How to Identify a Twelvetrees Press (historic) First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• The colophon is definitive: it states the press, year, and edition, and for limited issues a numbered limitation, often signed by the photographer.
• Fine-press, small-run productions — most titles are single-printing, so the colophon limitation/edition line is the key identifier.
• Deluxe issues with a tipped-in or boxed original print are separate, higher states recorded in the colophon.

Notable points & cautions

• Twelvetrees Press is the 1980s fine-press imprint of Jack Woody (named for his grandmother, silent-screen actress Helen Twelvetrees) that evolved into Twin Palms Publishers after Woody relocated to Santa Fe. Original Twelvetrees-imprint firsts are distinct from later Twin Palms reissues of the same titles.
• The press published early monographs by photographers such as Joel-Peter Witkin, Robert Mapplethorpe, George Platt Lynes, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber; the first book was Christopher Isherwood's 'October' (1980).
• Confirm the imprint name on the title or colophon page to distinguish a Twelvetrees first from a Twin Palms reissue.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Twelvetrees Press. Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Twelvetrees Press (historic) book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. The colophon is definitive: it states the press, year, and edition, and for limited issues a numbered limitation, often signed by the photographer. Fine-press, small-run productions — most titles are single-printing, so the colophon limitation/edition line is the key identifier.

Does Twelvetrees Press (historic) use a number line?

Fine-press, small-run productions — most titles are single-printing, so the colophon limitation/edition line is the key identifier.

Is a book-club edition a Twelvetrees Press (historic) first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Twelvetrees Press is the 1980s fine-press imprint of Jack Woody (named for his grandmother, silent-screen actress Helen Twelvetrees) that evolved into Twin Palms Publishers after Woody relocated to Santa Fe. Original Twelvetrees-imprint firsts are distinct from later Twin Palms reissues of the same titles.

What era does this cover?

This covers Twelvetrees Press (historic) (1980–c.1991). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.