How to identify a first printing
- 1953-c.1990: Founded 1953 by Eric Boehm as a bibliographic/abstracting and reference house (the abstract serial America: History and Life dates to the 1960s). Reference works and bibliographies are identified by EDITION statement and copyright year; a first printing is indicated by the absence of any later-printing notice. Serial and abstract volumes are identified by volume number.
- c.1990-present: Where a number line appears on the copyright page, the lowest digit indicates the printing. For its core encyclopedias and reference sets the meaningful unit is the edition statement plus copyright year, not first-printing points; the first-printing collecting premium is minimal because this is a library reference market.
- Post-2008: Acquired the Greenwood Publishing Group from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2008), gaining the Greenwood, Praeger, and Libraries Unlimited imprints; corporate copyright-page style was then applied across those lines. ABC-CLIO was itself later acquired by Bloomsbury.
Notable points & cautions
- Name derives from the firm's databases (ABC = American Bibliographical Center) and Clio, the muse of history.
- Pure reference and library house; value lies in content currency and edition, not first-edition points.
- Became parent of the Greenwood and Praeger imprints in 2008.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: ABC-CLIO, Greenwood (post-2008), Praeger (post-2008), Libraries Unlimited, Linworth, Clio Press (UK, historical). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my ABC-CLIO book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1953-c.1990: Founded 1953 by Eric Boehm as a bibliographic/abstracting and reference house (the abstract serial America: History and Life dates to the 1960s). Reference works and bibliographies are identified by EDITION statement and copyright year; a first printing is indicated by the absence of any later-printing notice. Serial and abstract volumes are identified by volume number. c.1990-present: Where a number line appears on the copyright page, the lowest digit indicates the printing. For its core encyclopedias and reference sets the meaningful unit is the edition statement plus copyright year, not first-printing points; the first-printing collecting premium is minimal because this is a library reference market.
Does ABC-CLIO use a number line?
c.1990-present: Where a number line appears on the copyright page, the lowest digit indicates the printing. For its core encyclopedias and reference sets the meaningful unit is the edition statement plus copyright year, not first-printing points; the first-printing collecting premium is minimal because this is a library reference market.
Is a book-club edition a ABC-CLIO first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Name derives from the firm's databases (ABC = American Bibliographical Center) and Clio, the muse of history.
What era does this cover?
This covers ABC-CLIO (1953-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.