How to identify a first printing
- Trade first edition: copyright page typically without later-printing notation; check against the known single print run (~3,000 copies)
- Signed/limited state is identified by a tipped-in or bound-in 'limitation leaf' after the title page, stating the limitation number and signed by the author (anywhere from ~250 to 500 numbered/signed copies per title)
- Trade copies lack the limitation leaf; presence of the numbered, author-signed leaf marks the limited issue
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, PA; published E. E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman/Skylark, Heinlein, Williamson, van Vogt in hardcover
- Quality bindings, good paper, and interior illustrations are house hallmarks
- Signed limited issues (esp. Heinlein) command multiples of the trade price
- Polaris Press was a short-lived associated imprint
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Fantasy Press, Polaris Press (sister imprint). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Fantasy Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Trade first edition: copyright page typically without later-printing notation; check against the known single print run (~3,000 copies) Signed/limited state is identified by a tipped-in or bound-in 'limitation leaf' after the title page, stating the limitation number and signed by the author (anywhere from ~250 to 500 numbered/signed copies per title)
Does Fantasy Press use a number line?
Signed/limited state is identified by a tipped-in or bound-in 'limitation leaf' after the title page, stating the limitation number and signed by the author (anywhere from ~250 to 500 numbered/signed copies per title)
Is a book-club edition a Fantasy Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, PA; published E. E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman/Skylark, Heinlein, Williamson, van Vogt in hardcover
What era does this cover?
This covers Fantasy Press (1946–1961). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Fantasy Press 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.
- Assignment in Eternity (Robert A. Heinlein, 1953)
- Beyond This Horizon (Robert A. Heinlein, 1948)