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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of It by Stephen King (Viking, 1986) is identified by: 'First Published in 1986' on the copyright page with the full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 86 87 88 89' (Viking style). US Viking 1986 true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'First Published in 1986' on the copyright page with the full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 86 87 88 89' (Viking style)
- Dust jacket with its printed price
- Issued by Viking (not Doubleday, so no gutter code)
- First state has the printed price and the complete number line beginning with 1
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'First Published in 1986' on the copyright page with the full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 86 87 88 89' (Viking style) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
'First Published in 1986' on the copyright page with the full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 86 87 88 89' (Viking style). Dust jacket with its printed price. Issued by Viking (not Doubleday, so no gutter code). First state has the printed price and the complete number line beginning with 1.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking 1986 true first. UK Hodder & Stoughton (1986) is first British. Trade first identified by the number line including '1' and the year codes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
BCE: smaller trim, no price on jacket, blind-stamp dot/indentation on rear board, cheaper boards. Book-of-the-Month copies lack the '1' in the number sequence and the printed jacket price.

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