# Is "The Beast House" by Richard Laymon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Beast House by Richard Laymon (New English Library, 1986) is identified by: New English Library (UK) mass-market paperback original (ISBN 0450393534), published February 1986. The NEL UK paperback original of February 1986 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New English Library (UK) mass-market paperback original (ISBN 0450393534), published February 1986
- Second book in the Beast House Chronicles, following The Cellar
- No hardcover was issued at first publication
- Publisher imprint reads New English Library
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Laymon |
| Publisher | New English Library |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New English Library (UK) mass-market paperback original (ISBN 0450393534), published February 1986 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New English Library (UK) mass-market paperback original (ISBN 0450393534), published February 1986. Second book in the Beast House Chronicles, following The Cellar. No hardcover was issued at first publication.

## Is this the true first?
The NEL UK paperback original of February 1986 is the true first. A US PaperJacks paperback followed in 1987 and a US Onyx paperback later; any hardcover is a much later reissue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A paperback original, so book-club hardcovers are not a concern; a first is the NEL February 1986 issue bearing ISBN 0450393534. The 1987 PaperJacks and later Onyx US paperbacks, and any hardcover, are later editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Beast House* by Richard Laymon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-beast-house
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.