# Is "Dolores Claiborne" by Stephen King a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King (Viking, 1993) is identified by: Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page states first published in 1993 by Viking Penguin and carries the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. US Viking true first; UK Hodder & Stoughton edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page states first published in 1993 by Viking Penguin and carries the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
- The book is bound in black paper over boards with a quarter black cloth spine and red lettering on the front and spine
- First-state dust jacket bears the Rob Wood illustration of Dolores peering into a well beneath a solar eclipse, with the printed price present on the front flap; the jacket should be unclipped to be first-state
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page states first published in 1993 by Viking Penguin and carries the full number line 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page states first published in 1993 by Viking Penguin and carries the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. The book is bound in black paper over boards with a quarter black cloth spine and red lettering on the front and spine. First-state dust jacket bears the Rob Wood illustration of Dolores peering into a well beneath a solar eclipse, with the printed price present on the front flap; the jacket should be unclipped to be first-state.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking true first; UK Hodder & Stoughton edition follows. Sometimes catalogued as 1992 because copies shipped in late 1992 and the copyright date is 1992, but the copyright page states first published in 1993.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies carry BCE markings and lack the printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dolores Claiborne* by Stephen King a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dolores-claiborne
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.