How to identify a first printing
- Letterpress craft house: identification is colophon-driven. A rear colophon typically states the edition size and distinguishes signed/numbered copies from the trade run; number lines are not the relevant signal for the early titles.
- Many titles were printed in a single small edition with no reprint statement; the colophon's stated edition size, combined with the absence of any later-printing notice, identifies the issue.
- Signed/numbered limitation copies are a distinct state from the unsigned trade copies of the same edition.
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1961 by Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop while graduate students; the press closed in 2017 after roughly 247 publications. Central to experimental American poetry and to French and German poetry in translation.
- All Burning Deck titles were hand-set and printed on the Waldrops' own letterpress until 1985, after which the press moved to offset. The early letterpress titles are the most collected and are identified by their colophons rather than number lines.
- Série d'Ecriture and Dichten= are translation sub-series; the series leaf dates the title.
- Lost Roads Publishers (associated with C.D. Wright and Forrest Gander) is a distinct press, not a Burning Deck imprint proper.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Série d'Ecriture (translation series), Dichten= (German translation series), Lost Roads Publishers (associated). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Burning Deck Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Letterpress craft house: identification is colophon-driven. A rear colophon typically states the edition size and distinguishes signed/numbered copies from the trade run; number lines are not the relevant signal for the early titles. Many titles were printed in a single small edition with no reprint statement; the colophon's stated edition size, combined with the absence of any later-printing notice, identifies the issue.
Does Burning Deck Press use a number line?
Many titles were printed in a single small edition with no reprint statement; the colophon's stated edition size, combined with the absence of any later-printing notice, identifies the issue.
Is a book-club edition a Burning Deck Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1961 by Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop while graduate students; the press closed in 2017 after roughly 247 publications. Central to experimental American poetry and to French and German poetry in translation.
What era does this cover?
This covers Burning Deck Press (1961–2017). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.