# Is "The Long Walk" by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) (Signet, 1979) is identified by: Signet paperback original, catalog number J8754, ISBN 0-451-08754-2. Paperback original; no hardcover first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Signet paperback original, catalog number J8754, ISBN 0-451-08754-2
- Copyright page states 'First Printing, July, 1979' with a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (the 1 present)
- Wraps as by Richard Bachman; about 244 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Signet
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Bachman (Stephen King) |
| Publisher | Signet |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Signet paperback original, catalog number J8754, ISBN 0-451-08754-2 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Signet paperback original, catalog number J8754, ISBN 0-451-08754-2. Copyright page states 'First Printing, July, 1979' with a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (the 1 present). Wraps as by Richard Bachman; about 244 pages.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; no hardcover first. This Signet mass-market printing is the true first appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A (paperback original). Later printings replace the July 1979 statement with a higher printing designation and drop the 1 from the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Long Walk* by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-long-walk
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.