# Is "Stalking the Nightmare" by Harlan Ellison a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Stalking the Nightmare by Harlan Ellison (Phantasia Press, 1982) is identified by: Phantasia Press first hardcover, Huntington Woods, Michigan, 1982, small quarto, 332 pp., collecting sixteen stories and four essays with a foreword by Stephen King. US Phantasia Press first hardcover (1982) is the true first; the signed/numbered limited edition (700 copies, slipcased) and the unsigned trade hardcover are both from the first printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Phantasia Press first hardcover, Huntington Woods, Michigan, 1982, small quarto, 332 pp., collecting sixteen stories and four essays with a foreword by Stephen King
- Issued in two states: a signed, numbered limited binding of 700 copies in a slipcase, the signature and limitation numbering at the rear of the text block preceding the rear endpaper; and an unsigned trade hardcover (not slipcased)
- Both are the true first edition, the signed/numbered limited being the preferred issue
- Publisher imprint reads Phantasia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harlan Ellison |
| Publisher | Phantasia Press |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Phantasia Press first hardcover, Huntington Woods, Michigan, 1982, small quarto, 332 pp., collecting sixteen stories and four essays with a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Phantasia Press first hardcover, Huntington Woods, Michigan, 1982, small quarto, 332 pp., collecting sixteen stories and four essays with a foreword by Stephen King. Issued in two states: a signed, numbered limited binding of 700 copies in a slipcase, the signature and limitation numbering at the rear of the text block preceding the rear endpaper; and an unsigned trade hardcover (not slipcased). Both are the true first edition, the signed/numbered limited being the preferred issue.

## Is this the true first?
US Phantasia Press first hardcover (1982) is the true first; the signed/numbered limited edition (700 copies, slipcased) and the unsigned trade hardcover are both from the first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; small-press first edition only. Distinguish the slipcased signed/numbered limited (700 copies) from the plainer unsigned trade hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Stalking the Nightmare* by Harlan Ellison a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/stalking-the-nightmare
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.