# Is "Legion" by William Peter Blatty a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Legion by William Peter Blatty (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1983) is identified by: Simon and Schuster, New York, 1983. US first: Simon and Schuster, New York, published August 1983 — the sequel to The Exorcist.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Simon and Schuster, New York, 1983
- The first printing is identified by a FULL number line on the copyright page — the row must run down to 1 ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1')
- Dealers confirm the discriminator from both directions: Dearly Departed Books catalogues the first as 'First printing with the full number line present', while Scene of the Crime and Sellsbooks catalogue second printings as 'Second Printing per Number Line 2-9'
- Quill & Brush (qbbooks) documents that Simon & Schuster adopted a number row in the early 1970s, so no separate 'First Edition' wording is required or expected
- Binding: quarter bound in black cloth with red boards
- Jacket should be present and unclipped with the price present at the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Simon and Schuster, New York

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Peter Blatty |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster, New York |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Simon and Schuster, New York, 1983 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Simon and Schuster, New York, 1983. The first printing is identified by a FULL number line on the copyright page — the row must run down to 1 ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'). Dealers confirm the discriminator from both directions: Dearly Departed Books catalogues the first as 'First printing with the full number line present', while Scene of the Crime and Sellsbooks catalogue second printings as 'Second Printing per Number Line 2-9'. Quill & Brush (qbbooks) documents that Simon & Schuster adopted a number row in the early 1970s, so no separate 'First Edition' wording is required or expected. Binding: quarter bound in black cloth with red boards; 269 pp. Jacket should be present and unclipped with the price present at the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US first: Simon and Schuster, New York, published August 1983 — the sequel to The Exorcist. The census claim is confirmed. The UK first is William Collins Sons, London, also 1983 (black cloth boards, silver lettering to the spine, 250 pp. including the epilogue, ISBN 0002227355); it is collected in its own right but does not precede the US issue. Because both editions are dated 1983, precedence turns on the imprint, not the date — check the title page for Simon and Schuster versus Collins.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies are common and are the principal trap: they carry the same Simon & Schuster imprint and 1983 date, and are catalogued as BCE/BOMC by dealers including BookMarx Bookstore, Neutral Balloon Books, and Bookshop Apocalypse. Because club copies can reproduce the trade copyright page, the number line alone is not decisive against a club copy — check the jacket, which on club copies carries no price at the flap and is commonly marked 'Book Club Edition' at the base of the front flap, plus the blind-stamped impression on the lower rear board and the lighter bulk and slightly smaller trim. One club copy is described in a black leatherette-textured board rather than the trade issue's black cloth and red boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Legion* by William Peter Blatty a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/legion
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.