How to identify a first printing
- First and only edition is established by the COLOPHON limitation statement. Kim (K.K.) Merker founded the Stone Wall Press in Iowa City in 1957 as his own private press, after working with Harry Duncan at the Cummington Press. Books were hand-composed and hand-printed on hand-presses, then hand-bound; the colophon states the limitation, types, paper, and date. Documented edition sizes generally run roughly 200 to 300 copies (not as small as a hundred). Verify the Iowa imprint and the colophon.
- Distinguish from the WINDHOVER PRESS, Merker's later University of Iowa sponsored imprint begun in 1967, and from the unrelated Washington, D.C. 'Stone Wall Press' (a trade natural-history publisher). The Iowa Stone Wall Press is the fine-press one. Merker's running keepsake numbering reserved numbers 1-199 for Stone Wall Press, so a low series number with an Iowa colophon supports the attribution.
Notable points & cautions
- Merker's foundational private press; early fine-press poetry titles including work by Donald Justice, Mark Strand, Philip Levine, W.S. Merwin, and reprints of Pound and Roethke.
- Name-clash with an unrelated Washington, D.C. trade publisher of the same name; verify by the Iowa imprint and the colophon.
- All books are limited firsts, controlled by the colophon limitation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Stone Wall Press (Kim Merker) book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. First and only edition is established by the COLOPHON limitation statement. Kim (K.K.) Merker founded the Stone Wall Press in Iowa City in 1957 as his own private press, after working with Harry Duncan at the Cummington Press. Books were hand-composed and hand-printed on hand-presses, then hand-bound; the colophon states the limitation, types, paper, and date. Documented edition sizes generally run roughly 200 to 300 copies (not as small as a hundred). Verify the Iowa imprint and the colophon. Distinguish from the WINDHOVER PRESS, Merker's later University of Iowa sponsored imprint begun in 1967, and from the unrelated Washington, D.C. 'Stone Wall Press' (a trade natural-history publisher). The Iowa Stone Wall Press is the fine-press one. Merker's running keepsake numbering reserved numbers 1-199 for Stone Wall Press, so a low series number with an Iowa colophon supports the attribution.
Does Stone Wall Press (Kim Merker) use a number line?
Distinguish from the WINDHOVER PRESS, Merker's later University of Iowa sponsored imprint begun in 1967, and from the unrelated Washington, D.C. 'Stone Wall Press' (a trade natural-history publisher). The Iowa Stone Wall Press is the fine-press one. Merker's running keepsake numbering reserved numbers 1-199 for Stone Wall Press, so a low series number with an Iowa colophon supports the attribution.
Is a book-club edition a Stone Wall Press (Kim Merker) first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Merker's foundational private press; early fine-press poetry titles including work by Donald Justice, Mark Strand, Philip Levine, W.S. Merwin, and reprints of Pound and Roethke.
What era does this cover?
This covers Stone Wall Press (Kim Merker) (1957-1970). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.