# Is "The Running Man" by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) (Signet, 1982) is identified by: Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalog number AE1508, 219 pages. Paperback original; no earlier hardcover exists.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalog number AE1508, 219 pages
- The true first is identified on the copyright page by the statement 'First Printing, May, 1982' together with a complete descending number line ending in 1
- It was issued as by Richard Bachman with no mention of Stephen King anywhere in the book
- The printed cover price should be present on the front cover
- Publisher imprint reads Signet
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Bachman (Stephen King) |
| Publisher | Signet |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalog number AE1508, 219 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalog number AE1508, 219 pages. The true first is identified on the copyright page by the statement 'First Printing, May, 1982' together with a complete descending number line ending in 1. It was issued as by Richard Bachman with no mention of Stephen King anywhere in the book. The printed cover price should be present on the front cover.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; no earlier hardcover exists. Fourth Bachman title. Later Signet printings drop the '1' from the number line (a second printing begins the line at 2) and are further identified by revised printing statements on the copyright page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable to a paperback original; there is no book-club edition, and later printings are identified on the copyright page by the changed number line and printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Running Man* by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-running-man
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.