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A descending row of numerals showing which printing this is.
Also known as: Number line, Impression line
A row of numerals on a copyright page shows the printing: the lowest number remaining is the impression. Numbers are struck from the plate at each reprint, so a first printing shows a 1 and a fifth printing begins at 5 — which is how a first edition is identified.
Records which impression a copy belongs to, the lowest numeral present giving the printing.
Contexts: History
Works by removal rather than addition, numbers being deleted from the plate at each reprint, which is why the sequence shortens over time.
Contexts: History
Is what collectors read to identify a first printing, alongside the publisher's own edition statement.
Contexts: History
A row of numerals printed in ascending or alternating order on a book's copyright page.