The points of issue
Doubleday first trade edition, May 1990: copyright page states First Trade Edition with no number line (later printings carry number lines and printing statements). Restored text with new material and illustrations by Bernie Wrightson. A signed limited issue of 1,250 numbered copies plus 52 lettered copies, bound in leather and housed in a wooden coffin-style box, was signed by King and Wrightson.
Is this the true first?
First edition thus of the expanded text of the 1978 novel; the signed and numbered coffin-box issue is the collectible signed issue.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club edition identifiable by club markings and absence of the First Trade Edition statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Doubleday first trade edition, May 1990: copyright page states First Trade Edition with no number line (later printings carry number lines and printing statements). Restored text with new material and illustrations by Bernie Wrightson. A signed limited issue of 1,250 numbered copies plus 52 lettered copies, bound in leather and housed in a wooden coffin-style box, was signed by King and Wrightson.
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. First edition thus of the expanded text of the 1978 novel; the signed and numbered coffin-box issue is the collectible signed issue.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book club edition identifiable by club markings and absence of the First Trade Edition statement.
I have a first edition of The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition — 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.