# Is "Carrie" by Stephen King a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Carrie by Stephen King (Doubleday, 1974) is identified by: First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page — the primary criterion — and carries the Doubleday gutter code 'P6' at the foot of the gutter on page 199, the last page of text ('P' = 1974, '6' = the sixth week). US Doubleday (1974) is the true first — King's first novel, published April 5, 1974 in a reported print run of about 30,000 copies.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page — the primary criterion — and carries the Doubleday gutter code 'P6' at the foot of the gutter on page 199, the last page of text ('P' = 1974, '6' = the sixth week)
- Bound in maroon cloth, the spine lettered in gilt; dust jacket illustrated by Alex Gotfryd
- The first-issue jacket has the printed price present at the front flap, unclipped
- (Advance/proof copies bear an earlier gutter code and are a distinct pre-publication state, not the trade first.)
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page — the primary criterion — and carries the Doubleday gutter code 'P6' at the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page — the primary criterion — and carries the Doubleday gutter code 'P6' at the foot of the gutter on page 199, the last page of text ('P' = 1974, '6' = the sixth week). Bound in maroon cloth, the spine lettered in gilt; dust jacket illustrated by Alex Gotfryd. The first-issue jacket has the printed price present at the front flap, unclipped. (Advance/proof copies bear an earlier gutter code and are a distinct pre-publication state, not the trade first.)

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday (1974) is the true first — King's first novel, published April 5, 1974 in a reported print run of about 30,000 copies. The first British edition (New English Library, London, 1974, purple cloth, gilt-lettered spine, very scarce) followed and does not precede it; the US Doubleday is the true first. First state is established by the 'First Edition' statement plus the single-letter P6 code on page 199 and the priced jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions are the common trap. They do NOT state 'First Edition' on the copyright page; they bear a blind-stamp (a small square or 'gull' indentation) on the rear board, use cheaper boards and paper, run smaller and lighter, and the jacket carries no printed price (a code appears instead). Important correction to a widespread method: a gutter code is NOT proof of a trade first — Doubleday stamped gutter codes on book-club printings too (often a double-letter code such as 'MP...'). Identify the trade first by the 'First Edition' statement, the correct single-letter P6 code on page 199, the priced jacket, and the ABSENCE of the rear-board blind-stamp — not by the mere presence of a code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Carrie* by Stephen King a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/carrie
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.