How to identify a first printing
- Eremite Press was the imprint name Leonard Baskin used for his Gehenna Press output from 1983 (beginning with Unknown Dutch Artists) through 1989 (ending with Fancies, Bizarries & Ornamented Grotesques), with the 1988 title Icones Librorum Artifices an exception. The name was adopted to avoid a publishing-rights dispute after rights had been sold to a Belgian publisher, Jacques de la Cave; it is not a 1950s imprint. After 1989 Baskin reverted to the Gehenna Press name.
- Identify by the Eremite Press imprint on the title page or colophon, dated within the 1983-1989 window, paired with Baskin-circle fine-press production (wood engravings, hand-press work). As fine-press limited editions, copies are typically identified and authenticated by a printed colophon stating the total limitation and, where applicable, the copy number; treat the colophon as the primary point. Cross-check any attribution against published Gehenna Press bibliographies, since the imprint was short-lived and obscure.
Notable points & cautions
- Eremite Press is not a separate 1950s house but the imprint Baskin's Gehenna Press operated under from 1983 to 1989, mostly after the Baskins returned from England to Leeds, Massachusetts (Northampton area) in 1984.
- The imprint was used to sidestep a title/ownership dispute over the Gehenna Press name following a sale of publishing rights to Jacques de la Cave in the early 1980s.
- Very small, fine-press output; verify attributions and limitation details against Gehenna Press bibliographies and the colophon rather than relying on the imprint alone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Eremite Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Eremite Press was the imprint name Leonard Baskin used for his Gehenna Press output from 1983 (beginning with Unknown Dutch Artists) through 1989 (ending with Fancies, Bizarries & Ornamented Grotesques), with the 1988 title Icones Librorum Artifices an exception. The name was adopted to avoid a publishing-rights dispute after rights had been sold to a Belgian publisher, Jacques de la Cave; it is not a 1950s imprint. After 1989 Baskin reverted to the Gehenna Press name. Identify by the Eremite Press imprint on the title page or colophon, dated within the 1983-1989 window, paired with Baskin-circle fine-press production (wood engravings, hand-press work). As fine-press limited editions, copies are typically identified and authenticated by a printed colophon stating the total limitation and, where applicable, the copy number; treat the colophon as the primary point. Cross-check any attribution against published Gehenna Press bibliographies, since the imprint was short-lived and obscure.
Does Eremite Press use a number line?
Identify by the Eremite Press imprint on the title page or colophon, dated within the 1983-1989 window, paired with Baskin-circle fine-press production (wood engravings, hand-press work). As fine-press limited editions, copies are typically identified and authenticated by a printed colophon stating the total limitation and, where applicable, the copy number; treat the colophon as the primary point. Cross-check any attribution against published Gehenna Press bibliographies, since the imprint was short-lived and obscure.
Is a book-club edition a Eremite Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Eremite Press is not a separate 1950s house but the imprint Baskin's Gehenna Press operated under from 1983 to 1989, mostly after the Baskins returned from England to Leeds, Massachusetts (Northampton area) in 1984.
What era does this cover?
This covers Eremite Press (1983-1989). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.