How to identify a first printing
- Atlases are identified by the named edition plus the copyright year on the title/copyright page; a first printing shows the copyright year with no list of later revision printings.
- c.1900-1950s: 'C.S. Hammond & Company' imprint; tiered named editions (Ambassador, Medallion, Citation, Superior) indicate market level and era — the named tier plus the copyright year brackets the printing.
- c.1966-1990s: the imprint becomes 'Hammond Incorporated, Maplewood, N.J.'; the copyright-page year remains the dating anchor, and later printings add a revision-year list.
- Road maps (oil-company and state maps printed by Hammond): date them via printer codes and the copyright year in the map margin, as with other commercial map houses.
Notable points & cautions
- The imprint shift from 'C.S. Hammond & Company' to 'Hammond Incorporated' (around the mid-1960s) brackets earlier vs. later atlases.
- The named tiers (Ambassador / Medallion / Citation / Superior) are content and quality grades, useful for era and identification.
- A long-running family map house (founded 1900 by Caleb Stillson Hammond, incorporated 1901; second only to Rand McNally at its mid-century peak); later folded into the Langenscheidt group, with modern atlases under Hammond World Atlas Corporation.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Hammond's World Atlas, Hammond Ambassador / Medallion / Citation World Atlas, Hammond Comparative World Atlas, Hammond road maps. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Hammond (C.S. Hammond & Co. / Hammond Inc.) book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Atlases are identified by the named edition plus the copyright year on the title/copyright page; a first printing shows the copyright year with no list of later revision printings. c.1900-1950s: 'C.S. Hammond & Company' imprint; tiered named editions (Ambassador, Medallion, Citation, Superior) indicate market level and era — the named tier plus the copyright year brackets the printing.
Does Hammond (C.S. Hammond & Co. / Hammond Inc.) use a number line?
c.1900-1950s: 'C.S. Hammond & Company' imprint; tiered named editions (Ambassador, Medallion, Citation, Superior) indicate market level and era — the named tier plus the copyright year brackets the printing.
Is a book-club edition a Hammond (C.S. Hammond & Co. / Hammond Inc.) first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. The imprint shift from 'C.S. Hammond & Company' to 'Hammond Incorporated' (around the mid-1960s) brackets earlier vs. later atlases.
What era does this cover?
This covers Hammond (C.S. Hammond & Co. / Hammond Inc.) (1900-2000s). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.