How to identify a first printing
- 1825–c.1876: a stereotype-driven religious publisher whose tracts and books are largely undated and carry no first-edition statement. 'Identification' is by the assigned tract/series number, the New York vs. Boston imprint, and the stereotype-plate state, not by an edition statement.
- Undated books and tracts are dated by external evidence (the method documented by the American Antiquarian Society / S.J. Wolfe): the bound-in 'Publications of the American Tract Society' catalog, the form of the imprint and typeface, and the society's changing New York address — for example the shift to the 150 Nassau Street address and the wording/typeface of that imprint line.
- Premium/gift bindings (gilt, presentation) are binding variants, not separate editions; the same stereotype text was reprinted indefinitely, so a textual 'first printing' is generally not determinable and these are not collected by edition.
- Annual Reports and periodicals (e.g., the American Messenger) are dated by year on the title page or cover, which serves as the edition.
Notable points & cautions
- Formed 1825 in New York by the merger of the New York Religious Tract Society (1812) and the New England Tract Society (1814, later the American Tract Society of Boston); a massive evangelical stereotype publisher of tracts and devotional books.
- Stereotype plates produced decades of near-identical reprintings (some tracts in millions of impressions), so textual first printings are usually indeterminate and collectors track imprint city, address, typeface, and catalog state instead.
- Numbered tract series (each title keeping its series number across reprints) provide the most reliable internal identification system, though the number alone does not date a copy.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: American Tract Society, ATS (New York), ATS (Boston). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my American Tract Society book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1825–c.1876: a stereotype-driven religious publisher whose tracts and books are largely undated and carry no first-edition statement. 'Identification' is by the assigned tract/series number, the New York vs. Boston imprint, and the stereotype-plate state, not by an edition statement. Undated books and tracts are dated by external evidence (the method documented by the American Antiquarian Society / S.J. Wolfe): the bound-in 'Publications of the American Tract Society' catalog, the form of the imprint and typeface, and the society's changing New York address — for example the shift to the 150 Nassau Street address and the wording/typeface of that imprint line.
Does American Tract Society use a number line?
Undated books and tracts are dated by external evidence (the method documented by the American Antiquarian Society / S.J. Wolfe): the bound-in 'Publications of the American Tract Society' catalog, the form of the imprint and typeface, and the society's changing New York address — for example the shift to the 150 Nassau Street address and the wording/typeface of that imprint line.
Is a book-club edition a American Tract Society first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Formed 1825 in New York by the merger of the New York Religious Tract Society (1812) and the New England Tract Society (1814, later the American Tract Society of Boston); a massive evangelical stereotype publisher of tracts and devotional books.
What era does this cover?
This covers American Tract Society (1825–present (peak 19c)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.