The points of issue
Gold Medal Books paperback original, 1954, Gold Medal number '417'. As a paperback original, the first edition is identified by the Gold Medal logo, the publisher's number, and the absence of any later printing line; first printing has the original 25-cent cover price.
Is this the true first?
Gold Medal 1954 paperback original is the true first — there is no prior hardcover. The first UK and all hardcover editions are later. The PBO with Gold Medal #417 and no reprint line is the collectible first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Gold Medal printings note 'Second printing' and carry higher prices/different cover numbers; the Walker hardcover (1970) and later reprints are not the first. First printing = no additional-printing statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of I Am Legend a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Gold Medal Books paperback original, 1954, Gold Medal number '417'. As a paperback original, the first edition is identified by the Gold Medal logo, the publisher's number, and the absence of any later printing line; first printing has the original 25-cent cover price.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. Gold Medal 1954 paperback original is the true first — there is no prior hardcover. The first UK and all hardcover editions are later. The PBO with Gold Medal #417 and no reprint line is the collectible first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Gold Medal printings note 'Second printing' and carry higher prices/different cover numbers; the Walker hardcover (1970) and later reprints are not the first. First printing = no additional-printing statement.
I have a first edition of I Am Legend — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.