curious print dates

I recently found a copy of Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery.
The publisher is L. C. Page & Company. The original copyright is 1908.
On the copyright page is a list of the various impressions, up to the
33rd impression, Sept, 1912. BUT...The date on the title page is 1908
(MDCCCCVIII) under the publisher's name. I was always under the
impression that if the copyright date matched the date on the title
page, it was a 1st. Can anyone explain these dates to me? I assume
that it is a 1st edition, 33rd impression, but why the 1908 date on the
title page?

I've wondered too but it seems obvious the 1908 is the copyright date.
The latest date is the date I've always assumed the book was printed.
How could they know in 1908 that there will be another printing on a
future date? I look forward to the answers for this also....

"bibliobird" wrote in message
oups.com...

I recently found a copy of Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery.
The publisher is L. C. Page & Company. The original copyright is 1908.
On the copyright page is a list of the various impressions, up to the
33rd impression, Sept, 1912. BUT...The date on the title page is 1908
(MDCCCCVIII) under the publisher's name. I was always under the
impression that if the copyright date matched the date on the title
page, it was a 1st. Can anyone explain these dates to me? I assume
that it is a 1st edition, 33rd impression, but why the 1908 date on the
title page?



Because there is no uniform practice among publishers.

One explanation may be that this truly was the "1st edition," i.e., using
the same setting of type, but the "33rd impression," i.e., the 33rd batch of
copies printed using that type, so that the only thing the printer changed
was to add the impression slug to the type for the copyright page and he
made no changes to the title page.


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com