# Is "Cycle of the Werewolf" by Stephen King a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King (Land of Enchantment, 1983) is identified by: Land of Enchantment (Westland, Michigan), 1983, with twelve Berni Wrightson color plates (plus black-and-white illustrations), issued in three states: a signed, numbered, slipcased limited totaling 350 copies signed by King and Wrightson — 100 'Collector' copies (numbered 1-100), each with an original Wrightson drawing laid in, and 250 'Deluxe' copies (numbered 101-350), each accompanied by a Wrightson portfolio; plus an unsigned trade hardcover of about 7,500 copies in brown leatherette-grain boards with gilt lettering on the front and spine, in a dust jacket (oversize, roughly 9 x 11 in.). The 1983 Land of Enchantment edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Land of Enchantment (Westland, Michigan), 1983, with twelve Berni Wrightson color plates (plus black-and-white illustrations), issued in three states: a signed, numbered, slipcased limited totaling 350 copies signed by King and Wrightson — 100 'Collector' copies (numbered 1-100), each with an original Wrightson drawing laid in, and 250 'Deluxe' copies (numbered 101-350), each accompanied by a Wrightson portfolio; plus an unsigned trade hardcover of about 7,500 copies in brown leatherette-grain boards with gilt lettering on the front and spine, in a dust jacket (oversize, roughly 9 x 11 in.)
- A small presentation state of about 8 'Artist's Copies' with a handwritten limitation notice, signed by King and Wrightson, also exists
- This was the only hardcover edition of the work
- Publisher imprint reads Land of Enchantment
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Land of Enchantment |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Land of Enchantment (Westland, Michigan), 1983, with twelve Berni Wrightson color plates (plus black-and-white illustrations), issued in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Land of Enchantment (Westland, Michigan), 1983, with twelve Berni Wrightson color plates (plus black-and-white illustrations), issued in three states: a signed, numbered, slipcased limited totaling 350 copies signed by King and Wrightson — 100 'Collector' copies (numbered 1-100), each with an original Wrightson drawing laid in, and 250 'Deluxe' copies (numbered 101-350), each accompanied by a Wrightson portfolio; plus an unsigned trade hardcover of about 7,500 copies in brown leatherette-grain boards with gilt lettering on the front and spine, in a dust jacket (oversize, roughly 9 x 11 in.). A small presentation state of about 8 'Artist's Copies' with a handwritten limitation notice, signed by King and Wrightson, also exists. This was the only hardcover edition of the work.

## Is this the true first?
The 1983 Land of Enchantment edition is the true first. The signed and numbered limited (100 Collector + 250 Deluxe = 350) is the scarcest state, with the unsigned 7,500-copy trade hardcover issued alongside as the common first. The 1985 Signet/NAL paperback — and the related 'Silver Bullet' film tie-in edition — is a later, lesser issue, not a first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no standard book-club edition. The common trap is the 1985 Signet paperback (movie-tie-in era): do not take it for the 1983 Land of Enchantment first. Signed states must bear BOTH King's and Wrightson's signatures on the numbered limitation page; the trade issue is unsigned. Note that 'Land of Enchantment' is New Mexico's nickname but the imprint operated out of Westland, Michigan — the publisher name is not evidence of a New Mexico printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cycle of the Werewolf* by Stephen King a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cycle-of-the-werewolf
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.