How to identify a first printing
- Fine-press / printer-publisher house: identification is colophon- and production-driven. Check the colophon (often at the back) for type, paper, press, and binding notes; Gaspereau prints and binds in-house, so production detail is integral to the book.
- Most titles are single small letterpress/offset printings, so the absence of any later-printing statement combined with the first-appearance copyright year establishes a first printing.
- Devil's Whim chapbooks and signed/limited issues carry limitation statements that define the point.
- When a title was reissued in a licensed trade edition after award attention, distinguish the original Gaspereau printing (its distinctive design) from the later trade reprint.
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1997 by Andrew Steeves and Gary Dunfield in Kentville, Nova Scotia; known for fine-press, letterpress-influenced design with in-house printing and binding (Smyth-sewn paperbacks, cloth hardcovers, letterpress limiteds).
- Famous point: Johanna Skibsrud's novel The Sentimentalists won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize, but Gaspereau's small hand-production (initial run reported around 800 copies) could not meet demand, so trade-paperback rights were licensed to Douglas & McIntyre. The original Gaspereau printing is the true collectible first, distinct from the higher-volume licensed Douglas & McIntyre trade edition.
- Production-distinctive: French-fold covers and letterpress wrappers; the design itself functions as an identifying feature.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Gaspereau Press, Gaspereau Press Printers, Devil's Whim chapbook series. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Gaspereau Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Fine-press / printer-publisher house: identification is colophon- and production-driven. Check the colophon (often at the back) for type, paper, press, and binding notes; Gaspereau prints and binds in-house, so production detail is integral to the book. Most titles are single small letterpress/offset printings, so the absence of any later-printing statement combined with the first-appearance copyright year establishes a first printing.
Does Gaspereau Press use a number line?
Most titles are single small letterpress/offset printings, so the absence of any later-printing statement combined with the first-appearance copyright year establishes a first printing.
Is a book-club edition a Gaspereau Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1997 by Andrew Steeves and Gary Dunfield in Kentville, Nova Scotia; known for fine-press, letterpress-influenced design with in-house printing and binding (Smyth-sewn paperbacks, cloth hardcovers, letterpress limiteds).
What era does this cover?
This covers Gaspereau Press (1997-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.