printing dust jackets can carry a small letter code on the rear panel (e.g., 'ii' for a second printing) — a useful corroborating tell. For landmark titles (e.g., Tropic of Cancer 1961, Naked Lunch US 1962, Lady Chatterley's Lover unexpurgated 1959), edition/issue points are title-specific — verify against title bibliographies, not the house rule alone. Imprints and series: Grove Atlantic (parent); Black Cat; Evergreen; Atlantic Monthly Press (sister); Grove Weidenfeld (1989–1993). Background: Black Cat and Evergreen were Grove's mass-market and quality-paperback lines (key for Beckett, Burroughs, Miller, Genet first-in-US paperbacks). Corporate history: Grove Press → Grove Weidenfeld (1989) → merged with Atlantic Monthly Press to form Grove/Atlantic Inc. (1993); the imprint name on the copyright page can help date a printing. Dust-jacket spine logo and pricing changes help separate a first issue from later Grove printings of the same edition.


Grove Press / Grove Atlantic — first-edition identification

Grove Press / Grove Atlantic (trade). First-edition identification: Stated on the copyright page Dust-jacket rear-panel letter code on later printings (pre-1993) Number line (1993–present) Imprints and series: Atlantic Monthly Press. Background: The dust-jacket rear-panel letter code is the Grove-specific tell for later printings before 1993.


H. W. Wilson Company — first-edition identification

H. W. Wilson Company (United States (New York / Bronx, NY); 1898-present (print reference continued under Grey House)). First-edition identification: 1898-c.1980: Founded 1898 by Halsey William Wilson as the great library-index and reference house (Cumulative Book Index from 1898, Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature from 1901, Current Biography). Continuing serials and indexes are identified by VOLUME and YEAR with annual or cumulative volumes, so there is no first-edition point system. Reference monographs are identified by edition plus copyright year; a first printing is indicated by the absence of a later-printing notice. c.1980-present: Where number lines appear, the lowest digit indicates the printing, but the edition/volume/year remains the identification unit. This is a library-market house with a minimal first-printing premium. Post-2011: Wilson merged with EBSCO Publishing (June 2011); EBSCO holds the database business while Grey House Publishing produces the print reference editions under license, so the copyright-page imprint reflects the new arrangement. Imprints and series: H. W. Wilson; Wilson Web; Grey House Publishing (print reference licensee post-2011); Salem Press (sibling under Grey House). Background: Cornerstone American library-reference house whose indexes defined 20th-century periodical research. Collected as runs of serials (for example Current Biography yearbooks) by year, not by printing. Database business went to EBSCO; print reference is published by Grey House under license.


H.M. Gousha Company — first-edition identification

H.M. Gousha Company (United States (Chicago; later San Jose, CA); 1920s-1990s). First-edition identification: Road maps are dated by an internal alphanumeric DATE CODE printed in a corner or margin, decoded via the Road Map Collectors Association 'Dating Rand McNally and Gousha Maps' tables; the code is the identifier, not a copyright page. 1920s-1940s: Chicago-era Gousha maps (frequently produced for oil companies such as Chevron and Texaco); locate the small code near the legend or in a corner to date the printing. Note that in a Gousha code the year letter can appear anywhere in the string, so corroborating clues (census date, road network) may be needed. 1947-1990s: San Jose, California era (the company moved there in 1947); the same date-code logic applies, and cover art and oil-company branding help bracket the period. Atlases: a named edition plus the copyright year on the title page. Imprints and series: Gousha road maps (oil-company and state maps); Gousha city maps; Gousha American Road Atlas. Background: A major mid-century oil-company road-map printer alongside Rand McNally, founded in Chicago in 1926 by Harry M. Gousha, a former Rand McNally executive. Uses a corner DATE-CODE dating method; the Road Map Collectors Association decode tables cover Gousha jointly with Rand McNally. Gousha began date-coding around 1927, using single letters (A-Z) and later double letters (through ZZ in 1978). Chicago versus San Jose imprint brackets the era (the firm relocated to San Jose in 1947). Highly collected gas-station and oil-company map ephemera.


Hachette Books — first-edition identification

Hyperion (former name of the imprint)
Voice
Black Dog & Leventhal
Hachette Go
Public Affairs (sister)
Basic Books (sister)

Hachette Books (US; 1991 (as Hyperion)–present). First-edition identification: States 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a descending number line ending in 1. Hyperion-era (Disney-owned, pre-2013): used 'First Edition' + number line; sometimes 'First U.S. Edition' for imports. Hachette-family standard: stated edition plus line-to-1; reprints drop the statement and/or the 1. Check for 'First Edition' AND the 1 together. Imprints and series: Hyperion (former name of the imprint); Voice; Black Dog & Leventhal; Hachette Go; Public Affairs (sister); Basic Books (sister). Background: The trade imprint was Hyperion (founded 1991 by Disney); Hachette acquired most of Hyperion's adult list in 2013 and renamed it Hachette Books. Part of Hachette Book Group USA (the US arm of French parent Hachette Livre / Lagardère). Disney-era Hyperion firsts carry Hyperion imprint on title page — still identified by 'First Edition' + line-to-1. Sibling imprints Basic Books and PublicAffairs (Perseus, acquired 2016) follow the same Hachette convention.


Hackett Publishing Company — first-edition identification

Hackett Publishing Company (USA (Indianapolis IN); 1972-present). First-edition identification: 1972-c.1990 (founders Bill and Frances Hackett, Indianapolis): academic philosophy texts and translations; the copyright page states the printing and copyright year, and because many titles are perennially reprinted teaching editions, first printings are uncommon survivors. Identify by the earliest copyright year and the absence of later-printing or reprint statements. c.1990-present: standard number line, with the lowest number present indicating the printing (a '1' present means a first printing); the copyright page often shows a printing-year line. Revised or second editions are explicitly restated, so match the edition statement. recent: Hackett took over Focus Publishing / R. Pullins Company, and Focus titles (including the Focus Classical Library) continue under their own series identity within Hackett's conventions. Imprints and series: Hackett Publishing; Focus Publishing / Focus (classics, acquired); Pullins Press (Focus / R. Pullins Company). Background: Founded 1972; the standard US academic publisher of affordable primary-source philosophy texts and classical translations (Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant). Collector note: most Hackett value lies in scholarly content rather than first-printing rarity, but for a translator's first edition (for example specific Grube or Cooper Plato volumes), match the earliest printing year and the edition statement. Focus Publishing became an imprint of Hackett, bringing the Focus Classical Library into the house.


Hal Leonard (Hal Leonard Books / Performing Arts Publishing Group) — first-edition identification

Hal Leonard Books
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
Amadeus Press
Backbeat Books
Limelight Editions
Musicians Institute Press

Hal Leonard (Hal Leonard Books / Performing Arts Publishing Group) (US (Milwaukee, Wisconsin); 1947-present (book imprints largely 1990s-present)). First-edition identification: Trade/book titles use a standard descending number line on the copyright page; '1' present = first printing. Primarily a sheet-music and folio publisher — most output is method books, songbooks, and scores that are not 'editions' in the collector first-edition sense; printings of folios are typically undated or carry an HL catalog/order number rather than a printer's key. For the trade book lines (biographies, reference) treat the number line as authoritative. Imprints and series: Hal Leonard Books; Applause Theatre & Cinema Books; Amadeus Press; Backbeat Books; Limelight Editions; Musicians Institute Press. Background: Founded 1947 (by the Edstrom brothers in Winona, Minnesota; now headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin); the world's largest sheet-music/print-music publisher. Collectible interest is mostly in the trade book imprints rather than the song folios. Acquired Backbeat (2006); divested the performing-arts trade imprints (Hal Leonard Books, Applause, Amadeus, Backbeat, Limelight) to Rowman & Littlefield in Dec 2018. Songbook/folio editions are better identified by catalog/order number and licensing era than by first-printing points.


Halstead Press — first-edition identification

Halstead Press (Australia (Sydney, NSW; later also Canberra); 1929-1970s (printer); 1991-present (publisher)). First-edition identification: 1929-1970s (as Angus & Robertson's printing house): Halstead Press was principally a PRINTER, not a trade publisher. George Robertson bought the Eagle Press in 1929 and renamed it Halstead Press after his Essex birthplace; it was a leading Australian book printer for roughly forty years until the plant was sold in the 1970s. A Halstead Press line on an Angus & Robertson book is a production/printer credit, NOT a first-edition indicator. Identify the first edition by Angus & Robertson's own 'First published' statement, not by the Halstead imprint. 1991-present (modern Halstead Press): A separate independent Sydney (later also Canberra) publisher of history, heritage, current affairs and scholarly works, set up in 1991 after Robertson's great-grandson acquired the Halstead logo and identity. First editions are identified by a 'First published 19xx/20xx' statement on the copyright/imprint page and the absence of any 'Reprinted' line; where a number line is present, the lowest number indicates the printing. Imprints and series: Halstead Press (historic printing arm of Angus & Robertson); Halstead Press (modern independent history/heritage and general publisher, est. 1991). Background: Two distinct entities share the name: (1) the historic Angus & Robertson printing arm (Halstead Press), and (2) the modern independent publisher set up in 1991 — do not conflate them. For the historic arm, Halstead is a printer credit and NOT a first-edition indicator; the publisher of record was Angus & Robertson. The modern Halstead Press is a small Sydney/Canberra publisher of history, heritage and general illustrated books; it is not corporately unrelated to the old arm but rather inherited the Halstead logo and identity via the Robertson family.


Hamish Hamilton — first-edition identification

Hamish Hamilton (UK; 1931-present). First-edition identification: First editions state "First published in Great Britain [Year]" or "First published [Year]" on the copyright page; later printings noted First printing = statement present with no list of later impressions Under Penguin ownership (modern era) descending number lines ending in 1 appear; lowest digit = printing Absence of reprint lines is the core first-printing confirmation Imprints and series: Hamish Hamilton; Hamish Hamilton Children's; Penguin/Hamish Hamilton (under Penguin later). Background: Quality literary list: J.D. Salinger (UK), Raymond Chandler (UK), Nancy Mitford, Truman Capote (UK), Georges Simenon Many titles were UK issues of American books — watch for US true-first precedence vs UK first Now an imprint within Penguin