# Is "Bubba Ho-Tep" by Joe R. Lansdale a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bubba Ho-Tep by Joe R. Lansdale (Night Shade Books, 2003) is identified by: Night Shade Books, 2003, is the first standalone hardcover. The novella first appeared in the anthology The King Is Dead (1994).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Night Shade Books, 2003, is the first standalone hardcover
- It collects the novella together with the shooting script and an introduction by Lansdale and director Don Coscarelli
- Issued as a signed limited edition of 750 copies signed by Lansdale and Coscarelli, and as a trade hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads Night Shade Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe R. Lansdale |
| Publisher | Night Shade Books |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Night Shade Books, 2003, is the first standalone hardcover |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Night Shade Books, 2003, is the first standalone hardcover. It collects the novella together with the shooting script and an introduction by Lansdale and director Don Coscarelli. Issued as a signed limited edition of 750 copies signed by Lansdale and Coscarelli, and as a trade hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
The novella first appeared in the anthology The King Is Dead (1994). The first separate book edition is the Night Shade Books hardcover of 2003, not a Subterranean Press edition. Subterranean later published the related prequel Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bubba Ho-Tep* by Joe R. Lansdale a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bubba-ho-tep
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.