15 Robert R. McCammon first editions are documented on this shelf, from Baal (1978) to Mister Slaughter (2010) across 6 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that Robert R. McCammon 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 Robert R. McCammon copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- Baal — 1978 · AvonAvon paperback original, August 1978; the copyright page states 'First Avon Printing' with a 1978 date. McCammon's first novel. An uncorrected Avon proof of 1978 exists and is regarded as the truest first state, preceding the published wraps. The Avon 1978 paperback original is the true first edition, as confirmed by McCammon's own bibliography; the first British paperback (Sphere) followed in 1979. The first hardcover was the UK Chivers Press edition of 1985, with Subterranean Press issuing a limited hardcover in 2011. There was no Dark Harvest edition of this title. N/A (PBO).
- Bethany's Sin — 1980 · AvonAvon paperback original, 1980; the copyright page states First Avon Printing. Avon promoted the release in the trade press in late 1979 ahead of the 1980 on-sale, and the wrappers carry the original Avon cover price, which should be present on a first printing. McCammon's second novel. Paperback original; the 1980 Avon printing is the true first (a UK Sphere paperback also appeared in 1980). The first hardcover was the Kinnell, London edition of 1989, a much later collector's issue and not the first. Not applicable; a paperback original has no book club edition. Later Avon printings carry a higher printing number in the Avon number line and are not the first.
- The Night Boat — 1980 · AvonAvon paperback original; the copyright page states First Avon Printing, August 1980, with cover art by John Alvin. The wrappers carry the original Avon cover price, which should be present on a true first printing. Paperback original; the August 1980 Avon printing is the true first. The first hardcover was the Kinnell, London edition of 1990, limited to 2,000 copies with dust-jacket art by Colin Sullivan; that later hardcover is not the first appearance. Not applicable; a paperback original has no book club edition. Later Avon printings and the 1990 Kinnell hardcover follow the first.
- They Thirst — 1981 · AvonAvon paperback original, first printing dated May 1981, with the copyright page stating 'First Avon Printing.' The cover carries the Avon inventory code 77180 on the front and spine. This Los Angeles-set vampire epic was McCammon's fourth novel and one of the four early paperback originals he later suppressed, so any later Avon printing states its own printing number and is not the first. This is the true first as a paperback original; Dark Harvest issued the first hardcover only in 1991, a limited edition of 500 numbered copies signed by McCammon and by artists Charles and Wendy Lang. A 1988 Pocket Books reprint with Rowena Morrill cover art is a later state, not a first. N/A (paperback original).
- Mystery Walk — 1983 · Holt, Rinehart & WinstonHolt, Rinehart and Winston US first edition (hardcover), 1983. Copyright page states First Edition with a full number line 1 through 10. McCammon's first hardcover; his earlier novels were paperback originals. US Holt hardcover is the true first. Book club copies lack the number line and have no price on the jacket.
- Usher's Passing — 1984 · Holt, Rinehart & WinstonHolt, Rinehart and Winston US first edition (hardcover), 1984. First printing has a full number line down to 1 on the copyright page. Bound in orange paper-covered boards with black quarter-cloth and gilt spine titling. Jacket art by Wendell Minor; first-issue copies carry the printed price on the priced dust jacket. US Holt hardcover is the true first. Book club copies lack the full number line and the printed jacket price.
- Swan Song — 1987 · Pocket BooksPaperback original (PBO), June 1987, 956 pp, cover art by Rowena Morrill. The first printing carries a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Co-winner of the 1987 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel. The 1987 Pocket Books paperback original is the true first edition. The Dark Harvest hardcover came in 1989 as the first hardcover (a later 'first thus'), not the first edition. Spine creasing is common given the bulk. Later Pocket printings show a number line that no longer descends to 1. The 1989 Dark Harvest hardcover and its signed/limited states are the first hardcover but not the first edition.
- Stinger — 1988 · Pocket BooksPocket Books paperback original, 1988. First printing has a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The Pocket paperback original is the true first; all hardcover editions are later and first-thus only. Not applicable (paperback original).
- The Wolf's Hour — 1989 · Pocket BooksPocket Books mass-market paperback original, March 1989, with cover art by Rowena Morrill. The first printing has a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The Pocket paperback original is the true first; the UK Grafton hardcover followed later in 1989, and all hardcover editions are later and first-thus only. Not applicable (paperback original).
- Mine — 1990 · Pocket BooksFirst published as a Pocket Books hardcover in New York in 1990 (ISBN 0-671-66486-7). The first printing is identified by a complete descending number line that retains the numeral 1 on the copyright page; the dust jacket carries its printed cover price. Winner of the 1990 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel. The US Pocket Books 1990 hardcover is the true first. UK editions are later separate issues. Later printings advance the number line so the 1 is absent. Confirm the full line including the 1, and the priced jacket, for the first printing.
- Boy's Life — 1991 · Pocket BooksUS Pocket Books first hardcover, 1991, identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. The dust jacket carries the original price, unclipped. Half-cloth over boards with gilt spine lettering; jacket art by Gerber Studio. The US Pocket Books 1991 hardcover is the true first edition. It won both the 1992 Bram Stoker Award and the 1992 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel — an unusual double. A book-club edition exists; it lacks the full number line to 1, is typically blind-stamped on the rear board, and has a price-clipped or unprinted jacket. Verify the '1' in the number line plus the original priced, unclipped jacket.
- Gone South — 1992 · Pocket BooksPocket Books US first edition (hardcover), 1992. The first printing carries the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Bound in quarter black cloth over black paper boards with gilt lettering to the spine; endpapers on first-printing copies are variously reported as orange, red, or red-orange. The first-issue jacket retains its printed price to the flap (present, though price-clipping alone does not demote a…. The US Pocket Books hardcover of 1992, with the full 10-to-1 number line, is the true first. Book-club copies lack the complete number line and the jacket price; the trade first shows the full 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 line and a priced flap.
- Speaks the Nightbird — 2002 · River City PublishingRiver City Publishing (Montgomery, Alabama) first edition, 2002. A single-volume hardcover of 726 pages, stated first edition, first printing. McCammon's return after a roughly decade-long hiatus and the first Matthew Corbett novel. US River City hardcover is the true first. The 2003 Pocket Books paperback reprint split the novel into two volumes; two-volume sets are reprints, not firsts. No book club edition; small-press trade hardcover.
- The Queen of Bedlam — 2007 · Pocket BooksPocket Books, published 23 October 2007, issued simultaneously in hardcover (ISBN 978-1-4165-5261-1) and trade paperback (ISBN 978-1-4165-5111-9). First printings carry a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Matthew Corbett #2, sequel to Speaks the Nightbird; hardcover in boards with dust jacket bearing its printed price. US Pocket Books true first, both formats issued October 2007. Later collectible reissues (including a Subterranean Press signed limited edition) followed and are reprints, not the first. No separate book-club edition is commonly reported. Distinguish later printings by an incomplete number line no longer ending in 1.
- Mister Slaughter — 2010 · Subterranean PressSubterranean Press first edition, 2010; Matthew Corbett #3. Issued in three states: a 26-copy lettered edition, specially bound and signed by the author and housed in a custom traycase; a 274-copy numbered edition, leather-bound, signed, and housed in a custom slipcase; and an unsigned trade hardcover. Both signed limited states include the bonus essay Matthew Corbett's World, which is present in the limited issues. Subterranean Press is the true first edition. The lettered (26) and numbered (274) signed limited states are the collectible issues, with the lettered traycase state the most restricted. N/A. No book-club edition; the plain trade hardcover is the only mass state and lacks the signature, the deluxe binding, the slipcase or traycase, and the limitation designation.
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