# Is "Danse Macabre" by Stephen King a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Danse Macabre by Stephen King (Everest House, 1981) is identified by: Everest House first printing is identified by the code RRD281 on the copyright page; there is no number line. US Everest House edition is the true first; the UK Macdonald edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Everest House first printing is identified by the code RRD281 on the copyright page; there is no number line
- Original priced dust jacket
- King's non-fiction survey of the horror genre
- A signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies plus 15 lettered copies, issued in a slipcase without dust jacket, was published alongside the trade edition
- Publisher imprint reads Everest House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Everest House |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Everest House first printing is identified by the code RRD281 on the copyright page; there is no number line |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Everest House first printing is identified by the code RRD281 on the copyright page; there is no number line. Original priced dust jacket. King's non-fiction survey of the horror genre. A signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies plus 15 lettered copies, issued in a slipcase without dust jacket, was published alongside the trade edition.

## Is this the true first?
US Everest House edition is the true first; the UK Macdonald edition follows. The 250-copy signed limited is the collectible signed issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club edition identifiable by club markings and lack of the RRD281 first-printing code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Danse Macabre* by Stephen King a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/danse-macabre
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.