How to identify a first printing
- Founded 1902; preeminent scholarly Western Americana house, long known for limited editions. Many titles were issued in a stated limited print run; identify the first or only edition via a limitation/colophon statement (for example, an edition limited to a stated number of numbered copies) giving the copy number out of the total.
- For limited issues the limitation statement is the edition point; an unnumbered or later-state copy is not the limited first.
- House typography aids attribution: text was long set in Linotype Caslon Old Style.
- Trade (non-limited) titles: a first printing is shown by a single copyright/title-page date with no later-printing statement; some titles appeared in both a limited and a trade state.
- Post-2006 titles (under the University of Oklahoma Press) follow OU Press number-line conventions while keeping the Clark imprint.
Notable points & cautions
- Limited, numbered editions are the defining collectible characteristic; always check for a limitation/colophon leaf and its stated total.
- Acquired by the University of Oklahoma Press in 2006 (relocating to Norman, Oklahoma); that ownership change shifts the identification approach from a limitation statement for classic Clark titles to OU-style number lines for recent titles.
- Multi-volume documentary sets are common (such as overland-diaries series); a complete first issue requires all volumes in the matching limited state.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my The Arthur H. Clark Company book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Founded 1902; preeminent scholarly Western Americana house, long known for limited editions. Many titles were issued in a stated limited print run; identify the first or only edition via a limitation/colophon statement (for example, an edition limited to a stated number of numbered copies) giving the copy number out of the total. For limited issues the limitation statement is the edition point; an unnumbered or later-state copy is not the limited first.
Does The Arthur H. Clark Company use a number line?
For limited issues the limitation statement is the edition point; an unnumbered or later-state copy is not the limited first.
Is a book-club edition a The Arthur H. Clark Company first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Limited, numbered editions are the defining collectible characteristic; always check for a limitation/colophon leaf and its stated total.
What era does this cover?
This covers The Arthur H. Clark Company (1902-present (independent 1902-2006; OU Press imprint thereafter)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.