How to identify a first printing
- 1970s-1980s: hand-printed letterpress poetry broadsides, chapbooks, and books, produced on a Washington handpress and later a Vandercook. Identification rests on the COLOPHON limitation statement (typically a small run), which records the limitation, types, paper, and printer (Bonnie O'Connell). Limited copies are commonly numbered, and some are signed by the author at the colophon. No number line is used.
- A copy matching the colophon collation is the first; these single fine-press editions are essentially never reprinted.
- NAME-COLLISION CAUTION: the Canadian 'Penumbra Press' (founded 1979 in Ontario) is a SEPARATE publisher with conventional trade practice (copyright-page 'First Edition' / number line). Confirm which Penumbra applies by place of publication and the printer named in the colophon.
- Broadsides are identified by their stated limitation and any signatures; they bear no copyright-page printing statements.
Notable points & cautions
- American Penumbra Press is Bonnie O'Connell's fine-press imprint, in the Iowa hand-press lineage associated with Kim Merker (Windhover/Stone Wall); collected as book art.
- First release was 'Little Notes to You from Lucas Street,' a sixteen-poem collection printed on a Washington handpress.
- Two unrelated houses share the name — the Iowa fine press and the Ontario trade press — a frequent cataloguing pitfall.
- Identification for the fine press is purely colophon/collation-based.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Penumbra Press. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Penumbra Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1970s-1980s: hand-printed letterpress poetry broadsides, chapbooks, and books, produced on a Washington handpress and later a Vandercook. Identification rests on the COLOPHON limitation statement (typically a small run), which records the limitation, types, paper, and printer (Bonnie O'Connell). Limited copies are commonly numbered, and some are signed by the author at the colophon. No number line is used. A copy matching the colophon collation is the first; these single fine-press editions are essentially never reprinted.
Does Penumbra Press use a number line?
A copy matching the colophon collation is the first; these single fine-press editions are essentially never reprinted.
Is a book-club edition a Penumbra Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. American Penumbra Press is Bonnie O'Connell's fine-press imprint, in the Iowa hand-press lineage associated with Kim Merker (Windhover/Stone Wall); collected as book art.
What era does this cover?
This covers Penumbra Press (c.1971-1990s (Iowa fine press)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.