Is My Copy of The Stake a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Headline (London) hardcover first edition, 1990; the copyright page carries a complete descending number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, with the 1 present marking the first printing
• Bound in red boards with black lettering to the spine, issued in a pictorial dust jacket
• A first-issue jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap; the amount is not stated here, but its presence and lack of any later-printing or book-club overprint are the points to check
• Text-block toning at the extremities is characteristic of the title and is a condition trait, not an edition point

How Headline marked a first edition

• Find the dated 'First published' statement on the copyright (imprint) page. As a modern British trade house (founded 1986), a Headline first edition carries a line such as 'First published in Great Britain in [year] by…
• Check the descending number line (printer's key) on the copyright page. Verified Headline firsts (e.g. Neil Gaiman, 'Stardust', Headline 1999) show a complete line ending in 1 — '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'. The lowest digit…

Full Headline first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The Headline UK hardcover is the true first (1990); the US St. Martin's Press hardcover, in its own illustrated jacket, followed in 1991.P-026028

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No UK book-club issue is commonly reported; confirm the Headline imprint and the complete descending number line ending in 1, and that the printed jacket price is present and unaltered.P-026029

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Stake a first edition?

A first edition of The Stake by Richard Laymon (Headline) is identified by: Headline (London) hardcover first edition, 1990; the copyright page carries a complete descending number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, with the 1 present marking the first printing.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The Headline UK hardcover is the true first (1990); the US St. Martin's Press hardcover, in its own illustrated jacket, followed in 1991.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No UK book-club issue is commonly reported; confirm the Headline imprint and the complete descending number line ending in 1, and that the printed jacket price is present and unaltered.

I have a first edition of The Stake — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.