Cinco Puntos Press First Editions — A Collector's Authority Guide

Every press makes a choice about where it lives, and that choice says something about what it intends to publish. Cinco Puntos Press chose El Paso, Texas — three miles north of the international bridge to Ciudad Juárez, in the Chihuahuan Desert, at the western tip of the state. That wasn't a default. It was a declaration. For over three decades, Lee and Bobby Byrd ran a publishing house from the Five Points neighborhood of El Paso that was explicitly about the border: the people who lived on it, the stories that crossed it, the languages that tangled together across it. They published in English. They published in Spanish. They published in both at the same time, on facing pages, before most American publishers would consider such a thing commercially viable. The result was a catalog unlike anything else in American independent publishing — bilingual children's books, Chicano literary fiction, border noir, YA novels set in barrios and colonias, folktales retold from oral traditions that predated the border itself. If you have Cinco Puntos Press titles or any border literature to donate or sell, NMLP accepts any condition and any quantity through my free Albuquerque-area pickup service.

I encounter Cinco Puntos Press titles regularly through NMLP intake. They surface in bilingual educators' personal libraries, in the collections of Chicano studies professors, in households across the Rio Grande corridor from Las Cruces to Albuquerque. The press's catalog overlaps with nearly every border and Chicano/Latino literature collecting category on this site and connects directly to the broader Hispano literature tradition of the Southwest. This page is the definitive collector's reference for identifying, evaluating, and understanding Cinco Puntos Press first editions across every era of the press's history.

Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

Press History: From Five Points to National Recognition

Cinco Puntos Press first editions, including titles like Winners on the Pass Line, are increasingly collectible regional-press volumes sought by Southwest book collectors. Cinco Puntos Press was founded in 1985 by Lee Merrill Byrd and Bobby Byrd. The name translates directly from Spanish — "Five Points" — and refers to the intersection in Central El Paso where the Byrds lived and worked. Bobby was a poet from Memphis, Tennessee, who had settled in El Paso decades earlier. Lee was a novelist. Together they started the press from their home, driven by a conviction that the border region had stories worth telling and no mainstream publisher was telling them.

The very first Cinco Puntos Press publication was Dagoberto Gilb's Winners on the Pass Line in 1985 — a chapbook-sized short story collection printed in a run of approximately 1,000 copies. Gilb would go on to win the PEN/Hemingway Award and earn a PEN/Faulkner nomination through later works, but this slim debut marks the true origin point of the press. It remains one of the most collectible items in the entire Cinco Puntos catalog.

Through the late 1980s and 1990s, the Byrds expanded the catalog steadily, establishing the press's two signature strengths: bilingual children's books and literary fiction from the border. Joe Hayes became their breakout children's author, retelling Southwestern folktales in dual-language editions that earned the press early recognition from educators and librarians. On the adult literary side, poets like Bobby Byrd himself and fiction writers like Dagoberto Gilb and Luis Alberto Urrea gave the press credibility with the national literary establishment.

The 2000s and 2010s brought Cinco Puntos Press to its peak of national influence. Benjamin Alire Sáenz published multiple titles with the press, including Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood (2004), Last Night I Sang to the Monster (2009), and Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club (2012). The Kentucky Club collection won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2013, making Sáenz the first Latino writer ever to receive that honor. Isabel Quintero's Gabi, a Girl in Pieces won the William C. Morris Award for YA debut fiction in 2015. Sergio Troncoso published several books of fiction and essays. The press was winning Pura Belpré Awards and Honors, Tomás Rivera Book Awards, Americas Awards, and Lambda Literary Awards with a frequency that belied its tiny staff and El Paso address.

In June 2021, Lee and Bobby Byrd sold Cinco Puntos Press to Lee & Low Books, a New York-based independent publisher specializing in diverse children's literature. The acquisition included more than 300 titles. Cinco Puntos continues as an imprint within Lee & Low, and new titles still appear under the Cinco Puntos name. Bobby Byrd passed away on July 11, 2022, at the age of 80. His death closed a chapter in American independent publishing — and, for collectors, it sealed the legacy of the Byrd-era Cinco Puntos catalog as a finite, historically complete body of work.

Key Authors and Titles

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Sáenz is the single most important author in the Cinco Puntos Press catalog. Born in Old Picacho, New Mexico, and based for most of his career in El Paso, he published poetry, fiction, children's books, and short stories with the press across two decades. His Cinco Puntos titles include the poetry collections Dark and Perfect Angels (1995) and Elegies in Blue (2002); the bilingual children's books A Gift from Papa Diego, Grandma Fina and Her Wonderful Umbrellas (2001), A Perfect Season for Dreaming (2008), and The Dog Who Loved Tortillas (2009); the YA novel Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood (2004), set in the barrios of Las Cruces, New Mexico, during 1969; the YA novel Last Night I Sang to the Monster (2009); and the adult short story collection Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club (2012), set in the border world of El Paso and Juárez.

A critical point for collectors: Sáenz's best-known novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012), was published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, not by Cinco Puntos Press. This is one of the most common misattributions in border literature collecting, and I correct it regularly during NMLP intake evaluations. Sáenz is a Cinco Puntos author, but that particular title is not.

Joe Hayes

Joe Hayes is the foundational children's author of the Cinco Puntos Press catalog and arguably the most important bilingual storyteller in Southwestern children's literature. A master oral storyteller based in New Mexico, Hayes retold traditional Southwestern folktales in dual English-Spanish editions that became staples of bilingual education programs across the region. His Cinco Puntos titles include La Llorona / The Weeping Woman, El Cucuy: A Bogeyman Cuento, A Spoon for Every Bite, Watch Out for Clever Women! / ¡Cuidado Con Las Mujeres Astutas!, Little Gold Star / Estrellita de Oro, Dance, Nana, Dance / Baila, Nana, Baila, Pájaro Verde / The Green Bird, and Ghost Fever / Mal de Fantasma. Ghost Fever holds historical significance as the first bilingual book to win the Texas Bluebonnet Award, in 2004.

Hayes titles present specific collecting challenges because they are children's picture books — a format that suffers disproportionate condition damage through normal use. First printings in near-fine or better condition with intact dust jackets (where applicable) are genuinely uncommon.

Sergio Troncoso

Sergio Troncoso, an El Paso native and longtime Yale Writers' Workshop faculty member, published multiple works of fiction and essays with Cinco Puntos Press. His titles include The Last Tortilla and Other Stories, The Nature of Truth, From This Wicked Patch of Dust, Crossing Borders: Personal Essays, and A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son (2019). His novel Nobody's Pilgrims (2022) was published under the Cinco Puntos imprint after the Lee & Low acquisition. Troncoso's work deals with the El Paso border experience, immigration, and Mexican-American identity — themes that define the core of the Cinco Puntos mission.

Isabel Quintero

Isabel Quintero's debut YA novel Gabi, a Girl in Pieces was published by Cinco Puntos Press in 2014 and won the William C. Morris Award for YA debut fiction in 2015. It also received the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award and the California Book Award Gold Medal. Written as a diary by a Mexican-American teenager navigating her senior year of high school, the novel brought Cinco Puntos Press national YA recognition and introduced the press to readers who had never encountered a border-press title before.

Luis Alberto Urrea

Luis Alberto Urrea, born in Tijuana and raised in San Diego, published several works with Cinco Puntos Press before his later success with larger houses. His Cinco Puntos titles include the poetry collection Ghost Sickness (1997); the short story collection Six Kinds of Sky (2002), which was named Small Press Book of the Year in fiction by ForeWord magazine; the photo-essay Vatos (with photographer José Galvez); and the graphic novel adaptation Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush (illustrated by Christopher Cardinale). Urrea's Cinco Puntos titles represent early-career work from a writer who would later produce The Devil's Highway and The House of Broken Angels for major publishers, making these first editions attractive to collectors building comprehensive Urrea bibliographies.

Dagoberto Gilb

Dagoberto Gilb's Winners on the Pass Line (1985) was the first book Cinco Puntos Press ever published. Approximately 1,000 copies were printed as a trade paperback original in pictorial wraps. Gilb went on to win the PEN/Hemingway Award for his second collection and established himself as one of the most important Chicano fiction writers of his generation. The Cinco Puntos debut is the foundational collectible of the entire press — the book that started everything.

Xelena González and Adriana M. Garcia

The picture-book collaborations of author Xelena González and illustrator Adriana M. Garcia represent Cinco Puntos Press's late-era children's publishing at its finest. All Around Us won a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor and an American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award. Where Wonder Grows won the 2023 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. Both books were published under the Cinco Puntos imprint and reflect the press's enduring commitment to culturally rooted children's literature.

Claudia Guadalupe Martinez

Claudia Guadalupe Martinez's debut middle-grade novel The Smell of Old Lady Perfume was published by Cinco Puntos Press in 2008. It won the 2009 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People and the 2008 Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book Award, and received an Americas Award Commendation. It remains one of the more collected Cinco Puntos middle-grade titles.

First Edition Identification

Copyright Page Conventions

Cinco Puntos Press, as a small independent press, followed conventions typical of literary independents rather than major trade publishers. Understanding these conventions is essential for accurate first edition identification during book authentication.

Across most of its history, Cinco Puntos Press stated "First Edition" explicitly on the copyright page. This is the primary identification point. When the "First Edition" statement is present and there is no contradictory language (such as "Second Printing," "Reprinted," or "Revised"), you are looking at a first edition, first printing.

Some Cinco Puntos titles also include a number line (printer's key) on the copyright page. When present, the number line follows the standard convention: the lowest number in the sequence indicates the printing. If "1" is present, the book is a first printing. If "1" has been removed and the lowest number is "2," it is a second printing. Not all Cinco Puntos titles use number lines — the "First Edition" statement alone is sufficient when no number line appears.

For the earliest Cinco Puntos titles from the mid-to-late 1980s, copyright page conventions were less standardized. Some of these books carry no explicit first edition statement at all. In these cases, the absence of any reprint notation, combined with the original Cinco Puntos ISBN prefix and the matching publication date on the copyright page, indicates a first printing. This is consistent with small-press conventions of the era — the assumption was that if a book didn't say it was a later printing, it was the first.

ISBN Prefixes

Cinco Puntos Press used multiple ISBN prefixes across its history as it obtained additional ISBN blocks to accommodate a growing catalog:

The ISBN prefix is your fastest identification tool when examining books from estate libraries where the dust jacket may be missing or the title page publisher imprint is unclear. If the ISBN starts with 0-938317, you are holding an early Cinco Puntos Press title — likely from the press's first decade. The collector's glossary defines ISBN and other terms used throughout this page.

Distinguishing Cinco Puntos Originals from Lee & Low Reprints

After the June 2021 acquisition, Lee & Low Books began reprinting popular Cinco Puntos titles under the Cinco Puntos imprint name. These reprints are easy to distinguish from original Cinco Puntos Press editions if you know what to look for:

• ISBN prefix: Original Cinco Puntos editions carry the Cinco Puntos ISBN prefixes listed above. Lee & Low reprints may carry Lee & Low ISBN prefixes.
• Copyright page language: Lee & Low reprints will typically include language identifying Lee & Low as the current publisher, even when the Cinco Puntos imprint name appears on the title page and spine.
• Address: Original Cinco Puntos editions list an El Paso, Texas address. Post-acquisition editions may list New York.
• Printing statement: Lee & Low reprints will not carry the original "First Edition" statement. Look for reprint language or a number line starting at a number higher than 1.

For collectors, the distinction matters. A first printing of Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club with the original Cinco Puntos ISBN, El Paso address, and "First Edition" statement is a fundamentally different object from a Lee & Low reprint under the Cinco Puntos imprint. Both contain the same text. Only one is a collectible first edition.

Physical Characteristics

Cinco Puntos Press books have a distinctive physical personality that reflects the press's independent, artisan-oriented production values. Several physical characteristics help identify Cinco Puntos editions:

• Paper stocks: Cinco Puntos Press favored recycled and textured paper stocks, particularly for their literary fiction and poetry titles. The paper often has a slightly warmer tone and more tactile grain than the bright-white sheets used by major trade publishers. This is a deliberate aesthetic choice that aligns with the press's artisan identity.
• Cover design: Cinco Puntos covers typically feature bold, colorful artwork — often by regional artists — with design sensibilities drawn from Mexican and Southwestern visual traditions. The covers are a recognition point: they look like Cinco Puntos books even before you open them.
• Binding: Hardcover titles were generally case-bound in standard cloth or paper-over-board. Trade paperback originals (common for the poetry and early fiction) used perfect binding with heavy-stock wraps. Binding quality is generally solid but not exceptional — consistent with small-press production budgets.
• Children's books: Cinco Puntos picture books are typically large-format, full-color, case-bound with glossy dust jackets. The bilingual editions present English and Spanish text in parallel, either on facing pages or in alternating blocks on the same page.

Most Collected Titles by Tier

Cinco Puntos Press collectibility breaks into three tiers. No dollar amounts — I assess by demand, scarcity, and cultural significance.

Tier One: Highest demand, most actively sought. Benjamin Alire Sáenz's Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club (2012), first printing, particularly signed copies. The PEN/Faulkner Award and Lambda Literary Award elevate this title above everything else in the catalog. Dagoberto Gilb's Winners on the Pass Line (1985), the press's very first publication, in a print run of approximately 1,000 copies — a foundational rarity. Sáenz's Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood (2004), first printing, especially signed. Isabel Quintero's Gabi, a Girl in Pieces (2014), first printing — the Morris Award win created sustained institutional and collector demand.

Tier Two: Strong collector interest, moderate scarcity. Sáenz's Last Night I Sang to the Monster (2009), first printing. Luis Alberto Urrea's Six Kinds of Sky (2002), first printing. Joe Hayes's early bilingual editions in fine condition with dust jackets, particularly La Llorona and Ghost Fever. Sergio Troncoso's The Last Tortilla and Other Stories, first printing. Sáenz's bilingual children's books in first printings. Claudia Guadalupe Martinez's The Smell of Old Lady Perfume (2008), first printing. Xelena González and Adriana M. Garcia's All Around Us and Where Wonder Grows, first printings.

Tier Three: Broad interest, accessible. The wider Cinco Puntos catalog across all subject areas — the remaining poetry collections, the later children's titles, the miscellaneous fiction and nonfiction. First printings have modest secondary-market interest; signed copies or association copies elevate individual titles. This tier constitutes the bulk of Cinco Puntos Press titles encountered through NMLP intake. These books form the working library of anyone seriously interested in border literature and bilingual publishing history.

Signed copies deserve special attention. Because Cinco Puntos authors are predominantly El Paso and border-region based, signed and inscribed copies surface frequently in estate and institutional libraries across the Rio Grande corridor. Bobby Byrd's own inscribed copies to fellow writers carry particular association value now that he has passed. The closed signature pools page tracks which authors in this collecting area are deceased.

Condition and Grading: Cinco Puntos-Specific Considerations

Cinco Puntos Press books present condition challenges that differ from major-publisher titles. The recycled and textured paper stocks used by the press are more susceptible to toning, foxing, and moisture damage than the acid-free papers used by large trade publishers. Books stored in the humid climates of the Gulf Coast or in uncontrolled desert environments (extreme heat and dryness cycle) may show accelerated aging. Examine the text block edges and the first and last signatures carefully.

The perfect-bound trade paperback originals — which include many of the press's poetry titles and some early fiction — are vulnerable to spine cracking and page-block separation with repeated reading. A Cinco Puntos trade paperback that remains tight and uncreased after thirty-plus years has been either carefully stored or rarely opened. Both conditions are relevant to grading.

Children's picture books present the most significant condition challenges. Bilingual children's books are working educational tools — they are read aloud, handled by small hands, taken to schools, and stored in classroom libraries. Finding a first printing of a Joe Hayes title in near-fine condition with an intact, unclipped dust jacket is genuinely difficult. Accept that most children's titles will grade lower than adult literary fiction from the same press, and adjust expectations accordingly.

For detailed grading terminology and condition standards, see the collector's glossary. For authentication methodology, see the authentication guide.

The Collecting Market

The market for Cinco Puntos Press first editions operates on three levels, each with its own buyer profile and motivations.

Literary collectors seek the award-winning adult fiction and poetry — the Sáenz titles, the Gilb debut, the Troncoso and Urrea collections. These buyers are building comprehensive libraries of Chicano/Latino literature, border fiction, or PEN/Faulkner Award winners. They care about first printings, condition, and signatures. The PEN/Faulkner win for Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club placed Cinco Puntos Press permanently on the literary-awards collector radar.

Children's literature collectors and institutional buyers seek the bilingual picture books and the YA titles. Libraries, bilingual education programs, and Chicano studies departments are active buyers. The Morris Award for Gabi, a Girl in Pieces and the multiple Pura Belpré honors have generated sustained institutional demand. First printings of Hayes, González, and Quintero titles circulate through both collector and institutional channels.

Press-history and independent-publishing collectors seek the Cinco Puntos Press catalog as an artifact of American independent publishing. The complete Byrd-era catalog — from Gilb's 1985 debut through the 2021 acquisition — represents a discrete, historically bounded body of work from one of the most important literary independents of its generation. Collectors in this category may pursue the complete catalog, including minor titles, as a set.

Common Misattributions

Several important titles are frequently assumed to be Cinco Puntos Press publications but were actually published by other houses. Knowing the correct original publisher prevents misidentification during intake evaluation:

• Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012) — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Not Cinco Puntos Press. Sáenz published many other titles with Cinco Puntos, but this novel and its sequel were published by Simon & Schuster.
• Matt de la Peña, Last Stop on Market Street (2015) — G.P. Putnam's Sons. This Newbery Medal winner is sometimes assumed to be a Cinco Puntos title because of its Latino themes and bilingual cultural content, but it was published by a Penguin Random House imprint.
• Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (1984) — Arte Público Press (first edition) and Vintage (trade paperback). Cisneros did not publish with Cinco Puntos Press.

The Publisher Identification hub covers the full landscape of regional publishers and how to tell them apart. The Top 50 Most Collectible New Mexico First Editions places the key Cinco Puntos titles in context alongside the broader regional canon.