# Is "The Exorcist" by William Peter Blatty a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (Harper & Row, 1971) is identified by: 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, and the first printing also carries the complete number line '71 72 73 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' located, unusually, on the LAST page of the book (the 'About the Author' leaf) rather than on the copyright page. US Harper & Row 1971 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, and the first printing also carries the complete number line '71 72 73 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' located, unusually, on the LAST page of the book (the 'About the Author' leaf) rather than on the copyright page
- There is no Harper letter-code; the number line ending in '1' is the corroborating point
- Binding: red/maroon cloth boards and spine, silver spine lettering, blind-stamped Harper & Row torch device
- First-issue dust jacket: price present on the front flap, the code '0571' at the foot of the front flap, and the rear panel showing the photograph of Blatty standing outdoors holding a cup (photo credit Tippi Hedren)
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Peter Blatty |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, and the first printing also carries the complete number line '71 72 73 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, and the first printing also carries the complete number line '71 72 73 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' located, unusually, on the LAST page of the book (the 'About the Author' leaf) rather than on the copyright page. There is no Harper letter-code; the number line ending in '1' is the corroborating point. Binding: red/maroon cloth boards and spine, silver spine lettering, blind-stamped Harper & Row torch device. First-issue dust jacket: price present on the front flap, the code '0571' at the foot of the front flap, and the rear panel showing the photograph of Blatty standing outdoors holding a cup (photo credit Tippi Hedren).

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row 1971 is the true first. The first printing is confirmed by the stated 'FIRST EDITION' together with the full number line ending in '1' on the book's last page; the first-issue jacket carries the '0571' flap code and the cup-of-coffee author photograph on the rear panel. The film was released in December 1973, so any movie tie-in jacket or printing is a later issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the stated 'FIRST EDITION,' lack the last-page number line, bear a blind-stamp on the rear board, and have a jacket with no printed price and no '0571' flap code. Movie tie-in printings carry film imagery/credits and are clearly later.

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