How to identify a first printing
- The first edition is a signed, numbered limited: a printed limitation page (often in a distinctive ink such as red) states the total edition and gives the copy number, signed by the author on the limitation page.
- Hardcover, usually issued in dustjacket; the limitation statement and author signature on the limitation/colophon leaf are the controlling first-edition points.
- Some titles had a scarcer lettered or specially-bound deluxe sub-state above the numbered run — check whether the copy is numbered or lettered, lettered being the scarcer state.
- Place/date on the copyright page tracks the publisher's relocations (Miami Beach in the late 1980s), useful for confirming a genuine first-issue.
Notable points & cautions
- Small fine-press operation run by bookseller Dennis McMillan; celebrated for Charles Willeford titles — notably Kiss Your Ass Good-bye (1987, 400 copies signed and numbered by Willeford on a red-printed limitation page), plus Fredric Brown pulp-recovery material.
- These are genuine first editions of often previously-unpublished or uncollected work — high collector interest driven by tiny runs and author signatures.
- Because runs are so small, condition of the limitation page and presence of the signature are decisive; later trade reprints by other houses are NOT the McMillan first.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Dennis McMillan Publications. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Dennis McMillan Publications book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. The first edition is a signed, numbered limited: a printed limitation page (often in a distinctive ink such as red) states the total edition and gives the copy number, signed by the author on the limitation page. Hardcover, usually issued in dustjacket; the limitation statement and author signature on the limitation/colophon leaf are the controlling first-edition points.
Does Dennis McMillan Publications use a number line?
Hardcover, usually issued in dustjacket; the limitation statement and author signature on the limitation/colophon leaf are the controlling first-edition points.
Is a book-club edition a Dennis McMillan Publications first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Small fine-press operation run by bookseller Dennis McMillan; celebrated for Charles Willeford titles — notably Kiss Your Ass Good-bye (1987, 400 copies signed and numbered by Willeford on a red-printed limitation page), plus Fredric Brown pulp-recovery material.
What era does this cover?
This covers Dennis McMillan Publications (1980s–2000s). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Dennis McMillan Publications titles with documented first-edition points
Each link opens that title’s specific points of issue — the exact marks that separate a true first printing from a later one.
- The Ghostway (Tony Hillerman, 1984)