How to identify a first printing
- 1879–1892: a cheap-reprint house notorious for unauthorized reprints (famously pirating Mark Twain). For its many reprint/piracy titles the 'Belford, Clarke & Co.' imprint, the city order on the title page, the dated title page, and the bound-in advertisement state identify the earliest issue — there is no first-edition statement and no number line.
- Because so many titles are reprints or piracies, 'first edition' of the work usually belongs to another publisher; for Belford-Clarke's own copyrighted titles, rely on the dated title page and bound-in catalog dating to separate earliest from later issues.
- Imprint and city-order changes (the Toronto Belford Bros. lineage; later Belford-Clarke Company / Rose-Belford forms) help bracket the date of an issue.
Notable points & cautions
- 1880s Chicago/New York (and San Francisco) cheap-edition publisher, infamous for pirated reprints of British and American authors before stronger copyright enforcement; building burned in an 1886 fire and the firm was out of business by 1892.
- Reprint nature means edition identification turns on authorized-vs-pirated status and advertisement/imprint state rather than first-printing statements.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Belford, Clarke & Co., Belford Bros. (Toronto), Belford-Clarke Company, Rose-Belford. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Belford, Clarke & Co. book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1879–1892: a cheap-reprint house notorious for unauthorized reprints (famously pirating Mark Twain). For its many reprint/piracy titles the 'Belford, Clarke & Co.' imprint, the city order on the title page, the dated title page, and the bound-in advertisement state identify the earliest issue — there is no first-edition statement and no number line. Because so many titles are reprints or piracies, 'first edition' of the work usually belongs to another publisher; for Belford-Clarke's own copyrighted titles, rely on the dated title page and bound-in catalog dating to separate earliest from later issues.
Does Belford, Clarke & Co. use a number line?
Because so many titles are reprints or piracies, 'first edition' of the work usually belongs to another publisher; for Belford-Clarke's own copyrighted titles, rely on the dated title page and bound-in catalog dating to separate earliest from later issues.
Is a book-club edition a Belford, Clarke & Co. first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. 1880s Chicago/New York (and San Francisco) cheap-edition publisher, infamous for pirated reprints of British and American authors before stronger copyright enforcement; building burned in an 1886 fire and the firm was out of business by 1892.
What era does this cover?
This covers Belford, Clarke & Co. (1879–1892). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.