How to identify a first printing
- Ralph Sylvester and Stathis Orphanos's press: fine signed limited editions; the colophon states the limitation with numbered and lettered states, signed by the author.
- Identify by elegant letterpress design, often with a photographic frontispiece (Orphanos was a photographer), and a colophon naming paper, type, and limitation.
- A single fixed printing per title; confirm via the numbered/lettered colophon and the author signature.
Notable points & cautions
- The firm originated c.1972 in Los Angeles (with George Fisher); after Fisher left, Sylvester & Orphanos specialized in signed limited press books from the late 1970s into the 1990s.
- Issued signed limited titles by Tennessee Williams, Graham Greene, Paul Bowles, Nadine Gordimer, James Merrill, John Cheever, John Updike, Gore Vidal, and others.
- Lettered copies (a small run) are the premium state; the press's catalogue and photographs were given to the Library of Congress in 2015.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Sylvester & Orphanos book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Ralph Sylvester and Stathis Orphanos's press: fine signed limited editions; the colophon states the limitation with numbered and lettered states, signed by the author. Identify by elegant letterpress design, often with a photographic frontispiece (Orphanos was a photographer), and a colophon naming paper, type, and limitation.
Does Sylvester & Orphanos use a number line?
Identify by elegant letterpress design, often with a photographic frontispiece (Orphanos was a photographer), and a colophon naming paper, type, and limitation.
Is a book-club edition a Sylvester & Orphanos first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. The firm originated c.1972 in Los Angeles (with George Fisher); after Fisher left, Sylvester & Orphanos specialized in signed limited press books from the late 1970s into the 1990s.
What era does this cover?
This covers Sylvester & Orphanos (c.1978-1990s (firm originated earlier, c.1972)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.