Is My The Colorado Kid a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first edition is the Hard Case Crime paperback original, HCC-013, published by Dorchester Publishing in October 2005 in illustrated wraps (12mo), with cover art by Glen Orbik and the banner 'First Publication Anywhere' on the front cover
• The single documented first-printing point is the code 50599 printed above the UPC block on the back cover — first printings show three sets of UPC numbers with 50599 present; later printings change that code to 05584 (and later Hard Case/Titan issues change cover art and ISBN as well)
• Dealers report this point as confirmed by Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai
• The 'HCC-013' designation on the copyright page is NOT a printing point: later printings retain it, so it must not be used to call a first

How Hard Case Crime marked a first edition

• Note the distributor era: early titles (2004-2010) were distributed via Dorchester/Leisure; the relaunch (2011+) is under Titan Books — copyright-page imprint wording differs by era.

Full Hard Case Crime first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The US Dorchester / Hard Case Crime 2005 paperback is the true first edition anywhere — the cover statement is accurate and there is no competing UK or hardcover first at original publication. The first hardcover is PS Publishing (Hornsea, UK), July 2007, illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne, issued in four states: an unsigned hardback of 10,000 copies, an artist edition of 1,000 signed and numbered by the illustrator, 450 numbered slipcased copies signed by King and the illustrator, and 33 lettered copies in blue leather with a leather tray-case signed by King and all three artists (Chadbourne, Edward Miller, J.K. Potter, whose colour plates appear in the lettered state). Both the 2005 paperback and the 2007 PS hardcover are collected; the PS is the first hardcover and a 'first thus', not the first edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is documented. The earliest recorded state of the material is a set of pre-publication 3x5 promotional cards mailed before release, bearing the same front and rear cover graphics as the book — a promotional item, not an edition. Reprint traps: later Dorchester printings identical but for the UPC-area code, and the later Titan/Hard Case Crime reissue (013-I, ISBN 978-1-78909-155-7) with new artwork.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Colorado Kid a first edition?

A first edition of The Colorado Kid by Stephen King (Hard Case Crime) is identified by: The first edition is the Hard Case Crime paperback original, HCC-013, published by Dorchester Publishing in October 2005 in illustrated wraps (12mo), with cover art by Glen Orbik and the banner 'First Publication Anywhere' on the front cover.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The US Dorchester / Hard Case Crime 2005 paperback is the true first edition anywhere — the cover statement is accurate and there is no competing UK or hardcover first at original publication.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition is documented. The earliest recorded state of the material is a set of pre-publication 3x5 promotional cards mailed before release, bearing the same front and rear cover graphics as the book — a promotional item, not an edition. Reprint traps: later Dorchester printings identical but for the UPC-area code, and the later Titan/Hard Case Crime reissue (013-I, ISBN 978-1-78909-155-7) with new artwork.

I have a first edition of The Colorado Kid — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.