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#"Carrie" and Identifying Stephen King First Editions
 Diana from Missouri writes:
"How do you know the difference in first editions? I have many of Mr. King's first editions but I'm very confused about which is truly the first edition. I have "Carrie" doesn't say first edition but doesn't tell me what edition it is either just publisher Doubleday, isbn library of congress # and the copyright 1974 by Stephen King. I also have first editions of some of his other books but by two different printers. Hopefully you can clear some of this up for me, I know I'm not alone about this"
This is indeed a common question among readers, fans, and collectors. Unfortunately, the Carrie you have is not a First Edition. It's probably a later printing. The First Edition, First Printing of Carrie has the following issue points: -
"First Edition" stated on the copyright page.
- "P6" Code on inner margin of page 199
- $5.95 Price on the dust-jacket
There were 30,000 copies of Carrie first printed in 1974 by Doubleday.
Current Value: $900 - $1,400 (depending on condition) There is also an online PDF guide for identifying First Editions that you will find useful. This is straight from Stephen King's official site:
http://www.stephenking.com/other/identifying_first_editions.pdf
In most cases, it's just a matter of looking at the price on the dust-jacket and the information on the copyright page. However, some books are First Edition, 2nd Printing, or First Edition, 11th Printing, and so forth.
For the collecting community, the true First Edition, First Printing is the most desirable and most sought after version of the book.
Related:
The Top 5 Reasons to Collect First Editions
WHAT DO EDITIONS, PRINTINGS, STATES, AND ISSUES MEAN?
#ISBN Numbers, First Editions, and Value
David from the UK asks:
"Hi, How can I tell from the ISBN number if a book is a first edition? And how much are genuine first editions of Stephen King books generally worth? Thanks"
An ISBN number on a book is generally not a good indicator of edition. An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is commonly used to identify a book for commercial purposes such as keeping count of stock inventory. More info about ISBN is available at Wikipedia.
As stated above, the best way to identify a first edition is by looking at the copyright page and the price on the dust-jacket.
Genuine First Editions of Stephen King books can be worth anywhere from $25 to $1,000, or even more. As with any other collectible, the price will vary greatly depending on condition. Fine or better first edition copies usually command a premium. Some collectors search only for Fine copies for their library. First editions can be rare. Ones in Fine condition even more so, as even fewer of these have survived over the years.
#First Edition of "Thinner"
 Dawn from California writes:
"I have a first edition copy of Thinner with only Richard Bachman's name as the author. Is there a guide where I can find out what it's worth and is there any way for me to get it signed?"
The current value of this book is $50 - $75. Maybe a little more for a book in Fine/Fine condition. This book was originally published under the the pen name Richard Bachman.
The first edition was printed with a run of 50,000 copies and has the following attributes:
- Issued with a dust jacket and price of $12.95.
- The copyright page will state "First printing, November 1984"
- The copyright page will also have a full number line "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9"
Richard Bachman is a pseudonym used by King. So why did he do this?
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was such that an author was limited to a book every year; publishing more would not be acceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher (at the time), Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym.
Source: Richard Bachman Wikipedia page.
Writings by Richard Bachman:
Rage (1977)
The Long Walk (1979)
Roadwork (1981)
The Running Man (1982)
Thinner (1984)
The Regulators (1996)
Blaze (2007)
Getting your book signed The short answer is no, you probably can't get it signed. Many years ago, (probably many decades ago), you could send your book into King's office and request an autograph. He would sign it for you with a personal inscription and send it back along with a letter from his secretary. Not any more. Right now you'd be lucky to get a book signed at one of his book signing events. Even if you did, it wouldn't be on an earlier book, but for the current release.
#The Most Expensive and Rare Stephen King Books
 Stan from Illinois asks:
"In your expert opinion what Stephen King book is the rarest and hardest to find? What is the most expensive book (title) and how much was it sold for?
What would you think Stephen King would answer as far as the rarest book he has written?"
Well, one might argue that your typical Signed Lettered Editions would be hard to find ,
especially since most were produced with a run of only 50 copies. But believe it or not,
there are a few editions out there that are even more rare than these. That's because
even less of them exist - very few people own them. Therefore they are quite
valuable.... So here they are:
"The Asbestos Firestarter" (Phantasia Press 1980) - 26 lettered copies.
This is certainly a rare find. That's because only 26 of them were produced. It will not be
very often that one will available for purchase. When it is, be prepared to write a check in
the range between $13,500 to $16,000 for the right to claim ownership. Check out the
photo -->
The Plant. (1982, 1983, 1985)
While not an official production , and originally available only for download on the internet,
very few of these are now available. There are 3 books in the complete set. Here is a
description straight from "the collector" (skcollector.com):
"These copies were never made available to the general public, or through specialty
bookstores, rather they were sent ONLY to people on the Kings' Christmas list, as
Stephen King felt that sending Christmas cards was insincere and so he gave sent
copies of "The Plant" instead.
You may ask yourself what his friends usually get for Christmas, since The Plant was only published three times. I have no idea, but if anyone
who is on Stephen's Christmas list would like to share I'd be happy to put it down. One
thing you don't have to guess about is the price of all three editions on the secondary
market. Probably some of the most expensive pieces of paper written! If you find
someone selling all three copies at once, pull out your wallet, in February 2002 an ebay
auction had this ranging from $8,000-$8,900 "
Salem's Lot , Deluxe Leather Bound Signed Edition (Centipede Press 2004)
10 deluxe leather copies numbered I-X in red.
25 deluxe copies bound in goatskin and enclosed in a tray case lined with japanese
cotton; Fifteen of these massive books (numbered I - XV in black ink) were available for
sale, the others were numbered I - X in red ink. Jerad (Centipede Press) decided to use roman numerals
because he felt that they were much more elegant that letters. Preliminary estimates on
price are $6,500 - $7,500
Danse Macabre (Everest House 1981)
Signed Lettered Edition: 15
Lettered editions with matching traycase was issued, only 15 copies were made available A-O signed by Stephen King. Issued with "glassine" semi-transparent paper instead of a dust jacket. The paper was very thin and fragile and if you can find one in its original condition, you will be very lucky..
Current value: $1,500-$2,000
Rare Signed First Editions
In addition to the four mentioned above, there are a few other books that are quite rare and hard to find as well. A Fine or Near Fine original first edition book of the following.
-
"Salem's Lot" (Doubleday 1975)
- "Night Shift" (Doubleday 1978)
- "Carrie" (Doubleday 1974)
If you are able to find one with an early King inscription, this would be ideal.
Given their age, very few of these have survived in excellent condition. This is precisely what makes them so appealing to collectors.
Any such Fine or Near Fine copy of these early books is now valued in the thousands of dollars in today's collector market.
#Stephen King Paper Back Signet Titles
Patrick from Kentucky writes:
"I have collected Stephen King for many years and just got into the habit of collecting the older, vintage paperbacks from Signet. Is it still possible to get the Signet Gift Pack editions, either Mint or sealed ?"
Unfortunately Signet no longer publishes these older vintage paperback books. They are now out of print. Your best bet would be to search for them on-line or win one at auction.
You can still buy the mass paperback editions directly from Penguin.com :
http://us.penguingroup.com/
 #How Do I Get Stephen King's "The Plant"?
Kathy from Canada writes:
"Hi:
I am definitely a SK fan - had the opportunity to see him in St. Paul, MN recently - was worth the trip.
I am wondering if you know where or how I can continue to download chapters of "The Plant"? It started a few years back where you could download and send in payment of $1.00 - which I did of course and then it stopped........so needless to say I don't have all chapters. At the same time do you know where I could obtain an original copy of the book???
Thanks for your help......"
Thank you for your email. We get quite a few questions
about The Plant. Unfortunately it is not available for download
any more. See the information above on how to obtain copies, although right now they are very scarce.
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