Is My Black House a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Random House trade first printing, an octavo of 625 pages
• The copyright page states First Trade Edition and carries the Random House number line 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3; per Random House convention a true first printing shows the low even number 2 rather than a 1 in the line
• Issued in publisher's boards in the first-state dust jacket, which is deliberately sparse with the title in silver against black and gray tones and a stylized shoeprint and silhouette of the house; the jacket carries the printed original price at the top of the front flap and should not be price-clipped on a first-state copy
• Sequel to The Talisman

How Random House marked a first edition

• Classic paradox era (c.1970–2002/03) — THE famous Random House rule: a true first printing states 'First Edition' AND carries a number line whose lowest digit is 2 — the line ENDS (or begins) in 2 and NEVER reaches 1, e.…
• Classic-era reprint mechanics (c.1970–2002/03): on going to a second printing Random House simply DELETED the words 'First Edition' from the copyright page and left the number line intact — so a bare '2'-ending line with…

Full Random House first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US Random House and UK HarperCollins editions were published simultaneously in September 2001; the Random House trade issue is the standard collected first. A signed limited edition of 1,520 copies in a leather traycase, signed by King, Straub, and artist Rick Berry, was published separately by Donald M. Grant in 2002.P-029950

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book club copies lack the stated First Trade Edition and the number line, are printed on lighter bulked paper, and typically show a blind-stamped dot or maple-leaf to the rear board.P-029951

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Black House a first edition?

A first edition of Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub (Random House) is identified by: Random House trade first printing, an octavo of 625 pages.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US Random House and UK HarperCollins editions were published simultaneously in September 2001; the Random House trade issue is the standard collected first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Book club copies lack the stated First Trade Edition and the number line, are printed on lighter bulked paper, and typically show a blind-stamped dot or maple-leaf to the rear board.

I have a first edition of Black House — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.