# Is "The Talisman" by Stephen King & Peter Straub a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub (Viking / G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984) is identified by: Trade first co-published by Viking Penguin Inc. The Viking/Putnam trade is the true first and PRECEDED the Grant deluxe, which was issued afterward — a famous point of confusion, since the signed, slipcased Grant set is often mistaken for the 'first.' Both authors' names (King and Straub) appear on the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade first co-published by Viking Penguin Inc. and G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984
- The first printing is a STATED first: the copyright page reads 'First published in 1984 by Viking Penguin Inc.' with no later-printing notice, and the last line of that page reads 'Designed by Ann Gold'; later printings add a statement such as 'Second Printing, November 1984.' There is NO number line
- Red cloth over black boards, gilt spine lettering; first-issue jacket has the price present on the front flap
- The collectible deluxe issue is the Donald M. Grant signed/limited (West Kingston, Rhode Island, 1984): 1,200 numbered copies in a two-volume slipcased set, cream (white) cloth bindings with gilt-ruled boards and a mounted sepia illustration to each front board, signed by both King and Straub on the limitation page
- Publisher imprint reads Viking / G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King & Peter Straub |
| Publisher | Viking / G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Trade first co-published by Viking Penguin Inc. and G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Trade first co-published by Viking Penguin Inc. and G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984. The first printing is a STATED first: the copyright page reads 'First published in 1984 by Viking Penguin Inc.' with no later-printing notice, and the last line of that page reads 'Designed by Ann Gold'; later printings add a statement such as 'Second Printing, November 1984.' There is NO number line. Red cloth over black boards, gilt spine lettering; first-issue jacket has the price present on the front flap. The collectible deluxe issue is the Donald M. Grant signed/limited (West Kingston, Rhode Island, 1984): 1,200 numbered copies in a two-volume slipcased set, cream (white) cloth bindings with gilt-ruled boards and a mounted sepia illustration to each front board, signed by both King and Straub on the limitation page.

## Is this the true first?
The Viking/Putnam trade is the true first and PRECEDED the Grant deluxe, which was issued afterward — a famous point of confusion, since the signed, slipcased Grant set is often mistaken for the 'first.' Both authors' names (King and Straub) appear on the true first. The Grant limited is numbered only (1,200 copies); no lettered edition of the Grant Talisman is recorded in the sources consulted. The later Grant 'gift' edition (2002, bound with Black House and signed by Straub and the illustrator, not King) is a separate, much later issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book-of-the-Month Club edition of the trade lacks the price on the jacket flap, is slightly smaller, uses cheaper boards, and bears the club's blind-stamp (small dot) on the rear board; it does not state 'First published in 1984 by Viking Penguin Inc.' There is no book-club edition of the Grant limited.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Talisman* by Stephen King & Peter Straub a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-talisman
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.