Ugly Duckling Presse — first-edition identification

Lost Literature Series
Eastern European Poets Series
Dossier Series
Señal (with BOMB / Libros Antena)

Ugly Duckling Presse (USA (Brooklyn, New York); 1993-present (books from late 1990s)). First-edition identification: Colophon-driven: most UDP books carry a rear colophon that states the edition size (often 'printed in an edition of N copies') and frequently a printing statement; the colophon is the primary identifier. Letterpress covers and handmade elements are characteristic, and many editions are limited, with the colophon giving the print run. Trade offset titles may carry a number line, where the lowest digit is the printing; chapbooks and full-length books are typically single-state. Imprints and series: Lost Literature Series; Eastern European Poets Series; Dossier Series; Señal (with BOMB / Libros Antena). Background: Volunteer-run nonprofit editorial collective in Brooklyn that grew out of a 1990s zine; has published well over 500 titles (catalog now in the mid-500s). A craft and letterpress house, so identification lives in the colophon rather than a number line. Limited or numbered states exist for many titles; a numbered colophon copy is a distinct collectible from any unnumbered trade state, and the colophon disambiguates titles that exist in multiple physical states.


Underwood-Miller — first-edition identification

Underwood-Miller
Underwood Books (later, Tim Underwood)
Chuck Miller (later separate ventures)

Underwood-Miller (US; c.1976–1994 (joint imprint)). First-edition identification: Editions identified by the limitation/colophon statement: many titles issued in trade plus signed/numbered and sometimes lettered states — the limitation leaf gives the run First printings indicated by absence of later-printing notation; the publisher's name 'Underwood-Miller' (joint era) vs. later solo imprints helps date the state Match correct binding/slipcase as specified for the limited issue Imprints and series: Underwood-Miller; Underwood Books (later, Tim Underwood); Chuck Miller (later separate ventures). Background: Tim Underwood and Chuck Miller partnership (c.1976–early 1990s); definitive collectible hardcovers of Jack Vance, Philip K. Dick, Roger Zelazny, Stephen King nonfiction After the partnership dissolved, Underwood and Miller continued separately (Underwood Books; Miller's later imprints) — joint 'Underwood-Miller' imprint marks the classic era The Jack Vance hardcovers are especially sought; verify signed/numbered limitation state via the colophon

New Mexico Literacy Project (newmexicoliteracyproject.org)


United States Government Publishing Office (GPO, formerly Government Printing Office) — first-edition identification

United States Government Publishing Office (GPO, formerly Government Printing Office) (Washington, D.C., USA; 1861-present). First-edition identification: 1861-present: government documents do NOT follow trade first-edition conventions. There is generally no printer's-key number line and no trade 'First edition' statement. Identify and date a document by its issuing agency, series, and year, and by the SuDoc (Superintendent of Documents) classification number, which is provenance-based (arranged by issuing agency) rather than subject-based. Editions/printings of a recurring title (reports, regulations) are distinguished by the printing year and any 'edition' or 'revised' note on the title page or cover, plus the GPO printing identifier sometimes printed at the foot of a page. Congressional documents are identified by Congress number, session, and document/report number rather than by a printing key. For collectible government items (early NASA, USGS, exploration, and war reports), the first issue is established bibliographically by year, agency, and document number; later reprintings carry a later year or a revised-edition note. Imprints and series: U.S. Government Printing/Publishing Office; Superintendent of Documents. Background: The SuDoc number is the canonical identifier, arranged by issuing agency (provenance-based classification developed c.1895). No trade number line; rely on agency + series + year + document number. The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) is the bibliographic finding tool of record. Reprints and revised editions are common for regulatory and recurring titles — check the year and any 'revised' statement.


University of Alaska Press — first-edition identification

University of Alaska Press
Snowy Owl Books
Classic Reprint Series

University of Alaska Press (Fairbanks, Alaska; 1987-present). First-edition identification: 1987-present: The University of Alaska's scholarly and regional press (Fairbanks). First printings of scholarly titles typically carry no number line; identify a first by a copyright year matching the publication year and the absence of any later-printing or revised-edition statement. As with most university presses, many titles see only a single printing. Trade and general-audience titles, including the Snowy Owl Books imprint, may carry a descending number line on the copyright page (lowest digit indicates the printing) and an explicit 'First printing' statement; treat the lowest number present as the printing indicator. Distribution tell: since 2021 the press's list has been distributed through the University Press of Colorado consortium, so a distribution notice naming University Press of Colorado on the copyright page postdates the original 1987-2020 imprint state and points to a 2021-or-later printing or distribution. Imprints and series: University of Alaska Press; Snowy Owl Books; Classic Reprint Series. Background: Established 1987 as the University of Alaska's scholarly press, focused on Alaska, the Arctic, Indigenous languages, and circumpolar regions. Snowy Owl Books is its general-audience imprint (children's books, guidebooks, fiction, poetry) on Alaska and the North. Small print runs and remote subject matter make many titles scarce regardless of printing. Joined the University Press of Colorado distribution consortium in 2021; a separately named Snowy Owl Books listing also appears under that consortium, so confirm the Alaska imprint when disambiguating.


University of Alberta Press — first-edition identification

University of Alberta Press (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 1969-present). First-edition identification: 1969-c.1995: Copyright page reads '© The University of Alberta Press [year]' with 'Printed in Canada'; a first printing is keyed by the matching year, the Canadian CIP block, and the absence of any reprint statement. c.1995-present: The copyright page carries a descending number line (lowest digit = printing) plus '© [year]' and full ISBN/CIP data; a complete line ending in 1 with no reprint note indicates a first printing. This follows the standard scholarly-press number-line convention. Imprints and series: University of Alberta Press; Robert Kroetsch Series (Canadian creative writing, fiction and poetry); Wayfarer (literary travel narratives). Background: Established 1969 as a department of the University of Alberta; strengths in natural history, Indigenous studies, and Canadian poetry and creative writing. Print runs are small, so true first printings of literary titles are scarce; the CIP block and number line are the practical tells. The press sometimes co-publishes or distributes through larger Canadian houses, so the imprint of record should be verified on the copyright page.


University of Arizona Press — first-edition identification

University of Arizona Press (southwest). First-edition identification: ISBN prefix 978-0-8165 Negative-evidence on 1959–early-1970s titles Number line consistently from c.1985 Background: Successor volumes (e.g., Asteroids → Asteroids II) are new works, not revised editions of the original.


University of California Press — first-edition identification

Luminos (open access)
California Studies series
Ahmanson-Murphy Fine Arts (distributed)

University of California Press (US; 1893–present (number lines standard later 20th c.)). First-edition identification: First printings state 'First Edition' or carry the copyright line alone with no later-printing notice; subsequent printings/editions are noted on the copyright page. Modern UC Press titles use a number line on the copyright page; '1' present = first printing. Revised editions give the original and revised publication dates. Imprints and series: Luminos (open access); California Studies series; Ahmanson-Murphy Fine Arts (distributed). Background: Like most academic presses, UC Press historically denoted LATER printings rather than stamping the first — absence of a reprint notice is the working signal for older books. Many UC Press regional/natural-history titles are reprinted repeatedly with the same copyright year; use the number line. Luminos titles are open-access digital-first — print copies are print-on-demand and not collectible 'first printings' in the traditional sense.


University of Chicago Press — first-edition identification

University of Chicago Press (US; 1891–present (impression-line style mid-20th c.; number lines later)). First-edition identification: Copyright page typically prints a sequence of edition/printing/year codes. Older Chicago books show two date rows: a row of EDITION years and a row of IMPRESSION/printing years; the earliest impression year present indicates the printing date — later printings strip the earliest figures. Statement of printing: e.g., 'Published 19xx' / 'First Edition' on first printings; 'Second Impression,' 'Third Impression' for later runs. Modern Chicago titles use a number line on the copyright page; a line including '1' = first printing. Chicago's own house style (the Chicago Manual) prescribes the impression-line format, so its books are unusually consistent — read the impression line at the foot of the copyright page. Imprints and series: Phoenix Books; Midway Reprints; University of Chicago Press / distributed presses. Background: The distinctive Chicago 'impression year' line (a row of years, lowest = current printing) is the key tell on mid-20th-century books and can be confused with a number line — read it as impression dates, not a 1-10 sequence. Phoenix Books (from 1956) and Midway Reprints are paperback/reprint lines — not first printings of the original cloth first edition. Chicago publishes many heavily revised reference works (e.g., the Chicago Manual of Style itself); each 'edition' is numbered and dated — match the edition number to the first.


University of Georgia Press — first-edition identification

University of Georgia Press (US (Athens, Georgia); 1938-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts carry a copyright-page number line; a sequence terminating in 1 indicates the first printing. First printings show a single copyright year with no reprint history; later printings add printing-year lines or an explicit paperback-edition statement. Pre-number-line titles (the Press was founded in 1938) carry no first-edition statement, so use the matching-year plus no-reprint-notice test. Imprints and series: University of Georgia Press; Brown Thrasher Books (paperback reprint line for Georgia and Southern classics). Background: Brown Thrasher Books is the Press's imprint for reprints of Georgia and Southern classics, so a Brown Thrasher issue is not the first edition of a cloth original. Publishes the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction series, established in 1983, whose volumes are collectible literary firsts identified by the terminating-1 number line. Oldest and largest publishing house in Georgia, with a strong Southern literature and history list.


University of Hawaii Press — first-edition identification

University of Hawaii Press (US (Honolulu, Hawaii); 1947-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts carry a copyright-page number line; a sequence terminating in 1 indicates the first printing. First printings show a single copyright year with no later-printing list. Later printings add printing-year lines or explicit reprint notices; the absence of such a notice is the first-printing signal. Imprints and series: University of Hawai'i Press; Kolowalu Books (regional/Pacific imprint); Latitude 20 (regional imprint). Background: Kolowalu Books and Latitude 20 are both genuine University of Hawai'i Press imprints for Hawaii and Pacific regional trade titles; they are sub-imprints, not separate houses. Founded in 1947; strong Asian and Pacific studies list, with the press name styled 'University of Hawai'i Press' on modern imprints. Standard academic number-line conventions apply; sparsely documented in collector guides, so use the single-year plus no-reprint-notice test.


University of Illinois Press — first-edition identification

University of Illinois Press (US (Urbana/Champaign, Illinois); 1918-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts use a copyright-page number line; a sequence terminating in 1 indicates the first printing. First printings show a single copyright year with no reprint history; later printings add a printing-year line or an explicit later-edition statement. Pre-number-line titles (the Press was founded in 1918) carry no first-edition statement, so use the matching-year plus no-reprint-notice test. Cloth and paper bindings are often issued together; each binding may carry its own number line, so a paperback line terminating in 1 only marks the first paperback printing, which is not necessarily the first edition if a cloth issue preceded it. Imprints and series: University of Illinois Press. Background: Cloth and paper editions are frequently issued simultaneously, so verify which binding came first before treating a terminating-1 line as the true first edition. Strong music, sport history, communications, and labor history lists. When a letter or code appears alongside the number line, it may denote a printing, manufacturer, or binding detail rather than the edition; do not assume it confirms a first without corroboration.


University of Iowa Press — first-edition identification

University of Iowa Press (US (Iowa City, Iowa); 1969-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts use a copyright-page number line; a terminating 1 indicates a first printing. First printings show a single copyright year with no reprint list. Later printings add printing-year lines or explicit reprint statements. Imprints and series: University of Iowa Press; Bur Oak Books (regional/natural-history imprint). Background: Iowa's only university press; publishes the Iowa Short Fiction Award and Iowa Poetry Prize series, whose collectible literary firsts follow the terminating-1 number-line rule. Bur Oak Books is the regional Great Plains natural-history sub-imprint, named for Iowa's state tree. Smaller list; standard academic conventions, thin points documentation.


University of Massachusetts Press — first-edition identification

University of Massachusetts Press (US (Amherst, Massachusetts); 1963-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts carry a copyright-page number line; a terminating 1 indicates a first printing. First printings state a single year with no reprint list. Later printings add printing-year lines or explicit reprint notices. Imprints and series: University of Massachusetts Press; Bright Leaf (regional New England trade imprint, launched 2017). Background: Founded 1963; the scholarly press of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bright Leaf is the press's regional New England trade imprint, launched in 2017; it is a sub-imprint, not a separate house. Publishes the Juniper Prize series (poetry since 1975, fiction since 2004, creative nonfiction since 2018), whose collectible literary firsts follow the terminating-1 number-line rule.


University of Michigan Press — first-edition identification

University of Michigan Press (US (Ann Arbor, Michigan); 1930-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts carry a copyright-page number line; a terminating '1' indicates the first printing. First printings show a single copyright year with no later-printing or impression list. Ann Arbor Paperbacks reissues note the original cloth date alongside the reprint year and are not first editions of the original work. Imprints and series: University of Michigan Press; Ann Arbor Paperbacks (paperback reprint series, begun 1954; now inactive); Sweetwater Fiction (regional literary imprint, with Originals and Reintroductions lines). Background: Ann Arbor Paperbacks (launched 1954 under Fred Wieck) is a long-running reprint series, now inactive; its presence signals a paperback reprint, not a first edition. Strong English-language teaching, classics, and political science lists, with frequent revised editions of textbooks. For pre-number-line backlist, rely on the matching single copyright year plus the absence of any reprint notice.


University of Minnesota Press — first-edition identification

University of Minnesota Press (US; 1925–present). First-edition identification: Copyright page carries a number line on modern titles ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); lowest number present = printing, '1' = first printing. First printings otherwise show only the copyright line; later printings/editions are noted. Revised editions are explicitly dated and numbered. Imprints and series: Univocal; Posthumanities series; Quadrant. Background: Strong critical-theory and translation list (Deleuze, Theory and History of Literature series); many translations are reprinted — check the number line. Standard academic convention; number line is the most reliable modern signal.


University of Missouri Press — first-edition identification

University of Missouri Press (Columbia, Missouri; 1958–present). First-edition identification: 1958–c.1975: No first-printing statement on scholarly first editions; later printings/impressions noted; first printing = matching title/copyright dates with no later-impression line. c.1975–present: Number line on the copyright page; lowest number present indicates the printing, so a '1' present = first printing. Library of Congress CIP block standard. Paperback reissues/reprints state the new printing year; distinguish a later printing from the original cloth first. Background: Founded 1958 by William Peden of the university's English Department; lists in Mark Twain and Langston Hughes studies, American literature, journalism, and Missouri/Midwest regional history. Slated for closure in 2012 amid budget cuts, but reversed after public protest and restructured under the university system — publishing continued. Smaller regional/scholarly list; many titles do not reach a second printing.


University of Nebraska Press — first-edition identification

University of Nebraska Press (US; 1941–present (Bison imprint 1961–present)). First-edition identification: Copyright page states 'First Nebraska printing' / 'First printing: 19xx' and lists later Bison/Nebraska printings; absence of a later-printing line = first printing of that edition. Modern titles carry a number line; '1' present = first printing. Reprints of older works state the original publication date and the 'First Bison Books printing' date. Imprints and series: Bison Books; Bison Classic Editions; Potomac Books; Jewish Publication Society (JPS, distributed). Background: CRITICAL: Bison Books (founded 1961) is largely a REPRINT/paperback imprint of Western Americana and previously published works — a Bison Books copy is typically NOT the first edition of the work; its copyright page will say 'First Bison Books printing 19xx' under an earlier original copyright. Collect the original cloth first edition, not the Bison reissue, unless the Bison printing IS the first appearance. Bison Classic Editions are explicitly reissues. Potomac Books (military/intelligence/sports) was acquired by Nebraska and may show pre-Nebraska printing history.


University of Nevada Press — first-edition identification

University of Nevada Press (US (Reno, NV); 1961-present). First-edition identification: Full descending number line with '1' present indicates the first printing. First printing has a clean copyright page with no reprint or later-printing history. Later printings are denoted by added impression statements or a revised number line, where the lowest surviving number gives the printing. Background: Founded 1961 by Robert Laxalt; strong regional Great Basin and Western Americana list, plus the Basque Book Series. As with most academic presses, older titles may carry only a copyright date with no first-printing statement, so identification rests on the absence of reprint notices.


University of New Mexico Press — first-edition identification

University of New Mexico Press (southwest). First-edition identification: ISBN prefix 978-0-8263 Negative-evidence (no later-printing language) on pre-1970 titles Number line from c.1980 Background: When a hardcover and a simultaneous paperback exist (standard from the mid-1970s), the hardcover in dust jacket is the collector's first. A “Revised and expanded edition” (e.g., deBuys's Enchantment and Exploitation) is a separate collecting object, not a reprint.


University of North Carolina Press — first-edition identification

University of North Carolina Press (US; 1922–present). First-edition identification: First printings carry the copyright line with no later-printing notice; subsequent printings/editions are stated on the copyright page. Modern titles add a number line where '1' = first printing. Copyright page commonly prints a manufacturing/printing line; the lowest figure indicates the printing. Revised editions are explicitly dated and numbered. Imprints and series: UNC Press Enduring Editions; H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman Series; John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture. Background: Enduring Editions are print-on-demand reissues of backlist titles — not first printings. Strong Southern history/Civil War list; many titles reprint frequently with an unchanged copyright year — use the number line. Standard academic later-printing-noted convention for older books.


University of Notre Dame Press — first-edition identification

University of Notre Dame Press (US (Notre Dame, IN); 1949-present). First-edition identification: Modern firsts carry a full descending number line; a '1' present indicates the first printing. First printing copyright page lists the copyright year with no later-printing notices. Later printings add impression statements to the copyright page. Background: Founded 1949; major Catholic studies, theology, philosophy, and medieval studies list; describes itself as the largest Catholic university press. Some titles are co-published or distributed for other houses, so check the copyright page for the originating press's conventions. Older titles may omit explicit first-printing wording.


University of Oklahoma Press — first-edition identification

University of Oklahoma Press (southwest). First-edition identification: ISBN prefix 0-8061 Interlocked OU monogram Number line (1970s+) Edition statements / printing history (older titles) Background: Home of the Civilization of the American Indian series (250+ volumes from 1932) and the Western Frontier Library — popular titles reprint often.


University of Pennsylvania Press — first-edition identification

University of Pennsylvania Press (US (Philadelphia, PA); 1890-present). First-edition identification: Modern trade and scholarly titles: full descending number line; lowest digit '1' present indicates a first printing First printing copyright page carries no later-impression or reprint statements Later printings add printing/impression statements; revised editions are stated as such Imprints and series: Pine Street Books (paperback reprint imprint); Haney Foundation Series. Background: Incorporated 1890; among the oldest US university press imprints Pine Street Books is the paperback reprint line, so a 'First Pine Street Books edition' marks a later paperback issue, not the original first edition As with most university presses, older titles may lack explicit first-printing wording, so judge by the absence of reprint notices rather than the presence of an 'First Edition' line


University of Pittsburgh Press — first-edition identification

University of Pittsburgh Press (US (Pittsburgh, PA); 1936-present). First-edition identification: Modern: full descending number line; '1' present indicates a first printing First printing copyright page shows no later-printing history Pitt Poetry Series and Drue Heinz Prize titles follow the same number-line convention; first printings matter most for prize and poetry collectibility, so confirm the line carries '1' Imprints and series: Pitt Poetry Series; Drue Heinz Literature Prize (series); Pitt Series in Russian and East European Studies. Background: Founded 1936; the Pitt Poetry Series (launched 1968) is heavily collected, including early Ted Kooser, Larry Levis, and Toi Derricotte, so verify the number line carries '1' Drue Heinz Literature Prize short-fiction volumes (prize initiated 1981) are sought-after firsts Later printings of popular poetry titles retain the original copyright year, so rely on the number line rather than the date


University of Pittsburgh Press — Pitt Poetry Series — first-edition identification

Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
Donald Hall Prize in Poetry (with AWP)
Cave Canem Poetry Prize

University of Pittsburgh Press — Pitt Poetry Series (USA (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); 1968–present). First-edition identification: University-press convention: number line on the copyright page; the lowest number present indicates the printing. Hardcover and simultaneous trade-paperback issues are common — distinguish the clothbound first from the simultaneous paperback (same printing, different binding). The 'Pitt Poetry Series' designation on the copyright leaf places the title within the series. Imprints and series: Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize; Donald Hall Prize in Poetry (with AWP); Cave Canem Poetry Prize. Background: Series established 1968 by press director Frederick A. Hetzel and editor Paul Zimmer, with early funding via the A. W. Mellon trust and the International Poetry Forum; one of the most prestigious American poetry series. General editors: Paul Zimmer (1968–1978), Ed Ochester (1979–2021), Terrance Hayes (2021–present). The named prizes are real: the Starrett Prize and Cave Canem Prize are Pitt-published; the Donald Hall Prize is sponsored by AWP and published by the Press. Simultaneous cloth-plus-paper issuance is the main collecting nuance — the cloth issue is usually the priority state; verify both binding state and the number line.


University of Queensland Press (UQP) — first-edition identification

University of Queensland Press (UQP) (Australia (Brisbane, QLD); 1948–present (trade publishing since the late 1960s)). First-edition identification: The copyright page states 'First published [year] by University of Queensland Press' for a first printing; no 'Reprinted' lines beneath indicate a first impression. Later printings add 'Reprinted [year]' lines; the publication-year statement matching the copyright year with no reprint line is the first-printing tell. Original wrappers/jackets and SBN/ISBN format help date a copy: pre-1970 imprints predate ISBNs, and Paperback Poets volumes are identified by series number plus the absence of a reprint notice. Imprints and series: UQP; Paperback Poets (series); Black Australian Writers / First Nations Classics (series). Background: Founded 1948 as the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Queensland; moved into trade/literary publishing in the late 1960s, with the Paperback Poets series (instigated by David Malouf) launched in 1970. Published the first books of Peter Carey, David Malouf, Kate Grenville, Rodney Hall, Olga Masters, Roger McDonald, Murray Bail and Marion Halligan — these UQP firsts are key collectible points; e.g. Malouf's 'Bicycle and Other Poems', one of the three 1970 Paperback Poets launch titles. Paperback Poets volumes were issued in card wrappers; the condition of those fragile wrappers is the main value driver. A few early poetry titles exist in both wrappered and (rarely) cloth states.


University of Tennessee Press — first-edition identification

University of Tennessee Press (US (Knoxville, TN); 1940-present). First-edition identification: Modern titles carry a descending number line on the copyright page; the digit 1 present indicates a first printing A first printing shows a copyright page free of later-printing lines Later printings add an impression or printing statement Background: Established 1940 by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees; lists in Appalachian studies, Southern history, African American studies, and material culture Older titles may lack explicit first-printing wording, so apply the usual academic-press caveat and corroborate with bibliographic detail


University of Texas Press — first-edition identification

University of Texas Press (US; 1950–present). First-edition identification: First printings state 'First Edition' (or 'First edition, 19xx') on the copyright page on many titles, or carry the copyright line alone; later printings/editions are noted. Modern UT Press titles use a number line on the copyright page; '1' present = first printing. Revised/expanded editions are dated and numbered. Imprints and series: Texas Pan American Series; Jack and Doris Smothers Series; Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture. Background: Strong Latin American, Texana, film, and Mexican-American studies lists; many regional titles reprint frequently with an unchanged copyright year — rely on the number line or 'first edition' statement, not the copyright date. Standard academic later-printing-noted convention for pre-number-line books.


University of Texas Press (US; 1950–present). First-edition identification: Scholarly-press identification: 'First edition' stated on copyright page; number line (often printing-over-year double line) where present, first printing shows 1 and earliest year Austin, TX, founded 1950; Latin American studies, Texana, Western/borderlands, film Distinguish edition (content) from printing; revised editions stated explicitly Imprints and series: University of Texas Press. Background: Long-lived scholarly titles reach many printings; the printing row of the number line is the tell Borderlands/Chicano studies and Latin American titles are the notable collecting areas; identification is conventional scholarly-press No proprietary house key


University of Tokyo Press — first-edition identification

University of Tokyo Press
Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai (東京大学出版会)

University of Tokyo Press (Tokyo, Japan; 1951-present). First-edition identification: Japanese-language titles (1951-present): identify the printing from the colophon (奥付, okuzuke) on the final leaf rather than a western copyright page. The colophon gives the edition and impression as 第1版第1刷 ('1st edition, 1st impression') beside the issue date (発行); a first printing shows 第1刷 with the earliest 発行 date. Any higher impression number (第2刷, 第3刷, etc.) is a later printing. English-language / Western titles (earliest years onward): the Press was a pioneer of English-language academic publishing in Asia and uses a western copyright page for these — 'First published [year] by University of Tokyo Press' with the copyright year. A first printing is keyed by that year and the absence of any reprint note; some later-period titles add a number line, lowest digit present indicating the printing. Cross-check: for Japanese titles always read the okuzuke — the 版 (edition) and 刷 (impression) figures with the 発行 (issue) date are the authoritative first-printing tells. ISBNs appear on the colophon from the 1980s onward and help date later printings but do not by themselves establish a first. Imprints and series: University of Tokyo Press; Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai (東京大学出版会). Background: Founded 1951 as 東京大学出版会 (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai), the University of Tokyo's own press; a member of the Association of University Presses. A pioneer of English-language scholarly publishing in Asia, issuing English titles from its earliest years alongside its large Japanese list. The Japanese colophon convention (奥付) differs fundamentally from a western copyright page; 第1版第1刷 is the key first-edition/first-impression marker. English-language titles are often co-distributed abroad, so a foreign co-publisher may issue its own separate western first.


University of Toronto Press — first-edition identification

Aevo UTP
UTP Higher Education
Rotman-UTP Publishing

University of Toronto Press (Canada (Toronto, ON); 1901-present). First-edition identification: Modern: full descending number line, '1' present = first printing First printing copyright page states copyright/first-publication year with NO later-printing or revised-edition lines Later printings/revised editions add explicit statements; reprints note 'Reprinted YYYY' Imprints and series: Aevo UTP; UTP Higher Education; Rotman-UTP Publishing. Background: Oldest and largest scholarly publisher in Canada (founded 1901; first books issued 1911); major collected editions include 'The Collected Works of Erasmus' and 'The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill' (33 volumes, 1963-1991) — multi-volume sets where each volume's first printing must be checked individually Canadian academic-press printing conventions mirror US academic number-line practice Older titles may lack any explicit first-printing statement — rely on absence of reprint notices


University of Utah Press — first-edition identification

University of Utah Press (US (Salt Lake City, UT); 1949-present). First-edition identification: Modern titles carry a descending number line on the copyright page; the digit 1 present indicates a first printing A first printing shows a copyright page without reprint history Later printings add an impression or printing statement Background: Founded 1949, the oldest university press in Utah and a division of the J. Willard Marriott Library Strong lists in Great Basin archaeology, anthropology, American Indian studies, and Western and Mormon-studies history Older titles may lack explicit first-printing wording, so apply the usual academic-press caveat


University of Virginia Press — first-edition identification

University of Virginia Press (US (Charlottesville, VA); 1963-present). First-edition identification: Modern titles carry a descending number line on the copyright page; the digit 1 present indicates a first printing A first printing shows a copyright page free of later-printing notices Later printings add an impression statement The publisher name on the title and copyright page helps date the printing era: 'University Press of Virginia' through 2001 versus 'University of Virginia Press' from 2002 onward Imprints and series: Rotunda (digital imprint). Background: Established 1963 as the University Press of Virginia; renamed University of Virginia Press in 2002 Known for Jefferson and early-American documentary editions and Southern literature and history Rotunda is the digital-publishing imprint and is not relevant to identifying print first editions


University of Wales Press — first-edition identification

University of Wales Press (Cardiff, Wales (UK); 1922-present). First-edition identification: 1922-c.1990: Standard British copyright-page convention; many titles are bilingual or Welsh-language. First printing: 'First published [year]' or the Welsh 'Argraffiad cyntaf [year]' (first edition/impression) with no reprint note, and '© University of Wales Press / Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru'. Later printings note 'Reprinted [year]' or the Welsh 'Ailargraffwyd [year]'. c.1990-present: 'First published [year]' plus a number line indicating impression (lowest digit = impression) and an ISBN/copyright block; bilingual imprint statement common. The Welsh 'Argraffiad cyntaf' is the equivalent first-edition/first-impression tell. Imprints and series: University of Wales Press; Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru (Welsh-language imprint name); Gwasg Gomer (occasional co-publisher). Background: Founded 1922 as a central service of the federal University of Wales (recommended by the 1918 Haldane Royal Commission); based in Cardiff with a backlist of over 3,500 titles. Bilingual imprint: 'Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru' is the same publisher; the Welsh 'Argraffiad cyntaf' means first edition/impression and 'Ailargraffwyd' means reprinted — key Welsh-language tells. Strong in Welsh and Celtic studies, Welsh history, literary studies, and medieval studies.


University of Washington Press — first-edition identification

University of Washington Press (US (Seattle, WA); 1915-present). First-edition identification: Modern titles carry a descending number line on the copyright page; the digit 1 present indicates a first printing A first printing shows a copyright page without later-printing lines Later printings add an explicit printing statement Background: Established 1915 as a division of the University of Washington; its first book appeared in 1920 Major lists in Pacific Northwest, Asian American, and Native American art and studies Distributes for several regional and museum presses, so a distributed title follows the originating press's first-edition convention rather than the press's own Named endowments and series such as the McLellan books fund and the Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies are funding or series designations, not separate publishing imprints with their own first-edition rules


University of Wisconsin Press — first-edition identification

University of Wisconsin Press (US (Madison, WI); 1936-present). First-edition identification: Modern: full descending number line, '1' present = first printing First printing copyright page free of later-printing history Later printings add impression statements Imprints and series: Terrace Books (regional trade imprint); Popular Press (acquired from Bowling Green). Background: Founded 1936; strong LGBTQ studies, Southeast Asian studies, and regional Wisconsin lists Terrace Books is the trade imprint named for the Memorial Union Terrace; the Bowling Green State University Popular Press (popular-culture studies, founded 1967) was acquired by UW Press in 2002 Standard academic caveat: older titles may lack an explicit first-printing statement, so rely on absence of reprint notices


University Press of Kansas — first-edition identification

University Press of Kansas (US (Lawrence, Kansas); 1946-present (consolidated 1976)). First-edition identification: Modern firsts use a copyright-page number line; a terminating 1 indicates a first printing. First printings show a single copyright year with no reprint history. Later printings add printing-year/impression lines. Imprints and series: University Press of Kansas. Background: Consortium scholarly press for the Kansas Board of Regents universities; the imprint reads 'University Press of Kansas' (note 'Press of'), distinguishing it from a single-campus press. Strong presidential/political history and military history lists (American Presidency Series, Modern War Studies). Standard academic conventions; sparse points documentation.


University Press of Kentucky — first-edition identification

University Press of Kentucky (US (Lexington, Kentucky); 1943-present (consolidated 1969)). First-edition identification: Modern firsts carry a copyright-page number line; a terminating 1 indicates a first printing. First printings state a single year with no later-printing list. Later printings add printing-year lines or explicit reprint statements. Imprints and series: University Press of Kentucky; Fireside Industries (regional Appalachian imprint). Background: Consortium press for Kentucky's public universities and several private colleges and historical societies; the imprint reads 'University Press of Kentucky' (note 'Press of'). Organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press, with scholarly publishing sponsored since 1943. Strong film studies (Screen Classics series) and Appalachian/regional history; film-history firsts follow the terminating-1 rule. Fireside Industries is the press's Appalachian-literature imprint, a collaboration with Hindman Settlement School (launched 2018).


University Press of Mississippi (trade) — first-edition identification

University Press of Mississippi (trade) (South (Jackson, Mississippi); 1970-present). First-edition identification: 1970-1980s: Scholarly/trade convention - treat a first printing as a single copyright date with no later-printing or 'second printing' notation; the press generally did not print 'First Edition.' For the trade/regional list, a matching copyright date plus no printing statement is the practical first-printing tell. 1980s-present: Standard academic-press practice - a number line on the copyright page in which the lowest number present indicates the printing (a '1' present indicates a first printing). Titles typically also state the year of first publication, and later printings or paperback editions are noted explicitly ('First paperback printing,' etc.). Banner Books (literary reprint imprint) and Muscadine Books (regional trade imprint): these are reprint/regional lines, so a Banner Books issue is usually NOT the first edition of the work - identify the original publisher for a true first; the Banner/Muscadine issue itself follows the press number-line convention for that specific printing. Imprints and series: University Press of Mississippi; Banner Books (literary reprint series); Muscadine Books (regional trade series); Willie Morris Books in Memoir and Biography (series). Background: Founded 1970; sponsored by Mississippi's eight state universities, with a substantial trade/regional list (Eudora Welty material, Mississippi history, blues, comics studies, folklore) alongside scholarly monographs. Banner Books revived out-of-print Southern literary works - a reprint imprint, a key caution for first-edition seekers. Nationally important for comics scholarship and music (blues/country) studies as well as Southern regional trade. Academic number-line practice means a present '1' is the cleanest first-printing signal.


Unnamed Press — first-edition identification

Unnamed Press (Los Angeles, CA (US); 2014–present). First-edition identification: When a printing statement is present, first printings read 'First Edition' on the copyright page. If a number line is present, read the printing from the lowest number shown; a '1' present indicates a first printing. Some titles may carry no number line, in which case rely on the stated printing. Later printings drop the lowest number or revise the statement. Imprints and series: Smith & Taylor Classics. Background: Independent Los Angeles press co-founded in 2014 by Chris Heiser and Olivia Taylor Smith; Heiser has been publisher since founding. Smith moved to Simon & Schuster in 2022. Launched the Smith & Taylor Classics imprint in 2024 to reissue overlooked classics. Not individually documented in print bibliographies; the convention above is the modern US trade default applied to the house, not a verified house-specific rule. Medium confidence.


UWA Publishing (University of Western Australia Press) — first-edition identification

UWA Publishing (University of Western Australia Press) (Australia (Perth, WA); 1935–present). First-edition identification: On a first printing the copyright page states 'First published [year] by UWA Publishing' (or 'University of Western Australia Press' before 2009), shows no reprint line, and the stated year matches the copyright year. Later printings add a 'Reprinted [year]' line; number lines are uncommon for this scholarly house, so the printed statement is the primary signal. Imprint-name era tell: 'Text Books Board' indicates 1935–1948, 'University of Western Australia Press' indicates 1948–2009, and 'UWA Publishing' indicates 2009 onward. Imprints and series: UWA Publishing; UWAP; UWAP Scholarly; UWAP Poetry (from 2016); Cygnet (children's, from 1985); University of Western Australia Press (1948–2009 name). Background: Founded 1935 as the Text Books Board; became University of Western Australia Press in 1948; renamed UWA Publishing in 2009. The University of Western Australia announced plans to close UWA Publishing in November 2019; the press nonetheless continued operating and remains active, so output around 2019–2020 may be thinner. UWAP Poetry (from 2016) is a significant Australian poetry list and the Cygnet children's imprint dates from 1985; the Dorothy Hewett Award (from 2015) is associated with the house.


Valancourt Books — first-edition identification

Valancourt Books (USA (Richmond, Virginia / Oakhurst, California); 2005–present). First-edition identification: Primarily a reviver and reprint publisher: most volumes are new editions of older works and state so, often adding a new introduction — they are not first appearances of the text Valancourt's own first printings, such as newly commissioned English translations or first-collected works, are identified by the Valancourt edition statement and year on the copyright page, with a number line where present Trade-paperback and print-on-demand heavy, so identification rests on the Valancourt edition statement rather than any hand-press limitation Background: Founded 2005 by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle; specializes in rediscovered Gothic, horror, and LGBT classics from the 18th century through the 1980s Most collectible interest is in the WORK rather than the Valancourt printing state, since they reprint rare originals; the chief exceptions are first-ever English translations they commission Distinguish a 'first Valancourt edition' from the original — and far older — first edition of the same text


Vanguard Press — first-edition identification

Vanguard Press (US; 1926-1988). First-edition identification: No printing statement on first editions; Vanguard had no 'First Edition' designation and sometimes even failed to note subsequent printings, so absence of a printing statement is the chief (weak) indicator for pre-1970s titles. From the 1970s onward: Vanguard instituted a number row (number line) on the copyright page; a sequence containing '1' indicates a first printing. The number row may have been abandoned for some titles in the mid-1980s, so for that period rely again on the absence of a later-printing statement. Identification is copyright-page based ONLY; Vanguard does NOT use a number at the foot of the last page. High-spot titles (Dr. Seuss, early Joyce Carol Oates) should be confirmed against a title-specific bibliography rather than a generic publisher rule. Imprints and series: Vanguard Press. Background: Vanguard does NOT share the foot-of-last-page parenthetical numbering convention — that is D. Appleton & Co.'s method ('(1)' = first printing at the foot of the last page), not Vanguard's. Vanguard's points are on the copyright page. Published the first books of Dr. Seuss (And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, 1937; The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, 1938) and Joyce Carol Oates's early work (her first book plus ~20 more, including the 1970 National Book Award novel them) — high-spot titles warrant title-level verification. Sold to Random House in October 1988 after 62 years as an independent house (founded 1926, originally with Garland Fund backing).


Verse Press — first-edition identification

Verse Press (USA (Northampton, Massachusetts); 2000-2005). First-edition identification: Number line where present; lowest digit = the printing. Some titles state 'First Edition' with the year; many single-printing firsts carry no line. The imprint name 'Verse Press' on the title or copyright leaf distinguishes the original edition from any later Wave Books reissue. Background: Predecessor to Wave Books; founded in 2000 by Matthew Zapruder and Brian Henry and run on a volunteer basis until it folded into Wave Books in 2005 (Zapruder and Joshua Beckman carried over as Wave editors). For works first issued by Verse Press, the Verse Press printing is the true first edition even if Wave Books later reprinted the title.


Verso Books — first-edition identification

Verso Books (UK (London) / USA (Brooklyn, from the 1990s), radical theory and politics; 1970–present). First-edition identification: 1970–late 1970s (New Left Books / NLB): the house published as NLB; firsts carry a 'First published <year> by NLB' (or New Left Books) edition statement. Number lines are commonly absent in this early era — the first printing is shown by the absence of any later impression or reprint line, not by a printer's key. Late 1970s onward (Verso): 'Verso' was launched as a paperback imprint at the end of the 1970s and became the house's sole imprint thereafter. Firsts show 'First published by Verso <year>' on the copyright page, increasingly with a descending number line in which the lowest figure (1) marks the first printing. Radical Thinkers / Radical Thinkers Classics (series launched 2005): these are reissues of older theory titles. The collectible first is the original NLB or Verso edition, not the later series volume, which is plainly marked as a reissue with its own date. Verso Classics and similar reissue lines: same caution — match the earliest 'First published' date to the original edition; later series printings add impression detail. Imprints and series: Verso; New Left Books (NLB), the original name of the house; Verso Classics; Radical Thinkers / Radical Thinkers Classics. Background: Founded 1970 as New Left Books, the book imprint of New Left Review; its early logo referenced Tatlin's monument to the Third International. 'Verso' (the left-hand page of an opening) began as a paperback imprint at the end of the 1970s and went on to become the house's sole imprint; it is inaccurate to describe this as a simple 1980 renaming. Early NLB titles (translations of Adorno, Althusser, Benjamin, Mandel, plus original work by Anderson, Nairn, Williams) rely on edition statements rather than number lines.


Vertical, Inc. / Vertical Comics — English-language manga & Japanese literature — first-edition identification

Vertical Comics (manga)
Vertical (literary/prose)

Vertical, Inc. / Vertical Comics — English-language manga & Japanese literature (USA (New York; founded 2001; majority-acquired by Kodansha and Dai Nippon Printing 2011; merged into Kodansha USA 2021); 2001-2021 (independent); backlist continues under Kodansha). First-edition identification: 2001-2021 independent era: manga and prose volumes are identified by a number line on the copyright page, with a descending line ending in 1 indicating a first printing, and/or by a stated first-edition date. Distribution shifted over the years (Random House early on, then Kodansha-owned channels after the 2011 acquisition), but the volumes still use standard US-trade number-line indicia, so identification rests on the printing line and date rather than the distributor. Osamu Tezuka prestige editions (Buddha, Apollo's Song, Ode to Kirihito, MW, Black Jack, 2003 onward) are the marquee Vertical manga collectibles; first printings are identified by the number line or stated date, and several Tezuka titles were reprinted, so the printing line matters. 2021-present under Kodansha USA: backlist reissues carry Kodansha number-line indicia; original Vertical-era printings predate the 2021 merger and are distinguished by the older imprint indicia. Imprints and series: Vertical Comics (manga); Vertical (literary/prose). Background: Tezuka's English-language prestige line (the 8-volume Buddha and multi-volume Black Jack) is the defining Vertical collectible; early printings are sought after. Also published Japanese literary fiction (Koji Suzuki's Ring, Natsuo Kirino); prose first printings are identified by number line and stated date. Founded 2001; majority-acquired by Kodansha and Dai Nippon Printing in 2011; fully merged into Kodansha USA in 2021. Known for high design standards, with Chip Kidd designing several early covers.


Victor Gollancz — first-edition identification

Victor Gollancz (UK; 1927-present). First-edition identification: Pre-1984: NO first-edition statement was made — first printings carry no 'First published' line; ONLY later printings were noted (so absence of any printing statement = likely first, presence of a reprint note = later) From 1984 onward: began stating "First published in [Year] by Victor Gollancz Ltd" on the copyright page of firsts Modern Gollancz uses number lines; lowest digit = printing For pre-1984 titles, confirm via dust-jacket points, dated jackets, and absence of reprint notation rather than a positive statement Imprints and series: Gollancz (SF/Fantasy 'yellow jacket' line); Left Book Club (1936-1948); VGSF. Background: The famous plain bright-YELLOW dust jackets with red/black type are an instant Gollancz visual marker (esp. crime/SF) Pre-1984 'no statement on firsts' policy is a classic trap — collectors must rely on negative evidence and jacket/ad dating Orwell's early books, Daphne du Maurier, Kingsley Amis, John le Carré ('The Spy Who Came in from the Cold', 1963) were Gollancz Left Book Club editions (orange limp cloth) are NOT trade firsts


Victor Gollancz Ltd (incl. Gollancz SF) — first-edition identification

Victor Gollancz Ltd (incl. Gollancz SF) (UK; 1927–present (yellow-jacket era c.1927–mid-1980s)). First-edition identification: Classic British-house method: 'First published <year>' on the copyright/verso with NO later-printing or 'reprinted' statements; an unbroken impression line or absence of added impression dates confirms a first The distinctive plain YELLOW dust jacket with black + magenta typography (no pictorial art) is a strong era marker for firsts roughly 1920s–mid-1980s Match jacket: original unclipped yellow jacket with the correct price; later pictorial jackets (mid-1980s on) accompany the firsts of that later era Date on title/copyright page should agree with 'First published' year — added 'Second impression'/reprint lines indicate later states Imprints and series: Gollancz; Gollancz SF; VGSF (paperback); Gollancz SF Masterworks / Fantasy Masterworks (reprint series). Background: Yellow jackets became almost synonymous with UK hardcover SF c.1961–mid-1980s; pictorial jackets phased in mid-1980s SF list proper introduced under Hilary Rubinstein after the 1961 UK edition of Amis's 'New Maps of Hell' SF/Fantasy Masterworks are reprint series — NOT firsts of the contained works Now part of the Orion Publishing Group (Hachette UK); the Gollancz SF imprint carries on Yellow jackets are fragile and fade/soil easily — condition and an unclipped price strongly affect first-edition value


Victoria University Press / Te Herenga Waka University Press — first-edition identification

Victoria University Press / Te Herenga Waka University Press (New Zealand (Wellington); early 1970s–present). First-edition identification: On a first printing the copyright page states 'First published [year]' and 'Published by Victoria University Press' (pre-2022) or 'Te Herenga Waka University Press' (2022 onward), with no 'Reprinted' line and a matching year. Later printings add an explicit 'Reprinted [year]' line, the standard NZ small-press convention; number lines are uncommon, so the printed statement is the primary first-printing signal. Imprint-name era tell: a copyright page reading 'Victoria University Press' dates the book to 2021 or earlier, while 'Te Herenga Waka University Press' dates it to 2022 or later — the same title reissued under the new name is a later state. Imprints and series: Victoria University Press (to 2021); Te Herenga Waka University Press (from 2022). Background: Founded in the early 1970s; Fergus Barrowman has been publisher since 1985 and remains in charge; renamed Te Herenga Waka University Press effective 1 January 2022 (the university adopted the Māori name Te Herenga Waka in 2019). Published Eleanor Catton's 'The Rehearsal' (2008) and 'The Luminaries' (2013, Booker Prize winner) under the VUP imprint; the VUP-imprinted firsts are the key NZ collectible points, with any Te Herenga Waka–imprinted reissues being later states. Major NZ literary house (Bill Manhire and many NZ poets); small runs and card/wrapper editions mean condition drives desirability.


Viking Children's Books (Viking Junior Books) / Penguin Young Readers Group — first-edition identification

Viking Children's Books
Frederick Warne (Beatrix Potter)
Puffin Books
Philomel Books
G.P. Putnam's Sons BFYR
Grosset & Dunlap
Nancy Paulsen Books
Dutton Children's Books
Kokila
Razorbill
Speak (YA paperback)

Viking Children's Books (Viking Junior Books) / Penguin Young Readers Group (US; 1933–present (Viking children's); Penguin number-line era 1980s–present). First-edition identification: Viking historical: stated 'First published in (Year) by The Viking Press' / 'Published by The Viking Press in (Year)'; in the 1980s a number row was added to LATER printings only — so a first lacks the number line in that transitional period Modern Penguin house style across the children's imprints: full descending number line ending in 1, often with a stated 'First Edition' / 'First American Edition' Philomel and Dutton (Penguin children's imprints) likewise use the Penguin number-line-to-1 convention Imprints and series: Viking Children's Books; Frederick Warne (Beatrix Potter); Puffin Books; Philomel Books; G.P. Putnam's Sons BFYR; Grosset & Dunlap; Nancy Paulsen Books; Dutton Children's Books; Kokila; Razorbill; Speak (YA paperback). Background: Viking published Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline, Robert McCloskey (Make Way for Ducklings — Caldecott), Don Freeman's Corduroy, the original Eric Carle The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Philomel) TRANSITION TRAP: for 1980s Viking, presence of a number line can indicate a LATER printing, opposite of the modern rule — date by the 'First published' statement for that era Frederick Warne (Beatrix Potter) firsts have their own complex early-1900s points and predate Penguin ownership entirely All now consolidated under Penguin Young Readers (Penguin Random House)


Viking Press / Penguin — first-edition identification

Viking Press / Penguin (trade). First-edition identification: “First Published by Viking in [Year]” statement (1937–present) On 1980s titles, a number line appears on later printings only Background: Counter-intuitive: a number line on a 1980s Viking usually signals a later printing, not a first.


Viking Press / Viking — first-edition identification

Viking Press / Viking (US (New York); 1925–present). First-edition identification: Earliest era (1925 to roughly 1937): Viking used no first-edition statement and instead noted later printings; treat the absence of any later-printing notice, with the title-page/copyright dates matching, as the first. From about 1937 onward: first printings state "First published by The Viking Press in [year]" or "Published by The Viking Press in [year]" with no later-printing notice; later printings were noted, and from the 1980s a number row was added to later printings only. Modern Viking under Penguin / Penguin Random House: a full number line whose lowest digit is 1, sometimes with "First American Edition." Imprints and series: Viking; Viking Studio; Pamela Dorman Books; Penguin Press (sister imprint within Penguin Publishing Group). Background: The Rockwell Kent longship colophon (designed 1925) is a Viking brand mark carried across printings, not a first-issue point on its own. Pamela Dorman Books is a Viking literary imprint; Viking now sits within the Penguin Publishing Group under Penguin Random House. For older Viking books the decisive tells are the date statement and the absence of a later-printing notice rather than the colophon.


Vintage Books — first-edition identification

Vintage Contemporaries
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Vintage International
Vintage Español
Black Lizard (crime reprints)
Anchor (sister, Doubleday side)

Vintage Books (US; 1954–present). First-edition identification: States 'First Vintage … Edition (Month Year)' on the copyright page with a descending number line ending in 1. Predominantly a trade-paperback REPRINT line — 'first Vintage edition' is usually NOT the first edition of the work. Trace true firsts to the original Knopf / Random House / Pantheon hardcover. Some titles (notably Vintage Contemporaries in the 1980s) were PAPERBACK ORIGINALS — those ARE firsts. Imprints and series: Vintage Contemporaries; Vintage Crime/Black Lizard; Vintage International; Vintage Español; Black Lizard (crime reprints); Anchor (sister, Doubleday side). Background: Founded 1954 as Random House's quality trade-paperback imprint; now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (PRH). Vintage Contemporaries (launched 1984, distinctive cover design) issued notable paperback originals — e.g. Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City and Raymond Carver collections — which are collected as true firsts. Critical confusion: most Vintage editions are reprints; verify whether a given title was a Vintage original before calling it a first. Vintage Crime/Black Lizard reprints classic noir — reprints, not firsts.


Viz Media (Viz Comics / Viz LLC) — English-language manga — first-edition identification

Shonen Jump (Shonen Jump Advanced / SJ)
Shojo Beat
VIZ Signature (SIG)
Haikasoru (prose SF)
VIZBIG Editions
Perfect Square (kids)
Pulp (historical magazine, 1997-2002)
Animerica (historical)
Editor's Choice (historical)

Viz Media (Viz Comics / Viz LLC) — English-language manga (USA (San Francisco, California; founded 1986) / parent Shueisha-Shogakukan; 1986-present). First-edition identification: Modern graphic-novel era (roughly 2002-present, right-to-left unflipped volumes): identified by a Western-style descending number line on the copyright/indicia page. A complete line ending in 1 (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) indicates a first printing; the lowest number present indicates the printing, so a line missing the 1 is a later printing. This is the canonical Viz first-printing tell. Many Viz volumes also print an explicit 'First printing, Month Year' line near the ISBN, corroborating the number line. Early Viz era (1987-2001, flipped/Westernized comic-format trades, Pulp/Animerica period): earlier trades used flipped art; first printings are identified by stated printing date and/or number line where present. Early floppies and first trade printings (early Ranma 1/2, Battle Angel Alita, etc.) are scarcer. VIZBIG and later 3-in-1 omnibus reissues carry their own number line and date distinct from the original single-volume printings, and high-volume Shonen Jump titles run through many printings, so the number line should be checked carefully. Imprints and series: Shonen Jump (Shonen Jump Advanced / SJ); Shojo Beat; VIZ Signature (SIG); Haikasoru (prose SF); VIZBIG Editions; Perfect Square (kids); Pulp (historical magazine, 1997-2002); Animerica (historical); Editor's Choice (historical). Background: A descending number line ending in 1 is the standard tell for modern Viz manga, consistent with general Western trade practice and confirmed in manga collector references. Early-volume first printings of hot series (Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, One Piece) are sought modern collectibles; later printings drop the low digits from the line. Viz moved to authentic right-to-left format around 2002; the earlier flipped editions form a distinct collectible category. Pulp (1997-2002) and Animerica (1992-2005) were Viz serialization magazines carrying some first English appearances. Owned jointly by Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (VIZ Media's parent ownership).


Véhicule Press — first-edition identification

Véhicule Press (Canada (Montreal, Quebec); 1973-present). First-edition identification: Montreal English-language literary press: modern titles state 'first edition' on the copyright page and may carry a descending number line, with '1' present indicating the first printing. The imprint matters for identification — Signal Editions (poetry) and Esplanade Books (fiction) are named on the title/copyright page; confirm the specific imprint when describing a first. Earlier titles from the Véhicule Art gallery / cooperative origins (1970s): rely on the original copyright year and the absence of any later-printing statement. Imprints and series: Véhicule Press; Signal Editions (poetry imprint); Esplanade Books / Esplanade Fiction (fiction imprint, founded 2003); Ricochet Books (vintage Canadian noir reissues); Dossier Quebec (history/nonfiction series). Background: Founded 1973 in Montreal out of the Véhicule Art gallery cooperative by Guy Lavoie and Simon Dardick; from 1981 Nancy Marrelli and Simon Dardick continued as publishers as the co-op wound down. One of Quebec's most important English-language literary presses. Signal Editions is a distinguished poetry imprint (long edited by Michael Harris, later Carmine Starnino). Esplanade Books, the fiction imprint, was founded in 2003 (founding editor Andrew Steinmetz, later Dimitri Nasrallah) — both are collectible runs. Strong in Montreal/Quebec-anglophone literary history, in translations of Francophone literature, and in vintage Canadian noir reissues via the Ricochet Books series.


W. B. Saunders Company — first-edition identification

W. B. Saunders
Saunders
Saunders Elsevier
Harcourt Health Sciences (parent era)
Elsevier (current)

W. B. Saunders Company (United States (Philadelphia, PA); 1888-present (imprint continues under Elsevier)). First-edition identification: 1888-c.1950: Founded 1888 by Walter Burns Saunders in Philadelphia as a premier medical and surgical textbook house. Clinical texts are identified primarily by the numbered EDITION stated on the title page and spine; a revised edition is the bibliographic and value unit. The first printing of a given edition is indicated by the absence of any later-printing or reprint notice on the copyright page; later impressions are commonly marked 'Reprinted [year]'. c.1950-c.1985: Edition-driven identification continues; printing history is sometimes shown as dated reprint lines. First printing of an edition = only the edition's original dated line present, with no later 'Reprinted' lines. c.1985-present (as Saunders/Elsevier): A number line on the copyright page is common, with the lowest digit indicating the printing; Elsevier house style also uses a coded printing/year line. The EDITION number remains the dominant identification and value unit for these continuously revised clinical references. Ownership: family-owned until sold to CBS in 1968, then to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1986 (later Harcourt Health Sciences), and now an Elsevier imprint. Imprints and series: W. B. Saunders; Saunders; Saunders Elsevier; Harcourt Health Sciences (parent era); Elsevier (current). Background: Publisher of landmark clinical references (e.g., 'Cecil Textbook of Medicine', 'Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics', and 'Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary') that are collected and used by edition. Medical-text collecting centers on edition currency; a true first edition of a foundational text can carry a premium. Now Saunders/Elsevier; modern titles carry Elsevier coded printing lines.


W. H. Freeman and Company — first-edition identification

W. H. Freeman and Company (United States (San Francisco / New York); 1946-present). First-edition identification: 1946-c.1965: founded in 1946 by William H. Freeman (a former Macmillan editor) in San Francisco, with Linus Pauling as first author and advisor. Early scientific monographs and textbooks carried no first-printing statement, so a first printing is identified by the ABSENCE of any later-printing or impression notice on the copyright page; later printings are explicitly noted (for example 'Second printing, 1958'). c.1965-c.1980: transitional period. Some titles begin showing a printing-history line or a coded letter/number group; the first printing is the one with no later printing stated, or the printing code resolving to the first. Edition statements ('Second Edition') reliably appear on revised textbooks. c.1980-present: number line on the copyright page; the lowest digit present indicates the printing. Many texts also carry a coded year cluster. For revised STM textbooks the title-page edition number (1st, 2nd, 3rd ed.) is the primary identification unit, not a first-printing point. Scientific American Library series (1980s-2000s): collectible numbered series volumes whose first printings follow the contemporary Freeman number-line convention. Imprints and series: W. H. Freeman; Scientific American Books; Scientific American Library; Worth Publishers (sister house, distributed); Spektrum (UK academic imprint, 1990s). Background: Pauling's 'General Chemistry' (1947) was the firm's inaugural title and an early landmark. Acquired by Scientific American in 1964 and brought under Holtzbrinck ownership in 1986 (via Scientific American); now an imprint under the Macmillan Learning / Holtzbrinck lineage. Book-club editions: for the Scientific American Library, watch for an absent price or club gutter codes; true firsts retain a priced jacket and the number line.


W. W. Norton & Company — first-edition identification

W. W. Norton & Company (USA (New York); 1923–present). First-edition identification: House chronology: W. W. Norton was founded in 1923 by William Warder Norton and Mary Dows Herter Norton, growing out of the not-for-profit People's Institute Publishing Co. (the publishing arm of the People's Institute at Cooper Union). It remains independent and has been wholly employee-owned since the early 1960s. Because Norton never number-lined its early books, dating a Norton first turns entirely on which era the copyright page belongs to — pre-number-line (statement-only) vs. modern (statement + line). Early/statement-only era (1923 to roughly the late 1950s–early 1960s): a first printing carries the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page, and Norton simply DROPPED that line on later printings — there was no printing key or letter/date code to fall back on. Rule for this era: statement present = first printing; statement absent (with no number line) = a later printing. Absence, not a number, is the signal. Number-line adoption (sometime in the 1960s — the guides do not pin an exact year, and it roughly coincides with the employee-ownership transition): Norton added a printing key/number row to the copyright page. From this point a first printing shows the full descending line ending in 1 — e.g. '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0' or a centered/alternating variant — with the numeral 1 present. As with all number-line houses the LOWEST digit present marks the printing regardless of whether the row ascends or descends: a second printing drops the 1 (lowest becomes 2), and so on. (This is the ordinary ends-in-1 convention — not the Random House ends-in-2 quirk.) Modern era (1960s–present): a true first typically prints BOTH a stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page AND a number line whose lowest number is 1. Treat the two as a matched pair — the statement declares intent, the line proves the printing. Confirm both before calling a book a first. The documented Norton exception (the tiebreaker rule): Norton is on record — per the Quill & Brush / IOBA publisher guides — as OCCASIONALLY FAILING to remove the 'First Edition' statement from later printings. When the stated line and the number line disagree, BELIEVE THE NUMBER LINE: a book reading 'First Edition' but with a row beginning at 2 (or higher) is a later printing, not a first. Cross-check against Zempel (First Editions: A Guide to Identification) and McBride (A Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions): both record the same two-phase Norton convention — statement-only in the earlier decades, statement-plus-line in the modern period. If a copyright page fits neither phase cleanly, verify the imprint and compare against a documented first of that exact title before concluding. Imprint/series discipline: books under Norton-controlled imprints (Liveright revived 2012, The Countryman Press acquired 1996, Norton Critical Editions from 1961, the Norton Anthologies) follow the parent house's statement-plus-line convention, but heavily reprinted academic and anthology titles carry printing lines that advance far past 1 — read the line, not the series prestige. Norton is also the U.S. distributor for several independent presses whose own imprints are NOT Norton firsts; identify by the imprint on the title/copyright page, not the spine distributor. Imprints and series: W. W. Norton; Liveright (revived as a Norton imprint 2012); Norton Critical Editions (from 1961); Norton Anthologies; The Countryman Press (acquired 1996); The New Press (distributed, separate house — do not conflate). Background: The signature Norton trap is the un-removed statement: a 'First Edition' line left standing on a reprint. This is a Norton HOUSE ERROR, not a book-club tell — the number line settles it every time (line starting at 2+ = later printing). Do not mistake it for a deliberate device. For pre-number-line Norton titles (roughly pre-1960), there is NO printing key to lean on — identification rests on the presence/absence of the 'First Edition' statement plus binding, dust-jacket price, and ad/state points. A statement-less early Norton is a later printing, not automatically a book-club edition. Book clubs are a minor concern for Norton relative to houses like Doubleday, but when a Norton title WAS a Book-of-the-Month/club selection the club printing typically lacks both the 'First Edition' statement and the number line and often carries a blind-stamped dot/square on the rear board — that stamp is a club tell, not a Norton house mark. (Do not confuse it with Knopf's Borzoi colophon, which is a genuine house device on a different publisher.) Do not read the Norton seagull branding (its 'Seagull'-branded academic lines and the seagull.wwnorton.com platform) as an edition point — it is house/series branding and says nothing about the printing. Norton has no dated colophon device that dates a first. Era-boundary caution: the exact year Norton began number-lining is not pinned to a single date in the guides ('sometime in the 1960s'). For copies from roughly 1958–1968, expect either convention and let the physical copyright page — statement-only vs. statement-plus-line — tell you which regime the book falls under rather than assuming from the date.


Wakefield Press — first-edition identification

Wakefield Press (Australia (Adelaide, South Australia); 1942-1950s (original); 1989-present (current management)). First-edition identification: 1942-1950s (original 'The Wakefield Press'): Founded in 1942 by Adelaide bookseller Harry Muir to publish small South Australian historical monographs. First editions are identified by a dated copyright/imprint page and a 'First published' statement where present; absence of a reprint notice indicates a first printing. 1989-present (current Wakefield Press): Independent Adelaide publisher under Michael Bollen (with Stephanie Johnston) from 1989, the name having been revived by the South Australian government for its 1986 sesquicentenary before passing to private ownership. First editions are identified by a 'First published 19xx/20xx' statement on the copyright/imprint page, with reprints adding 'Reprinted' lines. Where a number line appears, the lowest number indicates the printing; no reprint line plus the earliest stated year indicates a first printing. Imprints and series: Wakefield Press (current independent publisher); The Wakefield Press (original 1942 imprint). Background: South Australia's leading independent publisher under its current management since 1989, strong in South Australian history, food and wine, and local literature; publishes around 40 titles a year. The name evokes Edward Gibbon Wakefield's colonisation scheme for South Australia rather than honouring a founder; the original 1942 press was started by bookseller Harry Muir, and the name was later revived by the state government for the colony's 150th anniversary. Standard Australian identification: a 'First published' statement plus the absence of a reprint line, with a number line on many modern trade titles.


Walker Books (UK) — first-edition identification

Walker Books (UK) (UK; 1978–present). First-edition identification: British convention: a first printing carries a complete number line on the copyright page ending in 1 (commonly '2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1' or '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest digit present is the printing Typically NO 'First edition' statement on UK firsts — rely on the complete number line Usually a 'First published 20xx by Walker Books Ltd' line; on later printings the number line rises but the 'First published' date stays the same Imprints and series: Walker Books; Walker Studio; Walker Entertainment; Big Picture Press; Walker Books US = Candlewick Press (US sister). Background: UK independent founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker (with Amelia Edwards and Wendy Boase); flagship titles include Where's Wally?/Where's Waldo, Guess How Much I Love You, and We're Going on a Bear Hunt The US co-edition is published by sister company Candlewick Press (established 1991); the true first is the UK Walker printing, and a US 'First U.S. edition' postdates it Do not confuse with Bloomsbury's separate US 'Walker Books' imprint, nor with the older US Walker & Company (adult/nonfiction)


Ward Ritchie Press — first-edition identification

Ward Ritchie Press (Los Angeles, California, USA; 1932-1974 (press); Laguna Verde Imprenta from the 1970s). First-edition identification: 1932-1960s: fine and limited titles are identified by the COLOPHON (limitation, date, designer = Ward Ritchie, illustrator, and types). Trade titles under the Ward Ritchie Press imprint follow conventional first-edition practice for the era — look for the absence of a later-printing notice together with a stated copyright date matching the title page. Early period (from 1932): colophon-driven for limited work, with the imprint 'The Ward Ritchie Press' on the title page or colophon. The printing firm operated as Anderson & Ritchie and later Anderson, Ritchie & Simon; that firm name appears in the colophon as printer, while the publishing imprint may still read 'Ward Ritchie Press.' Later trade titles: first printings generally carry no additional-printing statement, with later printings adding 'second printing' and the like; limited issues continue to be colophon-identified. Laguna Verde Imprenta (Ritchie's retirement private press in Laguna Beach, on an Albion hand press): identify by the colophon limitation statement, hand-numbered. Imprints and series: Anderson & Ritchie; Anderson, Ritchie & Simon; Laguna Verde Imprenta (Ritchie's later private imprint, Laguna Beach). Background: Ritchie trained at the Frank Wiggins Trade School in Los Angeles and under François-Louis Schmied in Paris; design quality is a key authenticity signal. Distinguish the PRINTING firm names (Anderson & Ritchie; Anderson, Ritchie & Simon) from the PUBLISHING imprint (Ward Ritchie Press). The Ward Ritchie imprint focused on keepsakes, limited editions, cookbooks, and Western Americana / local history; the larger firm handled commercial printing. Ritchie retired in 1974 and moved to Laguna Beach to run the Laguna Verde Imprenta on an Albion hand press.


Ward, Lock & Co. — first-edition identification

Ward & Lock (from 1854)
Ward, Lock & Tyler (1865–1873)
Ward, Lock & Co. (1873 onward)
Ward, Lock & Bowden (from 1893)
Beeton imprints (acquired 1866)

Ward, Lock & Co. (London, UK; 1854–20th c. (this slice = 19th c.)). First-edition identification: Largely a popular, reprint and reference house: confirm whether Ward, Lock issued a title first or is reprinting it; many 'editions' are later impressions of cheap series. No formal edition statement on early firsts: use the title-page date, the absence of a later-printing notice, and the partnership style (Ward & Lock 1854– ; Ward, Lock & Tyler 1865–1873; Ward, Lock & Co. from 1873; Ward, Lock & Bowden from 1893) to date a printing. Dated advertisements / catalogue at the rear (the firm's catalogues are extensive) help pin the printing order. Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet first appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 (issued November 1887); the first separate book edition is July 1888. The annual is the true first appearance and a famous, near-unobtainable point-book — beware later facsimiles. Imprints and series: Ward & Lock (from 1854); Ward, Lock & Tyler (1865–1873); Ward, Lock & Co. (1873 onward); Ward, Lock & Bowden (from 1893); Beeton imprints (acquired 1866). Background: Published Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887, containing the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes (A Study in Scarlet) — one of the rarest objects in modern collecting. Acquired the Beeton list in 1866, gaining Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, and many illustrated, reference and guidebook series. The imprint changed repeatedly (Ward & Lock; Ward, Lock & Tyler 1865–1873; Ward, Lock & Co.; Ward, Lock & Bowden from 1893) — useful for dating. Predominantly popular reprints, so default to 'later edition' unless priority or first-appearance is established.


Warner Books — first-edition identification

Warner Books (USA (New York); founded 1970; Warner Books imprint retired 2007 (Hachette bought Time Warner Book Group in 2006, renamed the imprint Grand Central Publishing in 2007)). First-edition identification: Check the copyright page for the stated printing line. Warner's most common and most reliable tell — especially on its mass-market paperbacks — is a dated statement reading "First Printing: [Month] [Year]" (e.g. "First Printing: September 1991"); on trade hardcovers it more often reads "First Edition" or "First Printing." A printing statement that names any month/year later than the first, or that reads "Second Printing" etc., is a reprint. Confirm with the number line (printer's key) on the copyright page. Warner used the standard American rule: the LOWEST digit present indicates the printing. A complete line containing a 1 (e.g. "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" or "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2") is a first printing; if the 1 has been stripped so the lowest number is 2 or higher, it is a later printing. Treat the number line as decisive when it and the printing statement disagree: even a copy that still says "First Printing" or "First Edition" is actually a later printing if the 1 is gone from the line — publishers routinely reset only the digits, not the words. Apply the same two-part test (dated printing statement + number line ending in 1) to Warner mass-market and trade paperback originals, since Warner published heavily in paperback. A later-numbered line, or a printing statement naming a later month/year, marks a reprint even when the cover art is unchanged. Use the imprint wording itself to bracket the era: books read "Warner Books" and carry a corporate line such as "A Warner Communications Company" (earlier) or "A Time Warner Company" (later); this imprint runs roughly 1970 through 2006–2007, after which the same house issued books as "Grand Central Publishing." For a Warner hardcover, the true first is normally the Warner-imprinted trade hardcover with the stated first-printing/first-edition line and a 1 in the number line, in a first-state dust jacket carrying that title's original price and no later-printing or book-club notices. Imprints and series: Warner Books, Inc.; A Warner Communications Company (early copyright-page line); A Time Warner Company (later copyright-page line); Warner Vision; Warner Aspect (SF/fantasy line); Warner Faith; Mysterious Press (crime imprint distributed via Warner); Grand Central Publishing (successor imprint, 2007–). Background: Warner began as a reprint/paperback house (built on the former Paperback Library), so a great many Warner books are reprints of another publisher's first edition. A Warner first-printing line marks the first WARNER printing, not necessarily the first appearance of the text — confirm the title was a Warner original before treating it as the true first edition. Watch the wording: Warner more often states "First Printing [Month Year]" than "First Edition," particularly on mass-market paperbacks. Do not assume a Warner first must literally say "First Edition" — the dated printing line plus a number line ending in 1 is the real test. Do not rely on the printing statement alone; Warner (like other houses) sometimes left the statement set while resetting the number line, so the surviving lowest digit in the line governs the printing. Book-club editions of Warner titles exist and can lack a number line and price while sometimes retaining edition-like wording; a blind-stamp/dot on the rear board, absence of a price, and a missing number line flag a club copy. The rename year is commonly stated loosely as 2006, but that is the year Hachette bought the Time Warner Book Group; trade press and the successor imprint date the actual Warner Books → Grand Central Publishing rename to 2007. Sub-lines (Warner Vision, Warner Aspect, Warner Faith, and the Warner-distributed Mysterious Press) are the main variant imprint strings collectors will encounter for the same house.


Washington State University Press — first-edition identification

WSU Press
Washington State University Press

Washington State University Press (Pullman, Washington (Pacific Northwest); 1928-present). First-edition identification: 1928-1980s (early/scholarly era): Scholarly monographs and journals; first printings typically carry no number line — identify by the copyright year and the absence of any later-printing or revised-edition statement. University-press first printings of this era are frequently the only printing. 1980s-present (modern trade/regional era): Trade and regional titles use a descending number line; the lowest digit indicates the printing (for example '5 4 3 2 1' is a first printing). 'First printing' is sometimes stated. As with most university presses, many titles see only a single printing, so a matching copyright and publication year usually indicates a first. Imprints and series: WSU Press; Washington State University Press. Background: Established in 1928 under WSU (then Washington State College) President Ernest O. Holland; its first scholarly journal, Research Studies, appeared in 1929. By the mid-2020s the press had issued more than 260 titles and averages about eight new titles a year. Henry Grosshans served as press editor from the 1950s until his retirement in 1982 and raised the press's profile, helping attract and establish scholarly journals associated with it, including Poe Studies and ESQ: A Journal of the American Renaissance. Focus on the American West and Pacific Northwest history, environment, politics, and culture; print runs are small, so condition and scarcity drive collectibility more than printing state.


Watson-Guptill — first-edition identification

Watson-Guptill (US (New York; now administered via Berkeley/New York within Penguin Random House); 1937-present). First-edition identification: Modern era (Random House ownership from 2008, a Ten Speed Press / Crown imprint from 2013 within Penguin Random House): first printings follow the Crown convention of a 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1; later printings drop the low digits. Independent/older era (founded 1937; under Billboard Publications/VNU before 2008): identification is number-line based when a line is present, with the first printing line ending in 1; some art-instruction titles instead carry only a copyright/printing year, so verify per title. Background: Art-instruction, drawing, craft and design how-to publisher founded in 1937 by Ernest W. Watson, Ralph Reinhold and Arthur L. Guptill; relevant to the lifestyle slice for craft and design titles. Random House acquired Watson-Guptill in 2008 and made it a Ten Speed Press imprint in 2013; modern titles follow the Crown/PRH convention, so date the rule to ownership.


Wave Books — first-edition identification

Wave Books (US; 2005–present (Verse Press 2000–2005)). First-edition identification: Modern convention: copyright page states 'First Edition' with a descending number line; '1' present indicates the first printing. Distinctive minimalist design (heavy use of blind/letterpress-style covers); design is a house signature, not a printing point. First lacks later-printing notice. Background: Founded 2005 in Seattle by Charlie Wright; absorbed/continued Verse Press (founded 2000, Matthew Zapruder/Joshua Beckman) — pre-2005 titles may bear the Verse Press imprint. Publishes Mary Ruefle, CAConrad, Eileen Myles, Dorothea Lasky; known for fine production and special signed/limited issues with rear colophons. Young press, so number-line/stated-first practice is consistent; Verse Press predecessor titles should be identified under that name.


Way & Williams — first-edition identification

Way & Williams (Chicago, Illinois (Midwest US); 1895-1898). First-edition identification: 1895-1898: short-lived fine-press trade publisher; first editions bear the 'Way & Williams, Chicago' imprint with no 'First Edition' statement. Identify by the imprint, the dated title page, and frequently a colophon or limitation statement and decorated bindings, some designed by Frank Hazenplug and Bruce Rogers. Limited issues: rely on the limitation or colophon page stating the copy count as the first-issue point. 1898 dissolution: remaining titles and contracts transferred to Herbert S. Stone & Co.; copies bearing a later Stone imprint or a cancel title page are not the Way & Williams first issue. Imprints and series: Way & Williams. Background: Founded in 1895 by W. Irving Way and Chauncey L. Williams, a peer of Stone & Kimball in the 1890s Chicago aesthetic-publishing scene. Notable for finely designed books, including early design work by Bruce Rogers and Frank Hazenplug. Dissolved in 1898, with assets and contracts absorbed by Herbert S. Stone & Co. Its small total output makes its first editions scarce and collectible.


Wayne State University Press — first-edition identification

Wayne State University Press (Detroit, Michigan; 1941–present (Great Lakes Books series inaugurated 1986)). First-edition identification: 1941–c.1975 (scholarly titles): No first-printing statement; later printings and revised editions noted on the copyright page. Identify a first printing by the absence of later-printing language and a single copyright date matching the title page. c.1975–present: Number line on the copyright page; the lowest digit present indicates the printing, so a '1' present indicates a first printing. Library of Congress CIP block standard. Great Lakes Books series (regional series, inaugurated 1986) and the Painted Turtle imprint both follow the press's number-line convention; the series or imprint is named on the series/title page. Imprints and series: Great Lakes Books; Painted Turtle. Background: Founded 1941 by Wayne University faculty to disseminate scholarly work; strong regional list on Detroit, Michigan, and the Great Lakes, plus Jewish studies and folklore/fairy-tale studies. The Great Lakes Books series (inaugurated 1986 to honor Michigan's 1987 sesquicentennial) mixes original titles with reprints of Michigan classics; a Great Lakes Books reprint carries a new copyright/series page and is not the work's original first edition. Painted Turtle, named for Michigan's state reptile, is the press's general-readership regional imprint.


Wednesday Books — first-edition identification

Wednesday Books (US (New York); 2016–present). First-edition identification: Stated "First Edition" plus number line ending in 1 for first printing First printing: full number line counting down to 1 with no later-printing notice, following St. Martin's/Macmillan practice Imprints and series: Wednesday Books. Background: Young-adult imprint within the St. Martin's Publishing Group at Macmillan, launched in 2016 Known for YA and fantasy debuts Identification follows St. Martin's/Macmillan conventions


Weidenfeld & Nicolson — first-edition identification

Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Phoenix
Orion (later group)
W&N

Weidenfeld & Nicolson (UK; 1949-present). First-edition identification: First editions state "First published in Great Britain [Year] by Weidenfeld & Nicolson" on the copyright page; later printings noted Modern W&N (Orion group) uses a number line ending in 1; lowest digit = printing First printing = statement present and/or number line ending in 1, with no later-edition notation Confirm absence of reprint/impression lines Imprints and series: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; Phoenix; Orion (later group); W&N. Background: Published the controversial UK first of Nabokov's 'Lolita' (1959), Saul Bellow (UK), Mary Renault, Antonia Fraser Founded 1949; now part of the Orion/Hachette group Number-line era applies to most of the modern list


Wesley B. Small / Squadron Shop-adjacent — Detail & Scale, Inc. — first-edition identification

Detail & Scale series
Colors & Markings series

Wesley B. Small / Squadron Shop-adjacent — Detail & Scale, Inc. (USA (Detail & Scale, Inc.; originally distributed through Squadron/Signal Publications); c.1980-present (with reissues)). First-edition identification: 1980s into the 2000s, Bert Kinzey's detailed-aircraft modeler monographs originally distributed via Squadron/Signal: softcover volumes that frequently carry an explicit statement of edition and printing on the copyright/title page. A first printing typically shows the sole original copyright year and a stated first printing; later printings add a revised date or higher printing statement. Volumes are numbered ('Detail & Scale Vol. NN'); that volume number is a catalog sequence identifying the title, not an edition state. Modern reissues and reprinted/updated re-editions exist — confirm the original 1980s-90s copyright year and any stated printing for a true first printing. Imprints and series: Detail & Scale series; Colors & Markings series. Background: Standard modeler's detail reference for U.S. military aircraft (cockpits, variants, markings); original Squadron/Signal-distributed printings are the collected firsts. Authored line by Bert Kinzey, closely associated with but distinct from Squadron/Signal's house output. Later self-published and reissued editions postdate the original printings.


Wesleyan University Press — first-edition identification

Wesleyan Poetry Series
Music/Culture series
Early Classics of Science Fiction

Wesleyan University Press (US; 1957–present (parenthetical-numeral tell pre-1980s; number row from the 1980s)). First-edition identification: States 'First Edition' or 'First Printing' on the copyright page of first editions, and notes subsequent printings. DISTINCTIVE older tell: pre-1980s Wesleyan books often carry a numeral in parentheses or brackets at the FOOT OF THE LAST PAGE — '(1)' = first printing, '(2)' = second printing, etc. — sometimes in place of a copyright-page statement. Since the 1980s, Wesleyan uses a number row/line (and a year row) on the copyright page to indicate printing and year; lowest figures present = first printing. Imprints and series: Wesleyan Poetry Series; Music/Culture series; Early Classics of Science Fiction. Background: The parenthetical numeral at the foot of the last printed page is the signature Wesleyan point of issue for mid-century books — check the very last page, not just the copyright page. Wesleyan Poetry Series is the prestige line (James Wright, Anne Sexton, James Dickey, Robert Bly, etc.) and the most collected — confirm the '(1)' or first-printing statement for true firsts. Don't mistake a later 'second printing' poetry volume (very common for award winners) for a first.


West End Press — first-edition identification

West End Press (southwest). First-edition identification: ISBN prefixes 0-931122 and 0-9826968 Copyright year matching publication date Absence of later-printing notation; some titles state “First edition” Background: Founder Frank Crawford died in 2019. Distributed through the University of New Mexico Press.


West Publishing Company (law) — first-edition identification

West Publishing
West Group
Thomson West
Thomson Reuters / West
West Academic Publishing
Foundation Press (acquired)
Hornbook Series
Nutshell Series
American Casebook Series
Black's Law Dictionary

West Publishing Company (law) (United States (St. Paul, MN); 1872-present). First-edition identification: 1872-c.1980: John B. West began publishing in St. Paul in 1872, and the firm was incorporated as West Publishing Company in 1882; it became the dominant US legal publisher (National Reporter System, American Digest with the Key Number System, Black's Law Dictionary from 1891). Law books are identified by EDITION, not by first-printing points: each new edition supersedes the prior, so the title-page or spine edition statement ('First Edition,' '5th ed.') is the unit. Reporters and digests are identified by SERIES and VOLUME number. A first printing = the edition statement plus the absence of a later-printing notice. c.1980-present: A number line may appear on the copyright page (lowest digit = printing), but for hornbooks, nutshells, casebooks, and treatises the EDITION number governs identification and value. Pocket-part supplements update editions between revisions, so a complete copy includes the current pocket parts. Corporate eras: West Publishing, then West Group (1996), then Thomson West after Thomson's 1996 acquisition, then Thomson Reuters (2008), with West Academic Publishing carrying the student-aid lines (partly divested in 2014). The imprint name on the copyright page dates the printing era. Imprints and series: West Publishing; West Group; Thomson West; Thomson Reuters / West; West Academic Publishing; Foundation Press (acquired); Hornbook Series; Nutshell Series; American Casebook Series; Black's Law Dictionary. Background: Hornbook, Nutshell, and American Casebook series are the flagship student lines. Black's Law Dictionary (1st ed. 1891, by Henry Campbell Black, St. Paul) — the edition number is the key collecting point, and very early editions are scarce. Law-book collecting centers on edition currency and completeness (pocket parts), not first-printing points.