# Is "The Drawing of the Three / The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I)" by Stephen King a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Drawing of the Three / The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I) by Stephen King (Donald M. Grant, 1982) is identified by: 'The Gunslinger' true first is the Donald M. Grant 1982 is the true first (King self-distributed; not in general trade until the 1988 Plume paperback).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'The Gunslinger' true first is the Donald M. Grant trade edition, 1982, illustrated by Michael Whelan, limited to 10,000 copies (plus a 500-copy signed/numbered state)
- Limitation page; first state has no later-printing statement
- Issued in slipcase for the signed state
- Publisher imprint reads Donald M. Grant
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Publisher | Donald M. Grant |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'The Gunslinger' true first is the Donald M. Grant trade edition, 1982, illustrated by Michael Whelan, limited to 10,000 copies (plus a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
'The Gunslinger' true first is the Donald M. Grant trade edition, 1982, illustrated by Michael Whelan, limited to 10,000 copies (plus a 500-copy signed/numbered state). Limitation page; first state has no later-printing statement. Issued in slipcase for the signed state.

## Is this the true first?
Grant 1982 is the true first (King self-distributed; not in general trade until the 1988 Plume paperback). The signed/numbered 500-copy state is the premium first; the 10,000-copy trade Grant is also a first. The 1988 NAL/Plume edition is the first widely available edition, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Any mass-market paperback (Plume/NAL 1988 onward) is a later edition. The Grant first is identified by the Whelan illustrations, the limitation page, and the West Kingston imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Drawing of the Three / The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I)* by Stephen King a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-drawing-of-the-three-the-gunslinger-the-dark-tower-i
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.