5 Richard Bachman (Stephen King) first editions are documented on this shelf, from Rage (1977) to The Regulators (1996) across 2 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that Richard Bachman (Stephen King) title from later printings and book-club copies — the publisher and year to expect, the number-line or edition-statement conventions, and the tells that show up in online listings.
Identification only, per the house rule: no prices and no appraisals here. Checking a Richard Bachman (Stephen King) copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- Rage — 1977 · SignetSignet paperback original, catalog number W7645, ISBN 0-451-07645-1. Copyright page states FIRST PRINTING, SEPTEMBER, 1977 with a full number line beginning at 1 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9). Collates roughly [10], 212, [2 ads]. As by Richard Bachman. Paperback original; no hardcover first. Earliest Bachman title and scarce in collectible grade. UK New English Library edition came later. N/A (paperback original); later printings show a higher printing statement or a number line lacking 1.
- The Long Walk — 1979 · SignetSignet paperback original, catalog number J8754, ISBN 0-451-08754-2. Copyright page states 'First Printing, July, 1979' with a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (the 1 present). Wraps as by Richard Bachman; about 244 pages. Paperback original; no hardcover first. This Signet mass-market printing is the true first appearance. N/A (paperback original). Later printings replace the July 1979 statement with a higher printing designation and drop the 1 from the number line.
- Roadwork — 1981 · SignetSignet paperback original, published March 1981. Copyright page states First Printing with the month and year and carries a full number line including 1. As by Richard Bachman. Paperback original; no hardcover first. Scarce as a paperback original in collectible grade. N/A (paperback original); later printings are stated.
- The Running Man — 1982 · SignetSignet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalog number AE1508, 219 pages. The true first is identified on the copyright page by the statement 'First Printing, May, 1982' together with a complete descending number line ending in 1. It was issued as by Richard Bachman with no mention of Stephen King anywhere in the book. The printed cover price should be present on the front cover. Paperback original; no earlier hardcover exists. Fourth Bachman title. Later Signet printings drop the '1' from the number line (a second printing begins the line at 2) and are further identified by revised printing statements on the copyright page. Not applicable to a paperback original; there is no book-club edition, and later printings are identified on the copyright page by the changed number line and printing statement.
- The Regulators — 1996 · DuttonDutton (E. P. Dutton, New York) hardcover first as by Richard Bachman, with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page. First-state jacket, art by Mark Ryden, carries a '0996' date code at the lower front flap and the printed price present on the front flap. Issued the same day as its companion novel 'Desperation' (September 24, 1996); the two hardcover jackets, set side by side, form a…. Dutton true first (as Bachman); companion volume to Desperation, published simultaneously. A book-club edition exists; it lacks the full '...3 2 1' number line and the printed jacket price, and typically bears a blindstamp/gutter code to the rear board.
More Fantasy & Horror shelves: Richard Laymon, Richard Matheson, Robert Aickman, Robert Bloch, Robert Jordan, Robert R. McCammon.
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