Nosy Crow — first-edition identification

Nosy Crow (UK; 2011-present). First-edition identification: British convention: the first printing carries a complete descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the lowest digit present indicates the printing Generally NO 'First edition' statement. Identify by the full number line together with the 'First published in [year] by Nosy Crow Ltd' line Imprints and series: Nosy Crow; Nosy Crow US (distributed via partner houses); Nosy Crow Classics. Background: UK independent founded in 2010 by Kate Wilson (with Adrian Soar and Camilla Reid); first books published January 2011. Strong novelty, board-book and app-linked children's list; named Independent Publisher of the Year at the 2020 British Book Awards US co-editions are distributed via partner houses and postdate the UK first, so the true first is the UK Nosy Crow printing A newer house, so virtually all titles sit firmly in the modern number-line era. The convention is reliable, though few individually documented collectible points exist yet


Obelisk Press — first-edition identification

Obelisk Press (France (Paris), English-language list; 1929–1939). First-edition identification: 1929–1939 (under Jack Kahane): a first edition is identified by an explicit first-printing statement on the copyright/verso page giving month and year — for example 'First published September 1934' on Tropic of Cancer. No number line is used. Titles were issued in printed paper wrappers/soft covers; later impressions add a reprint line or revised date. For Tropic of Cancer the original printed wrappers carrying the crab-and-woman cover design are a decisive first-issue point, because after seizures by British and American authorities the press reissued the book in plainer, less conspicuous wrappers. After Kahane's death in 1939 the operation passed briefly to his son Maurice Girodias; later printings carry revised dates and can be distinguished by paper stock and added impression statements. Imprints and series: Obelisk Press. Background: Founded by Jack Kahane in 1929, Obelisk published Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer 1934, Black Spring, Tropic of Capricorn), Anaïs Nin, Lawrence Durrell, Cyril Connolly and Frank Harris. The Tropic of Cancer first edition was a run of about 1,000 copies stating 'First published September 1934' in original printed wrappers; the month-and-year statement together with the original wrappers is the decisive tell. Maurice Girodias, Kahane's son, went on to found Olympia Press, the house's spiritual successor, so the two firms' lineage matters for attribution.

New Mexico Literacy Project (newmexicoliteracyproject.org)


Octopus Books — first-edition identification

Octopus Books (USA (Portland, Oregon, and Denver, Colorado); 2005–present). First-edition identification: Number line on the copyright page where present; the lowest digit indicates the printing. Some titles state 'First Edition'; many small-run firsts carry no number line. The absence of a later-printing statement on the copyright leaf supports a first printing. Imprints and series: Octopus Magazine (associated). Background: Founded in the fall of 2005 by Zachary Schomburg and Mathias Svalina, who met at the University of Nebraska; the press grew out of the online Octopus Magazine and began with hand-made chapbooks before its first full-length book, Julie Doxsee's 'Undersleep'. Design-forward small editions; reprints are uncommon, so number lines are frequently absent on genuine firsts. Schomburg is based in Portland and Svalina in Denver.


Officina Bodoni — first-edition identification

Officina Bodoni (Italy; 1922–1977 (Hans Mardersteig; continued by son Martino)). First-edition identification: Hand-press letterpress limited editions, most with a printed colophon giving the limitation, the date, and Mardersteig's imprint; many hand-numbered Use of Mardersteig's own recut types (notably the 'Dante' type, and his revival of original Bodoni types) and fine handmade papers — typographic identity authenticates Colophon names the press (Officina Bodoni, Verona/Montagnola) and printing details; deluxe copies on special paper or with extra plates at lower numbers No number line — colophon limitation and Mardersteig imprint identify; distinguish hand-press Officina Bodoni from machine-printed Stamperia Valdonega work Imprints and series: Giovanni (Hans) Mardersteig (founder); Stamperia Valdonega (his later commercial/machine-press arm). Background: Founded 1922 by Hans (Giovanni) Mardersteig, first at Montagnola (Switzerland), from 1927 at Verona; one of the greatest 20th-century fine presses Mardersteig also designed the Dante and Griffo types; printed the official complete works for Italian and German publishers The standard reference is the Officina Bodoni bibliography ('Officina Bodoni: An Account...' / the editions catalogue) — consult it for exact limitations Distinguish Officina Bodoni (hand-press, fine limited) from Stamperia Valdonega (Mardersteig family commercial press, machine-set) — different collectibility


Ohio State University Press — first-edition identification

Ohio State University Press (US (Columbus, OH); 1957-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts carry a full descending number line; a '1' present indicates the first printing. First printing has a copyright page without reprint history. Mad Creek Books and Trillium follow the same number-line convention. Imprints and series: Trillium (regional imprint); Mad Creek Books (literary/creative nonfiction imprint). Background: Founded 1957; not to be confused with Ohio University Press, a separate house in Athens, OH, that holds the Swallow Press imprint. Mad Creek Books is the collectible literary imprint (creative nonfiction and memoir), inspired by the regional Trillium imprint. Standard academic caveat applies for pre-1980s titles lacking first-printing wording.


Ohio University Press — first-edition identification

Swallow Press
Swallow Press/Ohio University Press

Ohio University Press (Athens, Ohio; Incorporated 1947, formally organized 1964; active to present). First-edition identification: Early scholarly titles (1960s-c.1980): No explicit first-printing statement, in keeping with academic-press practice; later printings or impressions are noted on the copyright page. A first printing is inferred from no later-printing notation, with the title-page date matching the copyright date. c.1980-present: A number line on the copyright page, where the lowest digit present indicates the printing (a full line ending in '...4 3 2 1' with '1' present = first printing). A Library of Congress CIP block is present from the mid-to-late 1970s onward. Trade titles under the Swallow Press imprint follow the Swallow Press number-line convention from the 1980s on. Imprints and series: Swallow Press; Swallow Press/Ohio University Press. Background: Scholarly and regional university press; incorporated in 1947 and formally organized in 1964 by Ohio University president Vernon Alden. It is the oldest and largest scholarly press in Ohio. Strong lists in African studies, Appalachian/Ohio and Midwest regional history, and Southeast Asia. The trade arm is the Swallow Press imprint: a licensing agreement began in 1979, and OUP formally acquired the imprint and its 276-title back catalog in 2008. As with most university presses, the absence of a number line on a pre-1980 title does not by itself prove a first printing — confirm that no later-impression statement is present.


Old Stile Press — first-edition identification

Old Stile Press (Llandogo, Monmouthshire, Wales (at Catchmays Court since 1986); 1979-present). First-edition identification: 1979-present: a first/only edition is identified by the COLOPHON limitation statement; the press of Nicolas and Frances McDowall. The colophon records the limitation (editions are typically a few hundred copies or fewer), the types, the paper, the artist or illustrator, and the date; the copy number is hand-inscribed. There is no number line or printed 'First Edition' wording. Many titles were issued in a standard numbered edition plus a smaller special state (an extra suite of prints, signed by the artist, or a deluxe binding); the colophon and any 'special copies' note distinguish them. Identify by the Old Stile Press imprint; the artist collaboration (wood engraving, wood block, linocut) is named in the colophon, and all printing is letterpress with leaf and block printing. Background: Strongly image-led press; artist collaborations are central and named in colophons. Watch for signed special states versus the ordinary numbered edition. The press documents its own output through checklists and bibliographies recording points and limitations.


Olympia Press — first-edition identification

The Traveller's Companion Series
Atlantic Library
Ophelia Press
Othello Books
Olympia Press New York

Olympia Press (France (Paris); a later, separate revival in New York; 1953–1974). First-edition identification: 1953–1965 (Paris, under Maurice Girodias): titles were issued in printed paper wrappers, not cloth. The Traveller's Companion Series appeared in plain green text-only wrappers, each bearing a series number. A first printing has no additional printings listed on the copyright/title leaf; reprints add later printing statements or revised pricing. First-issue pricing is a primary point. For Lolita (Traveller's Companion No. 66, two volumes, September 1955) the true first issue has 'Francs: 900' printed on the rear cover of each volume with no sticker removal or erasure; a wartime currency fluctuation forced a quick repricing to 1,200 francs, so price-revised copies are a later state of the first edition. The Ophelia Press imprint (more explicit erotica) used pink wrappers in the same design as the green Traveller's Companion wrappers; wrapper colour distinguishes imprint line, not printing state. Olympia Press New York (Girodias's mid-to-late 1960s revival) used US paperback and hardcover formats; first printings carry an explicit 'first printing' statement or a number line where one is present. These are a separate operation from the Paris originals. Imprints and series: The Traveller's Companion Series; Atlantic Library; Ophelia Press; Othello Books; Olympia Press New York. Background: Olympia issued the first editions of Nabokov's Lolita (1955), William Burroughs's Naked Lunch (1959), and J. P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man, alongside work by Beckett and Genet. For Lolita the first issue is the two-volume green-wrappers set priced 'Francs: 900' on the rear covers; copies repriced to 1,200 francs are a later state. Wrapper colour and series numbering are the primary imprint and issue tells; cloth-bound copies are later reissues or the work of other publishers, not Paris Olympia firsts.


Omnibus Press — first-edition identification

Omnibus Press (UK (London); 1972-present). First-edition identification: UK number-line convention on the copyright/imprint page; lowest number indicates the printing, '1' present = first printing. Some titles carry only a printing/order code rather than a full key — when no key is present, rely on stated copyright year, ISBN, and absence of later-printing notices. No standardized 'First Edition' statement. Imprints and series: Music Sales (parent). Background: Launched 1972 as the general non-fiction arm of the Music Sales Group; refocused exclusively on music books after editor Chris Charlesworth joined in 1983, growing into the world's largest specialist music-book publisher. Strong collector demand for early rock/pop band biographies and authorized photo books; condition and dust jacket drive value more than fine printing points. Parent Music Sales also issues sheet-music folios where the first-edition concept does not apply in the usual way.


Omnidawn Publishing — first-edition identification

Omnidawn Publishing (USA (Richmond, California); 2001–present). First-edition identification: Number line on the copyright page where present; the lowest digit indicates the printing. Often states 'First Edition' on the copyright page. Most titles are single-printing; the absence of any later-printing statement supports a first. Imprints and series: Omnidawn Poetry Prizes (1st/2nd Book, Open, Chapbook, Lyric, Single Poem). Background: Founded in 2001 by Ken Keegan and Rusty Morrison as a nonprofit independent press; publishes experimental and innovative poetry, with fabulist and new-fabulist fiction added in 2006. Ken Keegan died in 2022; the press continued under Rusty Morrison and Laura Joakimson. Prize-series labels date titles only and are not separate publishers.


One World — first-edition identification

One World (US (New York); relaunched 2017). First-edition identification: First printing carries a complete number line descending to 1 with no later-printing notice Copyright page typically states "First Edition" alongside the full number line, following standard Random House / Penguin Random House practice Imprints and series: One World. Background: Literary imprint focused on diverse voices within the Random House Publishing Group (Penguin Random House); relaunched in 2017 under publisher and editor-in-chief Chris Jackson, with its inaugural list including Ta-Nehisi Coates's We Were Eight Years in Power Distinct from the earlier One World/Ballantine mass-market line of the 1990s-2000s, which is a separate entity


Oni Press — first-edition identification

Oni Press (USA (Portland, OR); 1997-present). First-edition identification: Floppy issues and trade paperbacks: a first printing carries no printing statement in the indicia; later printings are explicitly stated ('Second printing' and higher). Collected editions: the copyright/indicia page states the printing, usually with month and year ('First edition, [month year]'); a first printing shows the single earliest date and no later-printing line. On floppies, the 5-digit supplemental code in the UPC barcode is meant to encode the printing in its fifth digit (1 = first printing), but publishers populate it inconsistently, so treat it only as a weak secondary clue and rely on the indicia statement. Imprints and series: Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group (merged entity, 2019); Lion Forge; Limerence Press (erotica/sex-ed). Background: Founded 1997 by Joe Nozemack and Bob Schreck; Schreck left in 1999. Merged with Lion Forge in 2019 to form Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. 'Scott Pilgrim' (Bryan Lee O'Malley) digest first printings are heavily collected; the original black-and-white digest first printings predate the later color editions, so match format and stated printing, not just the title. Limerence Press (adult) and the Lion Forge catalog follow the same Oni first-printing conventions post-merger.


Ooligan Press — first-edition identification

Ooligan Press (Portland, Oregon (Pacific Northwest); 2001-present). First-edition identification: 2001-present: Student-run teaching press of Portland State University's graduate book-publishing program. First printings carry a copyright-page 'First edition' or 'First published [year]' statement; when a descending number line is present, the lowest digit indicates the printing. Small academic-program runs mean most titles exist in only a single printing. Era tell: any genuine Ooligan title postdates the program's 2001 founding; the PSU/Portland imprint and student-press colophon confirm provenance. Imprints and series: Ooligan Press. Background: Founded 2001 by publisher and writer Dennis Stovall as the hands-on arm of PSU's master's program in book publishing; about 60 titles in its first 20 years. Name from a Chinook Jargon word for the smelt/candlefish (eulachon), folk-etymologically tied to the name 'Oregon'. Regional Pacific Northwest focus (every title connects to the region by author, setting, or theme); the student-teaching-press provenance is itself a collectible angle.


Open Court Publishing Company — first-edition identification

Open Court Publishing Company (USA (La Salle / Chicago IL); 1887-present). First-edition identification: 1887-c.1930 (Hegeler/Paul Carus era, La Salle IL): early philosophy and comparative-religion titles are identified by copyright year and the 'The Open Court Publishing Company' imprint; there is no number line, and many are first US editions of Carus's translations and studies (Buddhism, the Tao Te Ching). Distinguish printings by the stated copyright/printing year only. c.1930-c.1980: the copyright page states edition or printing; Library of Living Philosophers volumes carry their own series edition statements, so match the volume's stated edition. c.1980-present (modern Open Court / Carus): standard number line, with the lowest number present indicating the printing (a '1' present means a first printing); copyright pages state 'First Edition' or 'First printing YYYY'. The Popular Culture and Philosophy series (from 2000) follows the same convention. general: Open Court historically acted as a printer-distributor as well, and early titles may carry La Salle plus Chicago/London (Kegan Paul) co-imprints; verify which issue is the true first. Imprints and series: Open Court; The Library of Living Philosophers (series); Popular Culture and Philosophy (series); The Monist / The Open Court (journals); Carus Publishing (parent); Cricket Books (children's, separate line). Background: Founded 1887 by zinc magnate Edward C. Hegeler; Paul Carus served as its first managing editor and edited The Open Court journal for decades. One of America's oldest philosophy houses. Famous series include The Library of Living Philosophers (begun by Paul Arthur Schilpp in 1939; Open Court has been its publisher since the late 1950s, after Northwestern and Tudor) and the modern Popular Culture and Philosophy series. Cricket children's magazine (founded 1973 by Marianne Carus) was published by Open Court until March 1995; Carus Publishing / Cricket Media is the related corporate lineage, separate from the philosophy book line. Early Carus translations on Buddhism and Taoism are sought-after first US editions; rely on copyright year plus the La Salle imprint.


Open Letter Books — first-edition identification

Open Letter Books (Rochester, New York, USA; 2008-present). First-edition identification: 2008-present: First printings are identified by a complete descending number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' on the copyright page, the lowest digit indicating the printing. The house publishes paperback originals, so the first state is the trade paperback; 'First Edition' wording appears on some titles, but the number line is the reliable tell. Imprints and series: Open Letter Books. Background: Founded 2008 as the literary-translation press of the University of Rochester (home of the Three Percent blog/Translation Database and the Best Translated Book Award). Chad W. Post is founding publisher/director; inaugural title was Dubravka Ugrešić's 'Nobody's Home' (2008). Open Letter editions are typically the first English translations of their texts, making them the first English-language printings.


Orbis Books — first-edition identification

Orbis Books (US (Maryknoll, New York); 1970–present). First-edition identification: First printings show a descending number line on the copyright page ending in '1' (e.g., '5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest digit indicates the printing. Many scholarly or early titles state 'First published' or give only a copyright year. Translations of Latin American liberation-theology works often carry both an original-language copyright and the English copyright; the Orbis English first printing is dated by its own number line or first-printing statement. Background: Publishing arm of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America); the leading English-language house for liberation theology and global/contextual theology. Among the most collectible first English editions is Gustavo Gutiérrez's 'A Theology of Liberation' (Orbis, 1973), translated by Caridad Inda and John Eagleson; verify via the complete number line or first-printing statement and the 1973 date. Academic list with steady reprints, so rely on the number line for post-1980 books.


Orbit (US) — first-edition identification

Orbit (US) (US (New York); US imprint 2007–present). First-edition identification: First printing: complete number line counting down to 1 (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); a lowest number above 1 indicates a later printing — the standard Hachette Book Group / Little, Brown house practice A 'First Edition' (or 'First Printing') statement on the copyright page is common but is not present on every title; the full number line is the reliable signal Imprints and series: Orbit; Redhook; Orbit Works; Run For It. Background: Science-fiction and fantasy division of Hachette Book Group, launched 2007 as the US arm of UK Orbit; major SFF list The Orbit division comprises four imprints: Orbit, Redhook (commercial/speculative fiction, launched 2013), Orbit Works (digital), and Run For It (horror, announced July 2024) US Orbit is distinct from UK Orbit — confirm the edition's country of publication before applying US conventions


Ordnance Survey — first-edition identification

Ordnance Survey (United Kingdom (Southampton); 1801-present). First-edition identification: Maps are dated by printed MARGINAL CODES: an edition letter or number, a revision/survey date, and a magnetic-variation diagram date; the marginalia is the identifier, not a copyright page. 19th century-1945: Old Series / New Series one-inch sheets are identified by sheet number, survey date and a printing code in the margin; reprints carry railway and road revision dates that bracket the printing. 1945-1970s: Seventh Series one-inch maps use an edition letter (A, B, C and so on) plus a 'fully revised' year in the lower margin to identify the printing. 1974-present: metric Landranger (1:50,000) and Explorer (1:25,000) sheets each carry an edition letter/number and a survey/revision year, with the credits panel listing the publication year; the latest revision year present marks the printing. Imprints and series: OS Landranger (1:50,000); OS Explorer / Outdoor Leisure (1:25,000); OS One-Inch / Seventh Series (historic); OS Tourist Maps. Background: Identified by MARGINAL CODES (edition letter plus survey/revision year) rather than book points, the cartographic-house convention. Series names bracket the era: Old/New Series and the Seventh Series one-inch (pre-metric) versus Landranger/Explorer (metric, from 1974). The magnetic-variation diagram date is a useful internal dating clue. National mapping agency (founded 1791; first one-inch sheet 1801); historic county sheets are heavily collected.


Oregon State University Press — first-edition identification

Oregon State University Press (Corvallis, Oregon (Pacific Northwest); 1961-present). First-edition identification: 1961-c.1990: Founded 1961; the first-year list ran to eight books, including 'Atlas of the Pacific Northwest,' 'Winter Twigs,' and the best-selling 'Weather of Oregon.' Early scholarly and natural-science first printings carry no number line; identify by a copyright year that matches first publication and by the absence of revised/later-printing language. Perennials such as 'Atlas of the Pacific Northwest' and 'Winter Twigs' have been reissued in later editions, so verify the edition statement. c.1990-present: Descending number line on the copyright page, with the lowest digit indicating the printing; 'First published [year]' statements are common on regional trade titles, and single-printing scholarly titles are the norm. Distribution-era tell: OSU Press has long been distributed through the Chicago Distribution Center, so a CDC distribution notice on the copyright page points to a later printing/era rather than the original first-printing state. Imprints and series: OSU Press. Background: Founded 1961 and heralded at the time as Oregon's first university press; it remains the only academic press in the state. Focus on Pacific Northwest history, natural history, environmental history, and regional literature. Several first-year natural-history titles run to multiple editions, so for those the edition statement matters more than the printing. Publishes roughly a dozen-plus titles per year as a unit of Oregon State University.


Osprey Publishing — first-edition identification

Osprey Publishing (Oxford / London, United Kingdom (US distribution via various; now Bloomsbury); 1968/69-present (first title 1969; Men-at-Arms from 1971)). First-edition identification: Early titles (from 1969): the copyright page states 'First published ... by Osprey Publishing Ltd' with year and carries no later-printing notation; reprints add 'Reprinted 19xx' lines. A first printing has the sole 'First published' line and no reprint lines. Later titles: the copyright page lists 'First published [year]' and, on reprints, a stack of 'Reprinted' year lines; some titles also carry a number line ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1') where '1' indicates a first printing. For series titles the ABSENCE of any 'Reprinted' line below 'First published' is the key first-printing tell. All eras: Osprey numbers its series (e.g. 'Men-at-Arms 123'); the series number is NOT an edition indicator. Watch for later 'revised' or 'second edition' reissues of popular numbers, which are stated explicitly. Imprints and series: Aircam Aviation series (first list, from 1969); Men-at-Arms series; Campaign series; New Vanguard series; Aircraft of the Aces / Combat Aircraft; Osprey Modelling; Elite; Fortress; Duel; Raid; Weapon. Background: Founded in 1968 as a subsidiary of Berkshire Printing, part of the Brooke Bond Liebig tea company; it grew out of collectible aircraft cards in Brooke Bond tea packets, launching with Dick Ward's Aircam Aviation series in 1969 and the Men-at-Arms series (editor Philip Warner) in 1971. Vast color-plate military reference; collectibility is series- and artist-driven (e.g. early Men-at-Arms with Angus McBride plates). Owned over time by Reed/Octopus, then Random House, now Bloomsbury; the masthead changes but the 'First published / Reprinted' convention persists. US-market printings sometimes carry a different distributor line but the same UK first-published date.


Otago University Press — first-edition identification

Otago University Press (New Zealand (Dunedin); 1958-present). First-edition identification: 1958-1990s: Academic press of the University of Otago, begun within the University Library (first title issued 1959 under the imprint 'University of Otago Press'). First editions are identified by a 'First published 19xx' statement on the copyright/imprint page and the absence of any reprint line; the earliest stated year indicates the first printing. Many scholarly titles see only a single printing. 1990s-present: Standard 'First published 20xx by Otago University Press' statement; where a number line appears on trade titles the lowest number indicates the printing, and reprints add 'Reprinted' lines. The Press also publishes the literary journal Landfall, whose issues are identified by issue number and date rather than by printing. Imprints and series: Otago University Press; University of Otago Press (earlier form of the imprint); Landfall (associated literary journal). Background: New Zealand's oldest academic publisher (established 1958), strong in New Zealand history, natural history, poetry and Maori/Pacific studies. Publisher of Landfall, New Zealand's longest-running literary journal (issues identified by number, not printing). Identification follows the standard New Zealand / Commonwealth university-press convention: a 'First published' statement plus the absence of a reprint line.


Other Press — first-edition identification

Other Press (New York, NY (US); 1998–present). First-edition identification: When a printing statement is present, first printings read 'First Edition' (sometimes 'First Other Press Edition') on the copyright page. A number line, when present, is read by the lowest number shown; a '1' present indicates a first printing. Do not rely on the row literally running descending or ending in 1. Later printings drop the lowest number and may revise the printing statement. Background: Independent New York literary publisher. The house was founded in 1998 (originally issuing academic and psychoanalytic titles); Judith Gurewich became publisher in 2002 and reoriented it toward literary fiction, nonfiction, and translation. Distributed and marketed by Penguin Random House; a distributor line on the copyright page does not change the house's first-printing identification. No Other Press-specific convention appears in the standard bibliographic references; the above is the modern US trade default applied to the house. Medium confidence.


Oxford University Press — first-edition identification

Clarendon Press
Oxford World's Classics
Oxford Paperbacks
OUP USA (New York)

Oxford University Press (UK; first editions: no statement until late 1980s; number line late 1980s–present). First-edition identification: Until the late 1980s OUP made NO affirmative first-edition statement; first printings carried only the copyright/publication line, while LATER printings were noted ('Reprinted 19xx,' 'Second impression') on the copyright page. From the late 1980s OUP adopted a number row/line on the copyright page; the lowest number present indicates the printing ('1' = first). Clarendon Press scholarly works follow the same conventions and often add impression/reprint dates. Imprints and series: Clarendon Press; Oxford World's Classics; Oxford Paperbacks; OUP USA (New York). Background: Pre-late-1980s rule (per ILAB): NO statement on firsts, reprints noted — so 'no reprint line + earliest copyright date' is the working signal for older Oxford and Clarendon books. Oxford World's Classics and Oxford Paperbacks are reprint/series lines — not first printings of the original. OUP USA (New York) titles may show separate US printing histories from the UK edition; distinguish UK Clarendon firsts from US co-editions. This entry covers OUP's academic/trade scholarly output; a separate oxford-up entry already exists in the reference — this captures the era caveat and Clarendon specifically.


Oxford University Press (UK (Oxford) / USA (New York); 1896 New York branch–present (Oxford printing from 1478; legal right to print by decree 1586)). First-edition identification: Before the late 1980s (negative evidence — the governing rule): OUP/Clarendon books carry NO positive first-edition statement. A first is identified by the ABSENCE of any later-printing notation on the copyright/imprint verso — no 'Reprinted,' 'New impression,' 'Second impression,' or revised-edition wording. There is no positive mark to look for, so date the title bibliographically (Zempel & Verkler / McBride) and treat a clean verso whose dates match the title as the presumed first. This 'no statement on firsts, but later printings noted' practice is the single documented OUP rule for the whole pre-late-1980s period. Before the late 1980s (dated-impression / 'First published' statement): when a date line is present it reads 'First published [year]' (British usage: 'impression' = printing). Later printings ADD lines such as 'Reprinted 1932, 1935' or 'Second impression 1934' beneath it. A first shows the 'First published' line with NO reprint/impression line following. Because OUP was documented to be inconsistent, treat the presence of ANY reprint/impression line as disqualifying and a clean 'First published' verso as the positive tell — but corroborate with the negative-evidence check above rather than trusting the words alone. Clarendon Press vs. Oxford University Press imprint (through the 1970s): the same OUP sheets could be issued under either name — Oxford-office academic works as 'Clarendon Press,' London-office/general works as 'Oxford University Press.' The imprint on the title page tells you WHICH OFFICE issued the book, not which printing; apply the same dated-impression/negative-evidence rules to both. The dual-imprint labelling ended in the 1970s when the London office closed. US branch (New York, from 1896): American-issued OUP titles follow the same British dated-impression logic ('First published') rather than a US-style 'First Edition' line for most of the 20th century. A US first is the American imprint with a clean 'First published'/no-reprint statement; watch for London-printed sheets bound and issued in New York (see cautions). Late 1980s–present (number line / printer's key): OUP adopted a number row on the copyright page. Where a conventional descending or scrambled row is present, the LOWEST digit indicates the printing and a first shows '1' (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1', or a scrambled row containing a 1). If the lowest digit is 2 or higher it is a later printing. This is the most reliable positive tell for modern OUP / OUP USA trade and academic titles that carry a full number line — but confirm the row actually descends to 1 for that title rather than assuming it. Modern crosscheck (retained 'First published' / 'First Edition' line — a documented trap): from the late 1980s on OUP sometimes prints a 'First published [year]' or 'First Edition' line AND a number line, and is documented to leave that word-statement standing on LATER printings. Never rely on the words alone; when a number line is present its lowest digit governs and the words are corroborating only. When the number line has been stripped but a 'First Edition'/'First published' line remains, that combination can indicate a later printing, not a first. Academic / Clarendon monographs (impression statement over number line): OUP and other university presses frequently OMIT a number line entirely, even in the modern era, relying on an impression/edition statement. For these, a first = the earliest 'First published' date with no 'Reprinted / Second impression' line and no revised-edition wording — the same negative-evidence discipline used before the late 1980s. Do not conclude 'later printing' merely because a scholarly title lacks a number line. Imprints and series: Clarendon Press (Oxford-office academic imprint; historically the Oxford-office name versus the London-office "Oxford University Press" imprint until the London office closed in the 1970s; now reserved for major scholarly works); Oxford University Press; Oxford University Press USA (New York, from 1896). Background: Bound-later sheets are the classic OUP trap: the house is documented to have printed first-edition sheets and bound them up months or years later, so binding, jacket, and priced-jacket state can matter as much as the copyright page. A correct 'First published' statement does NOT by itself guarantee a first-issue binding. A widely repeated but poorly corroborated claim assigns OUP a bracketed foot-of-last-page numeral — '(1)' first printing, '(2)' second, etc. That device is documented for D. APPLETON & CO., and the citable OUP entries (QB Books, ILAB) list only 'no statement on firsts / number row from the late 1980s' with no foot-of-page numeral. Treat any '(1)'-style numeral on an OUP title as unverified and cross-check against Appleton confusion rather than accepting it as an OUP house device. Do not confuse OUP's modern printer's-key '1' with a book-club edition. Book-club copies are told by their OWN separate marks — a blind-stamped dot/maple-leaf/square on the lower rear board, an absent price, and 'Book Club Edition' on the jacket flap — none of which is an OUP device. Judge club vs. trade by those signals, not by the presence of a low number. US vs. UK firsts diverge: for a title issued on both sides, the American OUP (New York) issue and the British issue are separate firsts with separate dates — and London-printed sheets are sometimes found in US bindings. Establish which market's first you are describing and match imprint, date, and (post-1980s) number line accordingly. Era boundary is fuzzy: the shift to the modern number line is conventionally dated 'late 1980s,' but adoption was gradual and uneven across OUP's trade, academic, and USA lines, and academic/Clarendon titles may never carry a number line at all. A title from roughly 1985–1992 may show either the old dated-impression statement or a new number row — check for BOTH systems before ruling on a copy from that transition window.


P. F. Volland Company — first-edition identification

P. F. Volland Co.
Volland
Sunny Book series

P. F. Volland Company (Chicago, IL (later Joliet, IL; New York, NY); 1908-c.1937). First-edition identification: Early period (c.1908-1910s): early Volland gift books and verse carry no explicit edition statement. Date by the Chicago imprint address and by the absence of later-printing notations. Classic illustrated-children era (1918-1930s): boxed editions with a color paste-down image on the front cover, issued in a two-part box or slipcase, typically without dust jackets and with a cloth spine. First printings generally carry no printing statement; later printings are identified by a changed imprint address (Chicago versus Joliet versus New York) and by edition notes when present. The earliest imprint state with the original box is the first issue. Raggedy Ann and Andy titles: first printings of 'Raggedy Ann Stories' (1918) and 'Raggedy Andy Stories' (1920) are identified by the Chicago 'P. F. Volland Company' imprint, the original two-part box, color-illustrated cloth-backed boards, and copyright-page state. These were reprinted heavily, and later Volland printings change the address and plates. Decline period (later 1920s-1937): the imprint moves to Joliet, Illinois and later New York; a Joliet or New York imprint dates a book to the later period and indicates it is not the earliest Chicago first issue. Volland ceased around 1937, after which the Gruelle titles passed to the Johnny Gruelle Company and M. A. Donohue. Imprints and series: P. F. Volland Co.; Volland; Sunny Book series. Background: The original publisher of Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy books. Signature format: a color paste-down cover image, boxed (two-part box or slipcase), no dust jacket, and a cloth spine, the same format family Platt & Munk later used. The Chicago to Joliet to New York address progression is the chief dating tool, and the original publisher's box is essential to a complete first issue. After Volland folded around 1937, the Raggedy Ann line passed to the Johnny Gruelle Company and M. A. Donohue, and later to Bobbs-Merrill.


Pan Macmillan / Picador (UK) — first-edition identification

Picador
Pan Books
Mantle
Tor UK
Bluebird

Pan Macmillan / Picador (UK) (UK; 1947 (Pan) / 1972 (Picador)-present). First-edition identification: First printings carry a number line, typically descending ending in 1 (1 present = first); lowest digit indicates printing Copyright page shows the original year with no later-edition or reprint statement Picador originated as a quality paperback imprint (1972) and later issued hardcover firsts — distinguish a Picador first paperback edition from an earlier hardcover true first elsewhere First printing = number line ending in 1 + no reprint notation Imprints and series: Picador; Pan Books; Mantle; Tor UK; Bluebird. Background: Picador's literary list: Cormac McCarthy (UK), Bret Easton Ellis (UK), Graham Swift, many Booker authors Because Picador often issued UK paperback editions of books first published elsewhere, 'first Picador edition' is frequently NOT the true first edition of the work Pan was the mass-market paperback arm; Pan firsts are paperback-original firsts in some cases


Pantheon Books — first-edition identification

Pantheon Books (US; 1942–present). First-edition identification: Modern Pantheon (Knopf Doubleday / PRH): states 'First Edition' on the copyright page AND uses a descending number line ending in 1. A true first has both the 'First Edition' statement and the 1 present; reprints drop 'First Edition' and/or the 1. Earlier Pantheon (pre-RH, founded 1942): identification by absence of additional printings and by stated 'First Edition' / 'First Printing' where present. Borzoi/Knopf-family typography appears on some post-merger Pantheon books. Imprints and series: Schocken Books (sister). Background: Founded 1942 by Kurt Wolff and Helen Wolff; literary/intellectual list (Camus, Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago US, Boris Vian, graphic novels later — Maus). Acquired by Random House 1961; now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group within Penguin Random House. Follows the RH/Knopf 'First Edition' + line-to-1 convention in the modern era — among the cleaner houses to identify. Schocken (sister imprint, Jewish-interest) follows the same convention.


Parallax Press — first-edition identification

Parallax Press (US (Berkeley, California; San Francisco Bay Area); 1986-present). First-edition identification: On a first printing, look for a descending number line on the copyright page whose lowest digit is 1; the lowest digit present equals the printing. Some titles add an explicit 'First edition' line on the copyright page. Early or short-run titles may state little beyond a copyright year, in which case the year and the absence of any added-printing notice are the available signals. Background: Nonprofit publishing arm of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, cofounded in 1986 by Thich Nhat Hanh and Arnold Kotler with the publication of 'Being Peace'; the house most associated with Thich Nhat Hanh's English-language titles. Not every Thich Nhat Hanh bestseller is a Parallax book: 'Peace Is Every Step' was published by Bantam (1991), not Parallax, so always confirm the imprint on the copyright page before applying Parallax rules. Smaller nonprofit press; the descending number line is the most reliable way to distinguish heavily reprinted firsts.


Pascal Covici (Chicago imprint) — first-edition identification

Pascal Covici (Chicago imprint) (Chicago, USA; 1922–1928). First-edition identification: 1922–1924 (as Covici-McGee): First editions state 'First Printing' on the copyright page. Some references also note a number convention — '1' on the copyright page of a first printing, '2' on a second, and so on. c.1924–1928 (as Pascal Covici): Small-press practice — first printings occasionally carry a 'First Edition'/'First Printing' notice but are more often identified simply by the absence of any later-printing statement; many titles are limited editions with explicit limitation statements. Verify limited-versus-trade issue via the limitation page where present. Imprints and series: Covici-McGee (1922–1924 predecessor). Background: Pascal Covici and partner William 'Billy' McGee opened a Chicago bookshop and press as Covici-McGee in 1922. McGee left in 1924 (ill health), after which Covici published under his own 'Pascal Covici' imprint until relocating to New York in 1928 to form Covici-Friede. Published Ben Hecht and figures of the Chicago Renaissance circle; the Chicago imprints are scarcer and date a book to 1922–1928.


Paulist Press — first-edition identification

Paulist Press (US (Mahwah, New Jersey); Columbus Press founded 1881; renamed Paulist Press 1913; present–day). First-edition identification: First printings show a descending number line ending in '1' on the copyright page; the lowest digit indicates the printing. Many titles simply give a copyright year, in which case a first printing is inferred from the absence of any reprint notice. Classics of Western Spirituality volumes are dated by each volume's own copyright/first-printing year. Imprints and series: Newman Press; HiddenSpring; The Classics of Western Spirituality (series); Stimulus Books. Background: Publishing ministry of the Paulist Fathers (Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle, founded 1858); broad Catholic, ecumenical, and interfaith list. The press began as The Columbus Press in 1881 and became Paulist Press in 1913. Acquired Newman Press in 1962, an older Catholic scholarly imprint with bookstores in Baltimore and Washington; older Newman Press books predate that acquisition and follow looser, earlier conventions, often stating nothing. The 'Classics of Western Spirituality,' published since 1978, is a long, frequently reprinted series; individual volumes' firsts are identified by the number line, and later printings of popular volumes are common.


Payson & Clarke, Ltd. — first-edition identification

Payson & Clarke, Ltd. (New York, USA; c.1924–1928). First-edition identification: c.1924–1928: First editions carry no printing statement; subsequent printings were noted on the copyright page. Absence of a later-printing notice indicates the first printing. This is the generic period convention, so confirm per title rather than relying on it as a house-specific rule. Where no statement is present, corroborate priority through binding and dust-jacket state. Imprints and series: William Farquhar Payson (successor imprint, c.1929); Brewer & Warren / Brewer, Warren & Putnam (successor lineage). Background: New York literary house founded in 1924 by William Farquhar Payson and James L. Clarke. Clarke sold his share in 1927 and Payson left in 1928; the firm passed to Joseph Brewer and Edward Warren, becoming Brewer & Warren and then Brewer, Warren & Putnam before being absorbed by Harcourt, Brace in the early 1930s. Published fine and limited editions and some modernist titles; an obscure long-tail imprint of the late 1920s. The 'Payson & Clarke' imprint name dates a book to roughly 1924–1928.


Peachtree Publishers (Peachtree Publishing Company) — first-edition identification

Peachtree
Peachtree Junior
Peachtree Teen
Peachtree Petite
FreeStone (earlier YA imprint)

Peachtree Publishers (Peachtree Publishing Company) (South (Atlanta, Georgia); 1977-present). First-edition identification: 1977-1990s (Helen Elliott / Southern-trade era): A first printing is typically shown by a number line on the copyright page where the lowest digit present indicates the printing (a '1' present = first printing); some titles also state 'First edition.' Where neither is present, a matching copyright date with no later-printing notation indicates the first printing. This era focused on adult Southern fiction and humor. 1990s-present (children's-book era under Margaret Quinlin): the standard tell is a full number line (for example '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1') with the lowest digit present indicating the printing; many titles ALSO state 'First Edition.' For picture books, a stated 'First Edition' together with a number line containing '1' is the reliable first-printing combination; later printings drop the '1' and/or remove the 'First Edition' line. Sub-imprints (Peachtree Junior, Peachtree Teen, Peachtree Petite, FreeStone): follow the same number-line convention as the parent at the time of issue. Imprints and series: Peachtree; Peachtree Junior; Peachtree Teen; Peachtree Petite; FreeStone (earlier YA imprint). Background: Founded 1977 by Helen Elliott in Atlanta; the first Southern trade house to reach national distribution and the New York Times bestseller list; later pivoted to a leading children's/YA publisher. Margaret Quinlin took majority ownership in 1990 and led the shift from regional adult trade to children's books; the company was acquired by Trustbridge Global Media in 2018. Genuine collected Peachtree adult firsts include Ferrol Sams's novels (for example 'Run with the Horsemen', 1982). Note: Olive Ann Burns's 'Cold Sassy Tree' was first published by Ticknor & Fields in 1984 and is NOT a Peachtree first edition — do not attribute it to Peachtree. Children's-era firsts reliably combine a 'First Edition' statement with a number line. Brand consolidated under 'Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.' in recent years.


Peachtree Publishing Company (children's) — first-edition identification

Peachtree
Peachtree Teen (YA, launched 2021)
Peachtree Petite (board books)

Peachtree Publishing Company (children's) (US; 1977-present). First-edition identification: First printing: a descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, often with 'First edition' wording; the lowest digit indicates the printing Imprints and series: Peachtree; Peachtree Teen (YA, launched 2021); Peachtree Petite (board books). Background: Atlanta independent founded in 1977; picture-book, middle-grade and YA list. Acquired by Trustbridge Global Media in 2020 Now part of the Walker Books Group alongside Holiday House and Candlewick Press; US distribution is handled by Penguin Random House Publisher Services, not by Holiday House directly Peachtree Teen (YA) launched in 2021 and Peachtree Petite is the board-book line Reliable modern number-line convention


Peepal Tree Press — first-edition identification

Peepal Tree Press (Caribbean / UK (Leeds, England); 1985-present). First-edition identification: Copyright page: 'First published in [year] by Peepal Tree Press Ltd' (Leeds); a true first carries the first-published year with no reprint or impression notice. No number line; standard British 'First published' convention. Later printings add a 'Reprinted [year]' line. Caribbean Modern Classics reissues carry their own series line plus a 'this edition [year]' / new-introduction note. Treat these as reissues, not the title's original first appearance. Imprints and series: Peepal Tree Press; Caribbean Modern Classics (series); Inscribe (Black/Asian writers development imprint). Background: Founded 1985 by Jeremy Poynting; conceived in 1984 after a paper shortage halted book production in Guyana. The inaugural title was Rooplall Monar's 'Backdam People', printed at Thomas Danby College in Leeds where Poynting worked. Leading publisher of Caribbean, Black British, and South Asian literature; for many significant Caribbean writers the Peepal Tree edition is the first or only edition, so it is the definitive first. Named for the sacred peepal (ficus religiosa) tree associated with Indian indentured labourers in the Caribbean; specialises in poetry and fiction with small print runs.


Peirene Press — first-edition identification

Peirene Press
Peirene Now! (commissioned series)

Peirene Press (UK (London), European and international novellas in translation; 2008–present (first books published 2010)). First-edition identification: First books published from 2010 onward: for the English-language first, look on the copyright page for a number line whose lowest figure is '1' (such as '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' or '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'), following standard UK trade practice; the presence of '1' indicates a first printing. The copyright page also states 'First published in <year> by Peirene Press Ltd'. Titles are issued in themed, sequentially numbered series and, in the case of Peirene Now!, carry their own series numbers (for example Peirene Now! No. 1, 'breach') — these series numbers are catalogue markers, NOT printing or edition indicators. The uniform flapped-paperback design and any subscription or series packaging are house branding and do not affect first-printing identification. Imprints and series: Peirene Press; Peirene Now! (commissioned series). Background: Founded in 2008, Peirene published its first three novellas in 2010 and curates short European (and now broader international) fiction in translation, issued in themed series with sequential title numbers. The series numbering is frequently mistaken for an edition state but is not one; identification should rest on the copyright-page statement and number line, not the series number. Small print runs make some early titles scarce.


Pelican Publishing Company — first-edition identification

Pelican Publishing Company
Arcadia Publishing (parent since 2019)

Pelican Publishing Company (South (Gretna / New Orleans, Louisiana); 1926-present). First-edition identification: 1926-1960s (early Pelican era): No consistent first-edition slug. Treat a first printing as a single copyright-page date matching publication with no later-printing statement. The Pelican name and business passed through several owners in this period (founder John McClure, then Hodding Carter from 1967), so confirm you are looking at the New Orleans/Gretna Pelican before relying on any tell. 1970-2000s (Calhoun-family ownership, the classic Pelican era): Like many regional houses, Pelican commonly identified printings on the copyright page; where a number line is present the lowest number indicates the printing, and many titles add an explicit printing statement, with later printings noted line by line. Because perennial sellers were reprinted repeatedly, rely on a present low digit or a single first-printing statement rather than assuming any copy is a first. 2019-present (Arcadia Publishing ownership): Follows Arcadia's house convention - lowest digit present in the number line indicates the printing; imprint reads 'Pelican Publishing, a division of Arcadia Publishing.' Imprints and series: Pelican Publishing Company; Arcadia Publishing (parent since 2019). Background: One of the oldest and largest Southern independents; founded in 1926 (rooted in the Pelican Bookshop on Royal Street, New Orleans) and run for decades by the Calhoun family from Gretna, Louisiana, after they bought it in 1970. Ownership lineage: founder John McClure, then Hodding Carter (1967), then brothers Milburn and James L. Calhoun (1970); Milburn's daughter Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton later led the house. Acquired by Arcadia Publishing in 2019. Broad list: Louisiana and Southern history, cookbooks, children's books, architecture, and Cajun/Creole culture, with many perennial sellers reprinted many times, so distinguishing printing from edition is critical.


Penguin Books — first-edition identification

Penguin
Pelican
Puffin (children's)
Penguin Classics
Penguin Modern Classics
Allen Lane (hardcover)
Viking (UK sibling)
Ladybird

Penguin Books (UK; 1935-present). First-edition identification: For reprint titles, firsts are flagged "First published [elsewhere/date]" with the Penguin printing noted as "Published in Penguin Books [Year]" — the FIRST PENGUIN PRINTING is identified by 'Published in Penguin Books [year]' with no later Penguin reprint line Penguin paperback originals: first printing identified by the dated 'Published... [year]' line and absence of a 'Reprinted' line Modern Penguin uses descending number lines ending in 1; lowest digit = printing Penguin numbering/series numbers (the historic Penguin number) and cover-design generation help date early printings Imprints and series: Penguin; Pelican; Puffin (children's); Penguin Classics; Penguin Modern Classics; Allen Lane (hardcover); Viking (UK sibling); Ladybird. Background: Penguin is overwhelmingly a REPRINT publisher — a 'Penguin first edition' is usually NOT the true first edition of the work (the hardcover elsewhere is); collectors must distinguish 'first Penguin printing' from 'first edition' The 1960 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' Penguin (the obscenity-trial edition) is a notable collected printing with its own points Allen Lane (hardcover imprint) and Viking are where Penguin-group TRUE firsts appear Early Penguins are collected by series number and cover generation rather than edition statements


Pennyroyal Press — first-edition identification

Pennyroyal Press (US; c.1970s–present). First-edition identification: Limited letterpress editions with a printed, hand-numbered colophon; signed by Barry Moser and frequently by the author/editor Original Moser wood engravings throughout; the engraved Pennyroyal device/colophon authenticates Deluxe vs. standard states distinguished by binding and extra signed print suites stated in the colophon No number line — colophon limitation statement is definitive Imprints and series: Barry Moser (proprietor/wood-engraver); Pennyroyal Caxton Press (the Caxton Bible collaboration). Background: Founded by Barry Moser (West Hatfield, MA) in the 1970s; famous for the Pennyroyal 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' (1982) and 'Through the Looking-Glass' The Pennyroyal Caxton Bible (1999, with the University of California / Caxton) is the monumental project — a King James Bible illustrated by Moser, one of the great late-20th-c. American fine-press books Distinguish Pennyroyal Press proper from the later 'Pennyroyal Caxton' imprint used for the Bible Trade reprints of some Moser-illustrated titles exist (e.g., via UC Press/Godine) — not the limited letterpress first


Penumbra Press — first-edition identification

Penumbra Press (Lisbon, Iowa (Bonnie O'Connell) — American fine press, distinct from the unrelated Canadian Penumbra Press of Ontario; c.1971-1990s (Iowa fine press)). First-edition identification: 1970s-1980s: hand-printed letterpress poetry broadsides, chapbooks, and books, produced on a Washington handpress and later a Vandercook. Identification rests on the COLOPHON limitation statement (typically a small run), which records the limitation, types, paper, and printer (Bonnie O'Connell). Limited copies are commonly numbered, and some are signed by the author at the colophon. No number line is used. A copy matching the colophon collation is the first; these single fine-press editions are essentially never reprinted. NAME-COLLISION CAUTION: the Canadian 'Penumbra Press' (founded 1979 in Ontario) is a SEPARATE publisher with conventional trade practice (copyright-page 'First Edition' / number line). Confirm which Penumbra applies by place of publication and the printer named in the colophon. Broadsides are identified by their stated limitation and any signatures; they bear no copyright-page printing statements. Imprints and series: Penumbra Press. Background: American Penumbra Press is Bonnie O'Connell's fine-press imprint, in the Iowa hand-press lineage associated with Kim Merker (Windhover/Stone Wall); collected as book art. First release was 'Little Notes to You from Lucas Street,' a sixteen-poem collection printed on a Washington handpress. Two unrelated houses share the name — the Iowa fine press and the Ontario trade press — a frequent cataloguing pitfall. Identification for the fine press is purely colophon/collation-based.


Perishable Press Limited — first-edition identification

Perishable Press Limited (Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, USA (founded in Detroit, Michigan, 1964); 1964-2000s). First-edition identification: Walter Hamady's press: limitation stated in the colophon; very small editions (often well under 200) printed on Hamady's own Shadwell handmade paper, whose handmade sheet and watermark are a key identifying point. Identify by Hamady's idiosyncratic typography and the colophon; many copies are signed by Hamady and/or the author/artist, with lettered/special states carrying extra material. Match to the Perishable Press and Gabberjabb checklists for exact limitation and state; these are single printings, not numbered-line reprints. Background: Founded 1964 in Detroit by Walter Hamady while still an undergraduate; first book was 'The Disillusioned Solipsist.' One of the most distinctive American private presses, it issued roughly 128 volumes over its run. Hamady's own Shadwell handmade paper (from his Shadwell Papermill) distinguishes genuine Perishable sheets; verify the sheet and watermark. The self-referential 'Interminable Gabberjabbs' series (begun 1973) is famously collected; premium attaches to lettered/special states and to copies retaining the laid-in ephemera the colophon calls for.


Perma Books (Permabooks) — first-edition identification

Permabooks (Doubleday, P-series)
Permabooks (Pocket Books, M-series)

Perma Books (Permabooks) (USA (Garden City, NY — Doubleday's Garden City Publishing, with editorial office in Manhattan; later New York, NY — Pocket Books); 1948-1960s). First-edition identification: 1948-1951 (Doubleday era, P-series): Permabooks launched in 1948 as small, durable board-bound 'permanent' books (a stiff-board format, not the limp paperback look), promoted as 'Books of Permanent Value.' The board-cover format itself dates a copy to this earliest 1948-1951 window. First printing is shown by the copyright-page printing statement; absence of any later-printing note indicates a first. 1951-1954 (Doubleday era, standard paperback): From 1951 Doubleday switched Permabooks to the conventional limp paperback format (still P-prefix). First printing is identified by the copyright printing statement; the original cover price helps date the issue. 1954-1960s (Pocket Books era, M-series): In 1954 Doubleday sold Permabooks to Pocket Books, which retained the name as an imprint and renumbered with an M-prefix, issuing both originals and reprints. First printing for this era follows Pocket Books' printing-statement convention of the period. Identification shortcut: P-prefix = Doubleday era (1948-1954); M-prefix = Pocket Books era (1954+). Imprints and series: Permabooks (Doubleday, P-series); Permabooks (Pocket Books, M-series). Background: Began in 1948 as small board-bound 'permanent books' — an unusual durable format (not limp paperback) that distinguishes the earliest 1948-1951 issues. Switched to the standard limp-paperback look in 1951; the original board format lasted only about three years. Sold by Doubleday to Pocket Books in 1954, which kept the Permabooks name and issued both originals and reprints. Two distinct numbering regimes — P-prefix under Doubleday, M-prefix under Pocket Books — let the series code place a title in its ownership era.


Persea Books — first-edition identification

Persea Books (USA (New York, New York); 1975–present). First-edition identification: Number line on the copyright page; the lowest digit present indicates the printing. Firsts frequently state 'First edition' with a year; later printings are noted explicitly on the copyright leaf. Most poetry titles are single-printing, so absence of any later-printing statement generally indicates a first printing. Imprints and series: Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry; Lexi Rudnitsky Editor's Choice Award; Karen & Michael Braziller Books. Background: Founded 1975 by Michael Braziller and Karen Braziller, who still own and direct it; an independent literary house publishing poetry, fiction, translation, and rediscovered classics. Distinct from George Braziller, Inc. (a related but separate house founded by Michael's father George Braziller) — confirm the imprint name on the title leaf.


Phaidon Press — first-edition identification

Phaidon Press (UK/US (London & New York; founded Vienna 1923); 1923-present). First-edition identification: Copyright page: 'First published [by Phaidon Press] [year]' is the primary first-edition signal; a true first shows only that first-published line with no later 'Reprinted' or 'revised edition' entries beneath it. Phaidon historically does NOT rely on a descending number line for most art titles; subsequent printings are marked by adding 'Reprinted 20xx' lines, so a first is identified by the absence of those reprint lines. Where a number line appears on newer titles, apply standard rules (lowest number present indicates the printing). Edition revisions ('Second edition', 'Revised and expanded') are stated explicitly and constitute a new edition, not a first. Imprints and series: Phaidon; Phaidon Press; Phaidon (Focus series); Phaidon 55s (Photography 55 / 'Phaidon 55' pocket series); Phaidon Atlas (architecture); Hanuman Books / other distributed lines. Background: Founded in Vienna (1923) and later based in London; pre-WWII Phaidon Verlag (Vienna) imprints are distinct early issues, so the first-published year and imprint location both matter for dating. Iconic reference titles such as Gombrich's The Story of Art and The Art Book run through many editions and reprints, so a true first edition must be distinguished from later revised editions by the stated edition and any added reprint lines. Phaidon 55 (Photography 55) pocket monographs are a uniform series; firsts are identified by the first-published year on the colophon.


Phantasia Press — first-edition identification

Phantasia Press (USA (West Bloomfield, Michigan); 1978-1989 (original run; relaunched 2023)). First-edition identification: Limitation page identifies the signed/numbered limited state; titles were issued in both a signed-numbered slipcased limited state (carrying a signed limitation leaf) and an unsigned trade hardcover Trade first identified by copyright page lacking any later-printing notice; many titles are the first HARDCOVER edition of works first published as mass-market paperbacks, so 'first edition' here often means first-in-format Background: Founded 1978 by Alex Berman and Sidney Altus; active through 1989 (49 books), with a separate relaunch beginning 2023. Published Niven, Brin, Cherryh, Silverberg, Williamson and others Issued both true firsts (a small collectors' edition just ahead of a larger publisher's release) and first hardcovers of paperback originals — confirm which case applies per title Signed/numbered slipcased states command premiums; verify the limitation number and author signature on the limitation leaf. Print runs varied by title (e.g. 'Startide Rising', 1985, totaled about 1,575 copies including 375 signed-numbered slipcased), so do not assume a fixed limitation size Caution: some Phantasia editions are revised texts (e.g. Brin's 'Startide Rising' is a First Revised Edition), so a Phantasia printing is not always textually the first appearance


Phantom Books — first-edition identification

Phantom Books (USA (digest line) and Australia (separate Phantom imprint, Horwitz/Transport Publishing); c.1951-1953 (US digest line); 1950s into the 1960s (Australian imprint)). First-edition identification: US Phantom Books: a short-run digest-sized crime line numbered roughly #500 through #513, active in the early 1950s (not the late 1940s). Several titles are paperback originals by hardboiled authors such as Harry Whittington and Day Keene (for example Married to Murder, #503; Swamp Kill by Whit Harrison, #508). For an original, the Phantom digest is the text's first edition. Identify a first by the catalog number, the digest format with stapled pictorial wrappers, and the original cover price, with no later-printing notice on the copyright page. Australian Phantom Books (Horwitz/Transport Publishing) is a separate imprint running a longer number range (about #501 to #695) and consisting largely of reprints of US/UK hardboiled authors. A title that was first published in the US (for example Whittington's The Brass Monkey, first issued as Handi-Book #133 in 1951) appears as an Australian Phantom reprint and is a distinct later edition; identify it by the Australian publisher imprint and local price in shillings. Because survival rates for these fragile digests and pulp-stock paperbacks are low, confirm the first by the earliest dated issue carrying no reissue note, and distinguish a Phantom original from a Phantom reprint by checking the copyright page for any prior-publisher acknowledgment. Imprints and series: Phantom Books (US digest crime/hardboiled, numbered ~#500-513); Phantom Books (Australia, Horwitz/Transport Publishing, numbered ~#501-695). Background: Two unrelated 'Phantom Books' exist: a short-lived US digest crime line of the early 1950s and a larger Australian paperback imprint tied to Horwitz; do not conflate them. The US line is dated by its narrow ~#500-513 number range and is firmly early-1950s, not late-1940s. Home to early-1950s paperback originals by Harry Whittington (including under the pseudonym Whit Harrison) and Day Keene.


Pharos Editions — first-edition identification

Pharos Editions (Seattle, Washington (Pacific Northwest); c.2012-c.2017). First-edition identification: c.2012/2013-c.2017: A reissue imprint reviving out-of-print Northwest and American titles, each hand-picked and introduced by a contemporary writer-curator. A Pharos reissue is identified by the curator's introduction and the Pharos imprint statement on the copyright page; where present, a descending number line indicates the printing of the Pharos issue. CRITICAL: these are reissues — the Pharos edition is NOT the true first edition of the underlying work. Collectors seeking a first want the original publisher's earlier first edition (a different publisher and earlier date); the Pharos edition is valued as a curated reprint. The original first will bear a different, earlier publisher and copyright year. Imprints and series: Pharos Editions (imprint of Dark Coast Press; joint venture with Counterpoint Press from 2014). Background: An imprint of Seattle's Dark Coast Press dedicated to bringing out-of-print, lost, or rare books back into print; titles are curated and introduced by respected writers (curators have included Jess Walter, Sherman Alexie, and David Guterson). In 2014 Pharos formed a joint venture with Counterpoint Press, which took over production, marketing, and sales/distribution. Concept is explicitly a reissue/reprint house — important for NOT mistaking a Pharos edition for a first. A short-lived imprint of the early-to-mid 2010s; published roughly two dozen titles in its first five years, which are themselves now becoming scarce.


Picador (US) — first-edition identification

Picador (US) (US; 1994–present). First-edition identification: States 'First Edition' or 'First Picador Edition (Year)' / 'First Picador USA Edition (Year)' on the copyright page WITH a descending number line ending in 1. Macmillan-family (FSG/Holt/St. Martin's) convention: 'First Edition' statement + number line to 1. Many Picador US titles are trade-paperback reprints of FSG/Holt/SMP hardcovers — a 'First Picador Edition' is the first of that Picador printing, NOT necessarily the first edition of the work; confirm against the original hardcover. Line ending in 1 plus statement = first of that Picador printing. Background: Picador USA launched in 1995 (not 1994) as St. Martin's Press's literary imprint; became a separate Holtzbrinck division in 2000; now part of Macmillan's trade group alongside FSG, Holt, SMP. Frequently a trade-paperback reprinter — so a 'first Picador edition' is often NOT the first edition of the title; check the original hardcover. Picador US DID originate some titles (paperback originals, which ARE firsts) from ~1995 until April 2019; as of April 2019 it stopped publishing originals and reprints exclusively, so for titles published 2019+ a 'First Picador Edition' is essentially never the true first edition of the work. Distinct from UK Picador (Pan Macmillan), which originates its own line; do not conflate.


Picture-book & Children's Book-Club / Special Editions (cross-publisher identification) — first-edition identification

Weekly Reader Children's Book Club
Junior Literary Guild
Scholastic Book Clubs / Book Fairs
Parents' Magazine Press book club
Newbery/Caldecott medal reissues

Picture-book & Children's Book-Club / Special Editions (cross-publisher identification) (US; 1920s–present (peak club era 1940s–1980s)). First-edition identification: NO PRICE on the dust jacket flap (clipped or never printed) is the leading book-club tell for trade-publisher picture books Blind stamp (small debossed dot, circle, square, star, or maple leaf) on the LOWER-RIGHT corner of the REAR board Smaller trim size and cheaper/thinner paper stock than the trade edition; plain endpapers matching text stock (no decorative color) A short vertical string of numbers/capital letters near the gutter on a rear page; absence of ISBN on early club editions Explicit club imprint on jacket/spine/copyright page (e.g. 'Weekly Reader Children's Book Club', 'A Junior Literary Guild Selection' note — note: a Guild SELECTION line can appear on trade firsts too, so use it with other signals) Imprints and series: Weekly Reader Children's Book Club; Junior Literary Guild; Scholastic Book Clubs / Book Fairs; Parents' Magazine Press book club; Newbery/Caldecott medal reissues. Background: Mid-century picture books circulated massively through clubs — Sendak, Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, McCloskey all have club look-alikes that fool buyers; the trade first is worth many multiples of the club copy Caldecott/Newbery MEDAL on the cover (gold/silver foil printed INTO the art) generally means a later printing — true firsts predate the award and lack the seal (a stick-on foil seal is removable and ambiguous; a printed-in seal is diagnostic of a later state) Book Fair / Scholastic Book Club editions of modern titles carry distinct ISBNs and printing strings and are explicitly not trade firsts Always cross-check trim size + price + blind stamp + paper together; any single signal can mislead


Plantin Press (Los Angeles) — first-edition identification

Plantin Press (Los Angeles) (Los Angeles, California, USA; 1931-c.1985). First-edition identification: 1931-1980s: First/only edition established by the COLOPHON limitation statement; small hand-set editions with no number line. The colophon names Saul and Lillian Marks, the type used, and the limitation (copy counts are typically small, e.g. on the order of 140-350 copies). 1931-1945 (early, Saul Marks): identify by the colophon and the Plantin Press imprint; confirm this is the LOS ANGELES Plantin Press of Saul Marks, not the historic Officina Plantiniana of Antwerp. 1945-1974 (mature): colophon-controlled; copy number commonly hand-inscribed; many works printed for the Zamorano Club, Dawson's Book Shop, and private patrons, with Plantin named as printer in the colophon. Background: Do NOT confuse with the 16th-century Officina Plantiniana of Christophe Plantin in Antwerp; this is a separate 20th-century American private press founded by Saul and Lillian Marks in 1931. Saul Marks is regarded as one of the finest American typographers, and design precision is an authenticity tell. Lillian Marks continued the press briefly after Saul's death in 1974; a published bibliography of the Plantin Press of Saul and Lillian Marks (covering 1930-1985) documents the output.


Platt & Munk Company — first-edition identification

Platt & Munk
Never Grow Old Series
Platt & Munk Big Book

Platt & Munk Company (New York, NY; 1920–1957 (imprint continued under Grosset & Dunlap after)). First-edition identification: Late 1920s–early 1930s (boxed era): the Never Grow Old Series was issued in a publisher's box with a paste-down color image on the front cover, a black cloth spine, and no dust jacket. The earliest issue is the boxed state with paste-down; there is no printed edition statement, so identify by format state and earliest imprint. Early 1930s–c.1943: the format changed to a dust-jacketed cloth-board book and the black cloth spine was dropped. A dust jacket rather than a box indicates the later format generation. The paste-down cover image continued until about 1943. c.1943 onward: the paste-down cover image was discontinued and replaced by a lightly embossed one-color inked cover image. An embossed (not paste-down) cover dates the book to roughly 1943 or later. The Little Engine That Could (Platt & Munk, 1930, 'Watty Piper'/Lois Lenski): many variants exist. The true first is distinguished by point analysis — a two-line imprint beginning 'No. 358' in the lower-left of the cover, blank dust-jacket flaps, and a back-jacket advertising only four Platt & Munk one-dollar titles. Later reissues (including the 1954 reillustrated edition) are clearly later. Identification is point-specific, not via a number line. Imprints and series: Platt & Munk; Never Grow Old Series; Platt & Munk Big Book. Background: Most famous for The Little Engine That Could (1930), published under the house pseudonym 'Watty Piper.' Format evolution is the dating backbone: boxed with paste-down and black cloth spine (earliest), then dust-jacketed without the black spine, then an embossed cover after about 1943. Acquired by Grosset & Dunlap in 1957; later part of the Putnam/Penguin lineage. Rarely states 'first edition'; rely on format state and variant points.


Playscripts, Inc. — first-edition identification

Playscripts, Inc. (USA (New York, NY); 1998-present). First-edition identification: 1998-c.2021 (independent era): Play-licensing publisher of acting editions, founded 1998 by Doug and Jonathan Rand with its catalog launching in 2000; focused on contemporary and educational/youth theatre. Acting editions are continuously reprinted and printings are generally NOT bibliographically distinguished. Identify by the copyright year on the verso and the standard Playscripts perfect-bound acting-edition format with production/royalty notice; for a new contemporary play, the Playscripts edition may be its first printed appearance. c.2021-2025 (Broadway Licensing Global ownership): Playscripts operated under Broadway Licensing Global; copyright and back-cover branding shift to Broadway Licensing contact and royalty terms, which serves as a dating tell. 2025-present (Concord Theatricals ownership): Concord Theatricals acquired Broadway Licensing Global and its imprints, including Playscripts, in 2025; newer copies may carry Concord branding. Identification conventions are unchanged. Imprints and series: Playscripts; Broadway Licensing / Concord Theatricals (parent). Background: Modern play-licensing acting editions; like Dramatists Play Service and Samuel French, often the true first printed text of a contemporary play. Ownership chain: independent (founded 1998) -> Broadway Licensing Global -> Concord Theatricals (2025); cover/verso branding is the era tell. Printings are not bibliographically distinguished; date by copyright year and imprint branding rather than a number line.


Plenum Press — first-edition identification

Plenum Press (United States (New York); Consultants Bureau from 1949; 'Plenum Press' name from 1965; independent through c.1998-2004). First-edition identification: Origins as Consultants Bureau (Earl M. Coleman), which began publishing English translations of Soviet scientific journals around 1949; the 'Plenum' name was adopted in 1965. Early scientific/technical monographs and serials generally carry NO explicit first-printing statement, so a first printing is inferred from the absence of any later-printing notice; translation and serial volumes are identified by volume number and year rather than edition points. Mid-1980s onward: a number line where present (lowest digit indicating the printing) and an explicit edition statement on revised works. 1998 onward: Plenum Publishing was acquired by Wolters Kluwer and operated as Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; the academic line then passed to Springer (Springer Science+Business Media) around 2004, with later printings carrying Kluwer or Springer imprints and house styles. Imprints and series: Plenum Press; Plenum Publishing Corporation; Consultants Bureau; Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers (post-1998 merger); Springer (successor, post-2004). Background: Major Cold War-era conduit for English translations of Soviet science through its Consultants Bureau operation. The standalone 'Plenum Press' imprint name dates from 1965; the line was absorbed into Kluwer Academic (1998) and then Springer (c.2004). Scientific monographs and serials are tracked by volume number and year rather than by issue points.


Plume — first-edition identification

Plume (US (New York); 1970–present). First-edition identification: Trade-paperback convention: the first Plume printing states "First Plume Printing" (often with a year) and/or carries a number line whose lowest digit is 1. The number line is the tell for the printing; treat the lowest digit as decisive. Caution: 'First Plume Printing' marks the first Plume (paperback) printing, which is frequently a reprint of a work first published earlier in hardcover by another house or imprint — it is not necessarily a true first edition of the text. Imprints and series: Plume. Background: Founded 1970 as the trade-paperback imprint of New American Library (NAL); came under the Dutton/Penguin structure later through the NAL–Penguin consolidation, and now sits within the Penguin Publishing Group under Penguin Random House. Primarily a reprint line with occasional paperback originals, so 'First Plume Printing' usually signals format-first, not edition-first.


Pluto Press — first-edition identification

Pluto Press
Pluto Classics
Pluto Educational Trust

Pluto Press (UK (London), radical politics and social science; 1969–present). First-edition identification: 1969–c.1985: firsts identified by a 'First published <year> by Pluto Press' edition statement; number lines are frequently absent in this period, so the first printing is shown by the lack of any 'Reprinted' or later-impression line. c.1985–present: a descending number line on the copyright page becomes standard (lowest figure, 1, indicates the first printing) alongside the 'First published <year> by Pluto Press' statement. Pluto Classics and similar reissues of older radical texts: the relevant first is the original edition; series volumes are marked as reprints, often with new introductions. Imprints and series: Pluto Press; Pluto Classics; Pluto Educational Trust. Background: Founded in London in 1969 by Richard Kuper as a publishing arm associated with the International Socialists; it broke from that affiliation and became fully independent in 1979. Early titles depend on edition statements rather than number lines. Course-adopted titles were reprinted frequently — check for added impression lines before assuming a first printing.


Pocket Books — first-edition identification

Pocket Books
Permabooks
Cardinal
Pocket Library
Washington Square Press
Archway
Trident

Pocket Books (New York, USA; 1939-present (now an imprint of Simon & Schuster)). First-edition identification: First printing was typically stated on the copyright page in the early and mid era; later printings add a printing line (2nd printing, and so on), so the absence of any later-printing statement indicates a first. Modern Pocket Books uses a number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing. The sequential catalog number on the spine identifies the title, not the printing; reissues take new numbers. The kangaroo colophon (Gertrude the kangaroo) changes in style across periods, making it an era marker rather than a per-printing point. Imprints and series: Pocket Books; Permabooks; Cardinal; Pocket Library; Washington Square Press; Archway; Trident. Background: Pocket Books launched the modern American mass-market paperback in 1939. Its number 1 title was James Hilton's 'Lost Horizon'; Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights' was number 7 in the initial 1939 launch list, not number 1. Pocket was overwhelmingly a reprint house, so the Pocket edition is rarely the true first of a work. Permabooks (launched by Doubleday in 1948 as hardcover-bound 'permanent' editions and acquired by Pocket in 1954) and Cardinal (a Pocket imprint from 1951) were Pocket lines; format and date matter when identifying. Washington Square Press was Pocket's quality/trade and academic line. Some genre paperback originals and tie-ins did originate at Pocket; check for a prior hardcover before calling a Pocket the first.


Poisoned Pen Press — first-edition identification

Poisoned Pen Press (US; 1997-present). First-edition identification: Modern copyright-page number line; first printing shows the full descending line ending in '1' and often a 'First Edition' statement. Many titles issued simultaneously in hardcover, trade paperback, and a numbered library 'large print' — each format's first printing is set by its own number line. Post-2018 Sourcebooks-era titles follow Sourcebooks/Landmark copyright conventions (number line, 'First Edition'). Imprints and series: Poisoned Pen Press; The Poisoned Pencil (YA); Now an imprint of Sourcebooks (Sourcebooks Landmark) since 2018. Background: Founded 1997 in Scottsdale AZ (associated with The Poisoned Pen bookstore); acquired by Sourcebooks in 2018 — pre- and post-acquisition copyright pages look different. Some titles were UK or original-market firsts reprinted by Poisoned Pen for the US (e.g., British Library Crime Classics distributed in the US) — those are first-thus/first US, not the world first. British Library Crime Classics reprints distributed by Poisoned Pen are reprints of vintage texts; the 'first edition' line refers only to that modern reissue.


Polity Press — first-edition identification

Polity Press (UK (Cambridge) / USA, social theory and academic; 1984–present). First-edition identification: 1984–present: firsts identified by 'First published in <year> by Polity Press' (in the early years often 'in association with Basil Blackwell') together with a descending number line in which the lowest figure (1) marks the first printing. 1984–c.1990s: early titles were co-imprinted with Basil Blackwell, and the copyright page names both houses — this is still a Polity first. US distribution arrangements do not change the printing identification. Simultaneous hardback and paperback academic issue: identify the first by binding and the earliest 'First published' year; reprints add impression lines. Imprints and series: Polity Press; Polity. Background: Founded in 1984 in Cambridge by Anthony Giddens, David Held and John Thompson; a flagship social-theory publisher (English-language Habermas, Bourdieu, Giddens, Bauman). The early Basil Blackwell co-imprint can mislead attribution but does not change which printing is the first. For translations, the English-language Polity edition is the relevant first.


Polygon — first-edition identification

Polygon (Scotland (Edinburgh); 1969-present (Birlinn-owned 2002-present)). First-edition identification: Copyright page reads 'First published in [year] by Polygon' with a descending number line on modern titles; a first printing has the digit 1 present. Post-2002 titles state 'Polygon, an imprint of Birlinn Ltd' (West Newington House, Edinburgh); that wording dates the edition to the Birlinn era. Pre-2002 Polygon titles (student press, then under Edinburgh University Press) carry the earlier imprint and address; use these to separate the eras. Imprints and series: Polygon (imprint of Birlinn Ltd). Background: Originated in the late 1960s as a student-run press at the University of Edinburgh; the fiction imprint became part of Edinburgh University Press in 1988, then was sold to Birlinn Ltd in 2002. Publishes Scottish literary fiction and poetry (Alexander McCall Smith UK editions, George Mackay Brown, Robin Jenkins, and later Graeme Macrae Burnet and others). The ownership change from EUP to Birlinn in 2002 is the key era tell and changes the imprint line on the copyright page.


Popular Library — first-edition identification

Popular Library (US; 1942-1980s). First-edition identification: Sequential catalog number on the spine/cover identifies the title; the number is not a printing count. First printing: the copyright page lacks a later-printing statement. Later Popular Library printings add a printing line, and a price bump on the same catalog number signals a reprint. From the modern mass-market era onward Popular Library used a descending number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing. Imprints and series: Popular Library. Background: Founded in 1942 by Leo Margulies and Ned Pines, Popular Library was largely a reprint house, so the Popular Library edition is frequently NOT a work's first appearance; check for a prior hardcover. It did issue some paperback originals (genre, noir and western) where the Popular Library is the first appearance. Its cover device was a pine tree, a play on co-founder Ned Pines's name; later corporate moves (Curtis, then the Fawcett/CBS orbit) shifted printing conventions toward standard mass-market number lines.


Portfolio — first-edition identification

Portfolio
Sentinel (sister political imprint)
Thesis
The Optimism Press

Portfolio (US (New York); 2001–present). First-edition identification: First printing is identified by a complete descending number line on the copyright page ending in 1; the lowest number present indicates the printing As a Penguin Publishing Group imprint, do not rely on a printed "First edition" statement — use the number line Imprints and series: Portfolio; Sentinel (sister political imprint); Thesis; The Optimism Press. Background: Business imprint within Penguin Publishing Group, part of Penguin Random House; founded by Adrian Zackheim, who joined Penguin in September 2001 Sentinel is its conservative-politics sister imprint, also founded by Zackheim


Poseidon Press — first-edition identification

Poseidon Press
A Poseidon Press Book
Poseidon Press / Simon & Schuster

Poseidon Press (USA (New York); 1982–1994 (Simon & Schuster literary imprint; founded/run by Ann Patty)). First-edition identification: Poseidon was a Simon & Schuster imprint and follows S&S copyright-page practice: from 1981 onward S&S imprints identify the printing by a number line, not by a spelled-out 'First Edition' slug. Poseidon books generally do NOT carry the words 'First Edition' — read the number line instead. In the S&S/Poseidon number line the LOWEST numeral present indicates the printing: a first printing still contains the '1'; a second printing drops the 1 (lowest is 2), and so on. This holds whether the line is the split S&S form '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (documented on Poseidon titles such as A Frolic of His Own and Stones from the River, both 1994) or a plain ascending '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' (documented on George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream, 1982). Presence of the numeral 1 is the first-printing tell in both forms. Verify no explicit later-printing statement (e.g. 'Second printing') appears on the copyright page — any such note overrides the number line — and that the title page shows the original text, not a revised/subsequent edition (a common S&S caveat where a '1' line can still sit under a revised edition). Confirm the S&S 'sower' colophon: on at least some Poseidon hardcovers (e.g. Fevre Dream) the sower emblem is stamped on the bottom page edges. Poseidon ISBNs run under the Simon & Schuster 0-671 prefix, a useful consistency check. Distinguish trade firsts from book-club editions, the main trap for collected Poseidon titles (e.g. Clive Barker's Cabal, 1988): Poseidon BCEs were distributed through Doubleday's book clubs. Doubleday-style book-club copies typically lack a printed price on the jacket flap and carry a small blind-stamped impression (dot or geometric mark) on the rear board, with lighter/thinner boards; a genuine trade first has a price-printed flap and no such blindstamp. Match the dust jacket to the recorded first-issue state for the specific title (correct front-flap price present and unclipped, correct art/printing) — identification via jacket state, not valuation. Imprints and series: Poseidon Press; A Poseidon Press Book; Poseidon Press / Simon & Schuster. Background: Era boundary correction: although Simon & Schuster folded the imprint circa 1993, genuine Poseidon-imprint first editions dated 1994 exist (e.g. William Gaddis, A Frolic of His Own; Ursula Hegi, Stones from the River). Do NOT treat a 1994 Poseidon date as evidence of a reissue — those are true Poseidon firsts. Later reissues under a different S&S imprint (post-fold) are what to watch for, not 1994 dates per se. Book-club editions are the biggest source of confusion for sought-after Poseidon titles (Barker's Cabal, Martin's Fevre Dream). BCEs went out through Doubleday book clubs and look near-identical; the reliable tells are the unpriced jacket flap and the blind-stamp on the rear board. Poseidon rarely if ever printed the literal phrase 'First Edition' — relying on that phrase will mislead. The number line (lowest digit = printing) is the authoritative method. Number-line style is not uniform across the run: expect both the split S&S form '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' and, on some titles, a plain ascending line. In both, presence of the numeral 1 marks the first printing.


powerHouse Books — first-edition identification

powerHouse Books (US (Brooklyn, New York); 1995–present). First-edition identification: Copyright page: 'First edition, [year]' is commonly stated on powerHouse titles; a true first shows that line with no later printing note. Many titles also carry a descending number line — where present, the lowest digit indicates the printing. Reprints and new editions are stated; the absence of a reprint line together with the original ISBN supports a first. Special or signed editions carry a limitation statement and note any accompanying print. Imprints and series: powerHouse Books; powerHouse Cultural Entertainment, Inc.; POW! (powerHouse children's imprint, launched 2013). Background: Founded 1995 by Daniel Power (joined by Craig Cohen in 1996); an art and photography house known for image-driven titles in street, popular, and fashion culture. POW! is the children's-book imprint, launched in 2013, and sits outside the art-photo collectible line. powerHouse Arena in DUMBO, Brooklyn, is the associated bookstore and event space, not a separate publishing imprint; a distribution credit for another publisher inside a book does not make it a powerHouse publication.


Prentice Hall (technical/STM & reference) — first-edition identification

Prentice Hall (technical/STM & reference) (United States (Englewood Cliffs, NJ); 1913-present). First-edition identification: 1913-c.1960: Founded 13 October 1913 by Charles Gerstenberg and Richard Ettinger (the name combines their mothers' maiden names, Prentice and Hall). College, technical, and professional reference. Firsts on trade and textbook titles are generally identified by the absence of a later-printing notice and by the edition statement; the firm did not consistently print a 'First Edition' slug on STM titles. c.1960-present: A number line on the copyright page is the standard printing indicator (lowest digit = printing). Prentice Hall PTR computing/engineering titles are identified by edition number together with the number line. For continuously revised technical references the edition number is the identification unit, not a 'First Edition' statement. Imprints and series: Prentice Hall / Prentice-Hall; Prentice Hall PTR (Professional Technical Reference); Pearson (current owner of the higher-education and technical/professional list); Reward Books; Parker Publishing. Background: The PTR division published landmark computing and engineering texts, notably Kernighan & Ritchie's 'The C Programming Language' (first edition February 1978) — a celebrated STM first identified by issue points and printing notice. Independent through most of the 20th century; acquired by Gulf+Western (Simon & Schuster) in 1984 and sold to Pearson in 1998. Distinguish the K-12/school division from the higher-education and PTR professional/technical division.


Presidio Press — first-edition identification

Presidio Press (San Rafael / Novato, California, USA (later Random House/Ballantine); 1974-c.2010). First-edition identification: Independent era (1974-2001, San Rafael/Novato, CA): the first printing is identified by a COMPLETE number line on the copyright page, '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'; the presence of '1' signals a first printing. Some titles also state 'First edition' or 'First printing'. Random House era (from 2002, published as Presidio Press/Ballantine): Random House house convention applies, the first trade printing states 'First Edition' AND carries a number line ending in 1; on a stated first edition the line '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' confirms the first printing. If 'First Edition' is removed and the lowest number is 2 or higher, it is a later printing. All eras: for military memoirs and unit histories (e.g. 'With the Old Breed', first published by Presidio in 1981) verify the San Rafael/Novato imprint and the complete 1-10 line for the true Presidio first, distinct from later Ballantine mass-market reprints. Imprints and series: Presidio Press (independent); Presidio Press / Ballantine Books (post-2002, Random House). Background: A premier independent US military-history house of its era; firsts of Vietnam and WWII memoirs (e.g. Keith Nolan's battle narratives) are actively collected. Post-acquisition Random House digit-line-plus-statement rule supersedes the earlier complete-number-line-only rule. Acquired by Random House (Ballantine) on February 22, 2002; the San Rafael/Novato address on the copyright page signals the independent, more collectible era.


Pressed Wafer — first-edition identification

Pressed Wafer (magazine, from 2000)
Pressed Wafer (books, from 2003)

Pressed Wafer (Boston, MA, then Brooklyn, NY, then Somerville, MA (founded by Joseph Torra, Daniel Bouchard, and William Corbett); 2000-2018). First-edition identification: 2000-2002: 'Pressed Wafer' appeared as a magazine; the first issue (Boston, 2000) is identified by issue number and contents, as issues were not reprinted. 2003-2018 (books): perfect-bound and stapled offset poetry, essay, and art books, plus broadsides, chapbooks, and postcards. Identification rests on the COPYRIGHT-PAGE statement: first printings carry no later-printing notice and typically no number line. Given the low reprint rate, a clean copyright page indicates a first. Broadsides and chapbooks are identified by collation and any stated limitation; signed or limited states are noted when present. The imprint name on the title/copyright page anchors identification; match against the press's title list for the canonical first state. Imprints and series: Pressed Wafer (magazine, from 2000); Pressed Wafer (books, from 2003). Background: Named by Joseph Torra after John Wieners's sequence 'Pressed Wafer'; founded by Torra, Daniel Bouchard, and poet-editor William Corbett, who became the driving force. Moved from 9 Columbus Square (Boston) to 375 Parkside Avenue (Brooklyn) to 108 Beacon Street (Somerville); ran until Corbett's death in 2018. Strong association with John Wieners, including the 2000 Pressed Wafer Lifetime Achievement Award presented to him and the memorial volume 'The Blind See Only This World.' Recent enough that most firsts are identified simply by the absence of a reprint statement.