# Is "The Midnight Tour" by Richard Laymon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Midnight Tour by Richard Laymon (Headline, 1998) is identified by: Headline (Headline Feature), London, 1998 hardcover first edition (ISBN 0-7472-2050-6), the first printing carrying a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. The UK Headline hardcover is generally treated as the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Headline (Headline Feature), London, 1998 hardcover first edition (ISBN 0-7472-2050-6), the first printing carrying a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page
- Bound in black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed jacket price
- Third book in the Beast House Chronicles
- Publisher imprint reads Headline
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Laymon |
| Publisher | Headline |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Headline (Headline Feature), London, 1998 hardcover first edition (ISBN 0-7472-2050-6), the first printing carrying a complete number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Headline (Headline Feature), London, 1998 hardcover first edition (ISBN 0-7472-2050-6), the first printing carrying a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Bound in black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed jacket price. Third book in the Beast House Chronicles.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Headline hardcover is generally treated as the true first. In the US the same year Cemetery Dance issued signed limited editions with new art by Alan M. Clark: a limitation of 1,000 signed and numbered copies and a traycased edition of 52 signed and lettered copies, each signed by both Richard Laymon and Alan M. Clark.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club and reprint copies lack the complete number line descending to 1. The Cemetery Dance limiteds are identified by their signed limitation page (numbered to 1,000 or lettered to 52) and the Alan M. Clark illustrations, which the Headline trade edition does not carry.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Midnight Tour* by Richard Laymon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-midnight-tour
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.