How to identify a first printing
- 1979-1990s: Standard university-press convention - no 'First Edition' slug; treat a first printing as a single copyright date with no later-printing or 'second printing' notation. Many early titles are religion/theology and Southern history monographs in small print runs.
- 1990s-present: Standard academic number-line practice - a number line on the copyright page with the lowest digit present indicating the printing (a present '1' indicates a first printing); the copyright page typically also states the first-publication year and notes later printings or editions explicitly. Cloth and paper issues each carry their own printing data, so distinguish the first cloth printing from the first paper printing.
- Where no number line is present on an early title, the absence of any printing statement plus a matching copyright year is the practical first-printing tell.
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1979 at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia; strong in religion and Baptist studies, Georgia and Southern history, and Southern literature (including Flannery O'Connor scholarship).
- Small academic print runs; the absence of a printing statement plus a matching copyright year is the practical first-printing tell where no number line appears.
- Frequently issues sequential or simultaneous cloth and paperback - track binding-specific firsts.
- Some titles are funded via named endowments (e.g., the Sarah Mills Hodge Fund) noted on the copyright or acknowledgments page; that funding note is not an edition signal.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Mercer University Press, Sarah Mills Hodge Fund titles (funded series). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Mercer University Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1979-1990s: Standard university-press convention - no 'First Edition' slug; treat a first printing as a single copyright date with no later-printing or 'second printing' notation. Many early titles are religion/theology and Southern history monographs in small print runs. 1990s-present: Standard academic number-line practice - a number line on the copyright page with the lowest digit present indicating the printing (a present '1' indicates a first printing); the copyright page typically also states the first-publication year and notes later printings or editions explicitly. Cloth and paper issues each carry their own printing data, so distinguish the first cloth printing from the first paper printing.
Does Mercer University Press use a number line?
1990s-present: Standard academic number-line practice - a number line on the copyright page with the lowest digit present indicating the printing (a present '1' indicates a first printing); the copyright page typically also states the first-publication year and notes later printings or editions explicitly. Cloth and paper issues each carry their own printing data, so distinguish the first cloth printing from the first paper printing.
Is a book-club edition a Mercer University Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1979 at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia; strong in religion and Baptist studies, Georgia and Southern history, and Southern literature (including Flannery O'Connor scholarship).
What era does this cover?
This covers Mercer University Press (1979-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.