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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Firestarter by Stephen King (Viking, 1980) is identified by: Trade first states "First published in 1980 by The Viking Press" on the copyright page with no number line, and has a priced jacket. The Viking trade edition is treated as the true first trade edition; the Phantasia Press signed/limited appeared the same year and is the prized signed issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade first states "First published in 1980 by The Viking Press" on the copyright page with no number line, and has a priced jacket
- The deluxe true first is the Phantasia Press signed/limited (Huntington Woods, Michigan, 1980): 725 numbered copies in dust jacket and slipcase, plus 26 lettered copies (A-Z) bound in aluminum-coated cloth, the latter nicknamed the "asbestos" Firestarter
- Both Phantasia issues are signed by King; cover art by Michael Whelan
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Trade first states "First published in 1980 by The Viking Press" on the copyright page with no number line, and has a priced jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Trade first states "First published in 1980 by The Viking Press" on the copyright page with no number line, and has a priced jacket. The deluxe true first is the Phantasia Press signed/limited (Huntington Woods, Michigan, 1980): 725 numbered copies in dust jacket and slipcase, plus 26 lettered copies (A-Z) bound in aluminum-coated cloth, the latter nicknamed the "asbestos" Firestarter. Both Phantasia issues are signed by King; cover art by Michael Whelan.

## Is this the true first?
The Viking trade edition is treated as the true first trade edition; the Phantasia Press signed/limited appeared the same year and is the prized signed issue. The 26 lettered copies, not the 725 numbered, carry the special aluminum-coated binding.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Doubleday/book-club edition shows a gutter-code blind stamp on a rear board, is smaller, and has an unpriced jacket. Do not confuse the BCE with the Phantasia limited, which is numbered or lettered, signed, and slipcased.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Firestarter* by Stephen King a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/firestarter
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.