2 William Peter Blatty first editions are documented on this shelf, from The Exorcist (1971) to Legion (1983) across 2 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that William Peter Blatty 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 William Peter Blatty copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.

The Exorcist — 1971 · Harper & Row'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, and the first printing also carries the complete number line '71 72 73 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' located, unusually, on the LAST page of the book (the 'About the Author' leaf) rather than on the copyright page. There is no Harper letter-code; the number line ending in '1' is the corroborating point. Binding: red/maroon cloth boards and spine, silver spine lettering,…. US Harper & Row 1971 is the true first. The first printing is confirmed by the stated 'FIRST EDITION' together with the full number line ending in '1' on the book's last page; the first-issue jacket carries the '0571' flap code and the cup-of-coffee author photograph on the rear panel. The film was released in December 1973, so any movie tie-in jacket or printing is a later issue. Book-club editions lack the stated 'FIRST EDITION,' lack the last-page number line, bear a blind-stamp on the rear board, and have a jacket with no printed price and no '0571' flap code. Movie tie-in printings carry film imagery/credits and are clearly later.
Legion — 1983 · Simon and Schuster, New YorkSimon and Schuster, New York, 1983. The first printing is identified by a FULL number line on the copyright page — the row must run down to 1 ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'). Dealers confirm the discriminator from both directions: Dearly Departed Books catalogues the first as 'First printing with the full number line present', while Scene of the Crime and Sellsbooks catalogue second printings as 'Second Printing per…. US first: Simon and Schuster, New York, published August 1983 — the sequel to The Exorcist. The census claim is confirmed. The UK first is William Collins Sons, London, also 1983 (black cloth boards, silver lettering to the spine, 250 pp. including the epilogue, ISBN 0002227355); it is collected in its own right but does not precede the US issue. Because both editions are dated 1983, precedence turns on the…. Book-club copies are common and are the principal trap: they carry the same Simon & Schuster imprint and 1983 date, and are catalogued as BCE/BOMC by dealers including BookMarx Bookstore, Neutral Balloon Books, and Bookshop Apocalypse. Because club copies can reproduce the trade copyright page, the number line alone is not decisive against a club copy — check the jacket, which on club copies carries no price at….

More Fantasy & Horror shelves: Alexandre Dumas, Algernon Blackwood, Ambrose Bierce, Ann Radcliffe, Anna Katharine Green, Arthur Machen.

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