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different press runs for an edition of a rare book

English translation: impressions

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:different press runs for an edition of a rare book
Selected answer:impressions
Entered by: adinag

10:29 Feb 2, 2018
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - History / bibliology/printing/press-run
English term or phrase: different press runs for an edition of a rare book
I have to translate a catalogue on rare books and I don't know how to differentiate two press runs for an edition of rare books.....these press-runs use the same type, and the content is slightly altered (eg title pages, some words in the text )....
adinag
Local time: 19:49
impressions
Explanation:
The word for a different press run (or print run) of the same edition is "impression", usually called "printing" in the United States. So you can have the first or second impression of the first edition, for example.

But be careful here. If this refers to an older book printed with movable type, you may be dealing with different editions. Different impressions are printed with "substantially" the same type. But before modern printing techniques introduced in the late nineteenth century, printers set up the type in a frame called a forme, printed the number of copies they thought they needed, and then dismantled the form to reuse the type for something else. If more copies were needed, they had to set up the type all over again. So different "impressions" (or "printings") of the same edition are really a modern phenomenon. If there are differences in the content, even small ones, we may be talking about different editions. In earlier books (before the late nineteenth century) it was quite common to have nine or ten different editions in a year.

All this is explained more fully in the following:
http://www.peterharrington.co.uk/blog/what-is-a-first-editio...

"The classic explanation of edition was given by Fredson Bowers in Principles of Bibliographical Description (1949). Bowers wrote that an edition is “the whole number of copies printed at any time or times from substantially the same setting of type-pages,” including “all issues and variant states existing within its basic type-setting, as well as all impressions.”"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edition_(book)#Print_run
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Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 18:49
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3impressions
Charles Davis


  

Answers


45 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
impressions


Explanation:
The word for a different press run (or print run) of the same edition is "impression", usually called "printing" in the United States. So you can have the first or second impression of the first edition, for example.

But be careful here. If this refers to an older book printed with movable type, you may be dealing with different editions. Different impressions are printed with "substantially" the same type. But before modern printing techniques introduced in the late nineteenth century, printers set up the type in a frame called a forme, printed the number of copies they thought they needed, and then dismantled the form to reuse the type for something else. If more copies were needed, they had to set up the type all over again. So different "impressions" (or "printings") of the same edition are really a modern phenomenon. If there are differences in the content, even small ones, we may be talking about different editions. In earlier books (before the late nineteenth century) it was quite common to have nine or ten different editions in a year.

All this is explained more fully in the following:
http://www.peterharrington.co.uk/blog/what-is-a-first-editio...

"The classic explanation of edition was given by Fredson Bowers in Principles of Bibliographical Description (1949). Bowers wrote that an edition is “the whole number of copies printed at any time or times from substantially the same setting of type-pages,” including “all issues and variant states existing within its basic type-setting, as well as all impressions.”"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edition_(book)#Print_run

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 18:49
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer Levey: Right on all counts. Changes usually allowed between print runs, without triggering a new edition, are usually limited to the correction of typos, addition of "Errata" pages, and other things that are not intended to alter the meaning of the text.
44 mins
  -> That's my understanding too. Thank, Robin.

agree  Yvonne Gallagher: now I see the answer I can understand the question!//ah, you too a bit perplexed:-)
1 hr
  -> I hope this is what the asker wanted! I wasn't sure. Many thanks :-)

agree  Shikeb Shirazi: Correct
14 hrs
  -> Thank you, Shikeb :-)
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