The points of issue
Donald M. Grant first edition: brown cloth boards lettered in gilt, illustrated by Michael Whelan in color and black-and-white, in a pictorial dust jacket. The trade issue ran 10,000 copies. A separate limited issue of 500 copies, signed by King and Whelan on the limitation page and housed in a slipcase, is the prized state. The copyright page carries the Grant imprint without a later-printing statement.
Is this the true first?
The Donald M. Grant edition (1982) is the true first. There was no mass-market first; the Plume/NAL trade paperback did not appear until 1988. The 500-copy signed and numbered slipcased issue is the most desirable state.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no book-club edition of the Grant first. Beware the later 1988 Plume edition and the 2003 revised text being offered as a first edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Donald M. Grant first edition: brown cloth boards lettered in gilt, illustrated by Michael Whelan in color and black-and-white, in a pictorial dust jacket. The trade issue ran 10,000 copies. A separate limited issue of 500 copies, signed by King and Whelan on the limitation page and housed in a slipcase, is the prized state. The copyright page carries the Grant imprint without a later-printing statement.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Donald M. Grant edition (1982) is the true first. There was no mass-market first; the Plume/NAL trade paperback did not appear until 1988. The 500-copy signed and numbered slipcased issue is the most desirable state.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
There is no book-club edition of the Grant first. Beware the later 1988 Plume edition and the 2003 revised text being offered as a first edition.
I have a first edition of The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.