# Is "Gerald's Game" by Stephen King a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gerald's Game by Stephen King (Viking, 1992) is identified by: Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page reads "First published in 1992 by Viking Penguin" with the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." Quarter-bound in black cloth with black boards, the title stamped in red on the spine and the author's initials in red on the front board, with black endpapers; octavo, 332 pages. US Viking true first, published May 1992; the UK Hodder & Stoughton edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page reads "First published in 1992 by Viking Penguin" with the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." Quarter-bound in black cloth with black boards, the title stamped in red on the spine and the author's initials in red on the front board, with black endpapers; octavo, 332 pages
- The first-state jacket carries the printed price on the front flap and the code 0992 at the foot of the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page reads "First published in 1992 by Viking Penguin" with the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Viking trade first, first printing: the copyright page reads "First published in 1992 by Viking Penguin" with the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." Quarter-bound in black cloth with black boards, the title stamped in red on the spine and the author's initials in red on the front board, with black endpapers; octavo, 332 pages. The first-state jacket carries the printed price on the front flap and the code 0992 at the foot of the flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking true first, published May 1992; the UK Hodder & Stoughton edition follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies carry BCE markings, lack the Viking number line, and show no printed price on the jacket flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gerald's Game* by Stephen King a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/geralds-game
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.