Is My Creepshow a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first edition is the oversize Plume (New American Library) softcover graphic album of July 1982 — approximately 8.5 x 10.5 in., 64 pp. in full colour, ISBN 0-452-25380-2 — with interior art by Bernie Wrightson, colour by Michele Wrightson, and the cover by Jack Kamen
• The first printing carries 'First Printing, July, 1982' on the copyright page above a complete number line; later printings drop that statement and show a shortened line
• A price is printed on the back cover and on the spine of the trade issue — its presence, not its figure, is the point
• The format is fragile: thin cover stock and a weak glued binding mean the printing points are usually the only reliable check, since copies are rarely found square and unrubbed

How New American Library / Plume, New York marked a first edition

• First printing: the copyright page states 'First Printing' (often as 'First Signet printing, Month Year') with no later-printing lines; later printings stack the printing history. This explicit statement is the most reli…
• Signet/NAL adopted a descending number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing. From roughly the 1970s on the 'First Signet printing, Month Year' line plus the number line appear together.

Full New American Library / Plume, New York 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?

The US Plume/NAL softcover of July 1982 is the true first; no British first-edition claim competes with it, and the later Gallery Books reissue (ISBN 978-1-5011-6322-7) is a reprint. Correcting the census note: 'no hardcover' overstates the case — a scarce oversize hardcover issue bearing the same first-printing points is reported by dealers and collector references for 1982. That hardcover is uncommon and thinly documented, so treat any hardcover offered as requiring examination of the copyright page against the trade points above before it is called a first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The book-club edition is well documented and easy to spot: it is marked 'BOOK CLUB EDITION 5200' at the lower left of the back cover, carries no price on the back cover or spine, and lacks the 'First Printing, July, 1982' statement on the copyright page — while retaining a complete number line, which is why the number line alone must never be used to call a first. Later trade printings are the other trap: same cover, but the July 1982 statement is gone.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Creepshow a first edition?

A first edition of Creepshow by Stephen King (art by Bernie Wrightson) (New American Library / Plume, New York) is identified by: The first edition is the oversize Plume (New American Library) softcover graphic album of July 1982 — approximately 8.5 x 10.5 in., 64 pp.

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). The US Plume/NAL softcover of July 1982 is the true first; no British first-edition claim competes with it, and the later Gallery Books reissue (ISBN 978-1-5011-6322-7) is a reprint.

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

The book-club edition is well documented and easy to spot: it is marked 'BOOK CLUB EDITION 5200' at the lower left of the back cover, carries no price on the back cover or spine, and lacks the 'First Printing, July, 1982' statement on the copyright page — while retaining a complete number line, which is why the number line alone must never be used to call a first. Later trade printings are the other trap: same cover, but the July 1982 statement is gone.

I have a first edition of Creepshow — 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.