# Is "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (Gold Medal Books / Fawcett, 1954) is identified by: Gold Medal Books paperback original, 1954, Gold Medal number '417'. Gold Medal 1954 paperback original is the true first — there is no prior hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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 the printed price cover price
- Publisher imprint reads Gold Medal Books / Fawcett
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Matheson |
| Publisher | Gold Medal Books / Fawcett |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gold Medal Books paperback original, 1954, Gold Medal number '417' |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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 the printed price 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *I Am Legend* by Richard Matheson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/i-am-legend
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.