How to identify a first printing
- 1866-1920s (Deseret News Bookstore / early roots): The LDS Church's official bookstore and publisher; lineage traces to George Q. Cannon & Sons (1866), purchased by the Deseret News in 1901 to become the Deseret News Bookstore. No number line; identify firsts by copyright year and absence of any reprint or later-printing notice. Nineteenth-century LDS imprints are scarce and identified bibliographically (Flake-Draper LDS bibliography).
- 1919/1920 (Deseret Book Company formed October 1919 by merger of the Deseret News Bookstore and the Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore; name adopted 1920) - 1960s: printing and edition statements appear inconsistently; earliest copyright year plus a clean printing line indicates a first.
- 1960s-1980s: number and printing-history lines emerge; earliest single year with no added printings indicates a first.
- 1980s-present: standard descending number line on the copyright page; the lowest digit present indicates the printing, so a '1' present indicates a first printing.
- Shadow Mountain (the national, general-market imprint) and Eagle Gate follow the same number-line convention.
Notable points & cautions
- Formed in October 1919 from the merger of the Deseret News Bookstore and the Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore, with the Deseret Book Company name adopted in 1920; deeper roots to George Q. Cannon & Sons (1866).
- Owned by the LDS Church through Deseret Management Corporation, making it effectively the official LDS publisher and retailer.
- Acquired Bookcraft in 1999 and combined the lists; launched Shadow Mountain for the national market.
- Early LDS imprints are catalogued in the Flake-Draper Mormon bibliography, the authoritative reference for the early firsts; large devotional print runs mean most modern firsts are common while the scarce items are the early Salt Lake imprints.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Deseret Book, Bookcraft (acquired 1999), Shadow Mountain, Eagle Gate, Ensign Peak. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Deseret Book Company book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1866-1920s (Deseret News Bookstore / early roots): The LDS Church's official bookstore and publisher; lineage traces to George Q. Cannon & Sons (1866), purchased by the Deseret News in 1901 to become the Deseret News Bookstore. No number line; identify firsts by copyright year and absence of any reprint or later-printing notice. Nineteenth-century LDS imprints are scarce and identified bibliographically (Flake-Draper LDS bibliography). 1919/1920 (Deseret Book Company formed October 1919 by merger of the Deseret News Bookstore and the Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore; name adopted 1920) - 1960s: printing and edition statements appear inconsistently; earliest copyright year plus a clean printing line indicates a first.
Does Deseret Book Company use a number line?
1919/1920 (Deseret Book Company formed October 1919 by merger of the Deseret News Bookstore and the Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore; name adopted 1920) - 1960s: printing and edition statements appear inconsistently; earliest copyright year plus a clean printing line indicates a first.
Is a book-club edition a Deseret Book Company first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Formed in October 1919 from the merger of the Deseret News Bookstore and the Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore, with the Deseret Book Company name adopted in 1920; deeper roots to George Q. Cannon & Sons (1866).
What era does this cover?
This covers Deseret Book Company (1866/1919-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.