How to identify a first printing
- Late 20th c.: small hand-letterpress poetry chapbooks and broadsides. Identification = a COLOPHON limitation statement giving a small numbered edition; the first is the stated edition with no later-printing notice. There is no number line.
- Signed and numbered limited copies are noted on a colophon where issued; broadsides are identified by the stated limitation and any signature.
- Single-edition fine-press production, so a copy matching the colophon's stated limitation and the physical collation is the first; reprints are rare to nonexistent.
- Identify by the imprint name on the colophon and, where possible, by the printer's or associated poet's bibliography.
Notable points & cautions
- A Vermont long-tail letterpress poetry imprint, lightly documented; its publications are held in the Small Press Collection at the University at Buffalo Poetry Collection.
- Follows conventional small hand-press practice: numbered runs, wrappers or broadsides, and colophon-stated limitations.
- Identification relies on collation and the colophon rather than any printing line.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Bull Thistle Press. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Bull Thistle Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Late 20th c.: small hand-letterpress poetry chapbooks and broadsides. Identification = a COLOPHON limitation statement giving a small numbered edition; the first is the stated edition with no later-printing notice. There is no number line. Signed and numbered limited copies are noted on a colophon where issued; broadsides are identified by the stated limitation and any signature.
Does Bull Thistle Press use a number line?
Signed and numbered limited copies are noted on a colophon where issued; broadsides are identified by the stated limitation and any signature.
Is a book-club edition a Bull Thistle Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. A Vermont long-tail letterpress poetry imprint, lightly documented; its publications are held in the Small Press Collection at the University at Buffalo Poetry Collection.
What era does this cover?
This covers Bull Thistle Press (late 20th c. (c.1980s-2000s)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.