How to identify a first printing
- 1954-1986 (John F. Blair lifetime era): No consistent 'First Edition' slug. Treat a first printing as a single copyright-page date matching publication with no later-printing statement; later printings explicitly note 'Second Printing,' etc. The first book, 'Whispering Pines' (1954), and other early titles follow this absence-of-statement convention.
- 1986-2017 (family/staff era): Mixed but increasing use of number lines; the lowest digit present (a '1') indicates the first printing. Some titles also carry 'First Edition' or 'First printing' wording. Where there is no number line, fall back to the absence of a later-printing notation plus a matching copyright date.
- 2017/2018-present (Blair, under Carolina Wren Press): Carolina Wren acquired the Blair trademarks and backlist in 2017 and began doing business as 'Blair' effective January 1, 2018; titles follow standard small-press number-line practice (lowest number present indicates the printing), and the imprint line reflects the new 'Blair' entity.
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1954 by John F. Blair in Winston-Salem; regional Southeastern nonfiction - history, folklore, travel, cookbooks, ghost-story and coastal-folklore collections (the perennial Charles Whedbee titles) - plus a few novels yearly.
- After Blair's death in 1986 the family and staff (including Carolyn Sakowski) continued the press for decades.
- Carolina Wren Press acquired the trademarks and backlist in 2017 and rebranded as 'Blair,' doing business under that name from January 1, 2018; the imprint name on the copyright page distinguishes the eras.
- Known for heavily reprinted North Carolina and Appalachian ghost and folklore titles, so distinguishing printing from edition matters.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: John F. Blair, Publisher, Blair (rebrand under Carolina Wren Press, doing business as 'Blair' from January 1, 2018). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my John F. Blair, Publisher book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1954-1986 (John F. Blair lifetime era): No consistent 'First Edition' slug. Treat a first printing as a single copyright-page date matching publication with no later-printing statement; later printings explicitly note 'Second Printing,' etc. The first book, 'Whispering Pines' (1954), and other early titles follow this absence-of-statement convention. 1986-2017 (family/staff era): Mixed but increasing use of number lines; the lowest digit present (a '1') indicates the first printing. Some titles also carry 'First Edition' or 'First printing' wording. Where there is no number line, fall back to the absence of a later-printing notation plus a matching copyright date.
Does John F. Blair, Publisher use a number line?
1986-2017 (family/staff era): Mixed but increasing use of number lines; the lowest digit present (a '1') indicates the first printing. Some titles also carry 'First Edition' or 'First printing' wording. Where there is no number line, fall back to the absence of a later-printing notation plus a matching copyright date.
Is a book-club edition a John F. Blair, Publisher first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1954 by John F. Blair in Winston-Salem; regional Southeastern nonfiction - history, folklore, travel, cookbooks, ghost-story and coastal-folklore collections (the perennial Charles Whedbee titles) - plus a few novels yearly.
What era does this cover?
This covers John F. Blair, Publisher (1954-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.