How to identify a first printing
- 1966-1978: mimeograph, offset, and occasional letterpress chapbooks and booklets. Identification is per-title via stapled-wrappers collation; most titles are single editions with no printing statement, so a copy matching the standard bibliography (the Granary 'Angel Hair Anthology' checklist) is the first.
- Magazine: six issues, Spring 1966-Spring 1969 — identify by issue number and contents; there were no reprints, so any genuine issue is the original. Most issues carried uniform letterpress paper wrappers (printed by The Chapel Press); one issue had a decorated mimeographed wrapper.
- Some books exist in a plain mimeo/offset trade state plus a small signed or hardbound sub-issue; the signed or limited state is noted on a colophon when one is present.
- Mimeo-revolution production means stapled bindings, colored-paper wrappers, and small runs are the norm; complete wrappers and covers are key collation points.
Notable points & cautions
- Edited and published by Anne Waldman and Lewis Warsh (married at the time), beginning from their St. Marks Place apartment and later associated with Bolinas, California; a central organ of the second-generation New York School and the St. Mark's Poetry Project milieu.
- Published many books and chapbooks plus the magazine, with contributors including Ted Berrigan, Alice Notley, Bernadette Mayer, Clark Coolidge, Joe Brainard, Ron Padgett, John Wieners, Tom Clark, and Kenward Elmslie.
- Archive held at NYU's Fales Library; the Granary Books anthology 'Angel Hair Sleeps with a Boy in My Head' (2001) is the standard reference and reprint source.
- A quintessential mimeograph-revolution press — identification leans on bibliography and physical collation rather than any printing line.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Angel Hair (magazine, 6 issues 1966-69), Angel Hair Books, Boke (related Warsh imprint). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Angel Hair (Angel Hair Books / magazine) book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1966-1978: mimeograph, offset, and occasional letterpress chapbooks and booklets. Identification is per-title via stapled-wrappers collation; most titles are single editions with no printing statement, so a copy matching the standard bibliography (the Granary 'Angel Hair Anthology' checklist) is the first. Magazine: six issues, Spring 1966-Spring 1969 — identify by issue number and contents; there were no reprints, so any genuine issue is the original. Most issues carried uniform letterpress paper wrappers (printed by The Chapel Press); one issue had a decorated mimeographed wrapper.
Does Angel Hair (Angel Hair Books / magazine) use a number line?
Magazine: six issues, Spring 1966-Spring 1969 — identify by issue number and contents; there were no reprints, so any genuine issue is the original. Most issues carried uniform letterpress paper wrappers (printed by The Chapel Press); one issue had a decorated mimeographed wrapper.
Is a book-club edition a Angel Hair (Angel Hair Books / magazine) first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Edited and published by Anne Waldman and Lewis Warsh (married at the time), beginning from their St. Marks Place apartment and later associated with Bolinas, California; a central organ of the second-generation New York School and the St. Mark's Poetry Project milieu.
What era does this cover?
This covers Angel Hair (Angel Hair Books / magazine) (1966-1978). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.