11 Scribes · All titles · Doubleday Era (1974-1983)

The Stand Grail

1978 · Doubleday & Company, Inc. (Garden City / "Garden City, New York" per copyright page)
First-edition cover of The Stand
First-edition jacket (first (Wikipedia infobox)) · source

What it’s about

When a weaponized superflu engineered in a U.S. military lab escapes containment, it sweeps across the globe in weeks and wipes out the overwhelming majority of the human race. The scattered survivors, drawn together across a devastated America, begin to dream — some of a serene old woman named Mother Abagail, others of a dark, grinning man called Randall Flagg — as two fledgling communities form around opposing visions of what the world should become next.

Significance A cornerstone of the King canon and the debut of recurring antagonist Randall Flagg (later woven into the Dark Tower web); the heavily cut 1978 original was restored as The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition in 1990, and it spawned the 1994 ABC miniseries and a 2020–21 CBS All Access adaptation.

Is this the true first?Yes. The Doubleday 1978 trade hardcover (the original CUT/abridged text — pp. (xii) + 823, roughly a quarter of King's manuscript removed at the publisher's insistence) is the true first edition, first printing. Reported first-printing run ~70,000 copies (stephenkingcollector.com). No small-press limited precedes it. ISBN 0-385-12168-7. NOTE: do NOT confuse with the 1990 Doubleday "The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition" ($24.95, "First Trade Edition" stated, ~400,000-copy run) — a distinct, much later, far more common book that is NOT this title's first edition.
The 1978 Doubleday hardcover is the true first. It is the original CUT version of the text (~75% of King's manuscript). The 1990 "Complete & Uncut" is a separate edition entirely (different first printing, marked "First Trade Edition," $24.95, ~400,000 run). A Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club Edition was issued near-simultaneously (Nov. 1978, gutter code T45, six weeks after the T39 first) and is the most common confuser; see bceTells. No Donald M. Grant / Philtrum / Land of Enchantment limited precedes The Stand.

First-printing points at a glance

First-printing statement"First Edition" printed at the foot of the copyright page (Doubleday's first-printing convention — when "First Edition" is stated with NO accompanying later-printing line, it is the first printing), with "1978" on the title page. CRUCIALLY, the true first ALSO carries the Doubleday gutter code "T39" in the inner margin of the last text page, page 823. Both the stated "First Edition" line AND the "T39" gutter code must be present — the gutter code is the decisive point because book-club and later copies carry a different code (e.g. T45 for the BCE first printing).
Number lineN/A — Doubleday in this era did NOT use a descending number line. First-printing identification relies on the stated "First Edition" line (foot of copyright page) PLUS the "T39" gutter code in the inner margin of page 823, not a number row. (Absence of a number line is normal and expected for a 1978 Doubleday King.)
Gutter / printer code"T39" — printed in the inner (gutter) margin at the foot of the last text page, page 823 (stephenkingcollector.com specifies "inner margin of page 823"; some descriptions reference pp. 822-823). Encoding (independently confirmed via the thedarktower.org Palaver gutter-code thread and dealer notes): the LETTER = year printed (P=1974, Q=1975, R=1976, S=1977, T=1978…), the NUMBER = week of that year — so T39 = week 39 of 1978. The BCE first printing carries "T45" (week 45/1978); later/book-club copies show other codes (U1, T48, T51, Y15, AA34, CC25, double-letter MP6x) — or differ. Cross-confirmed by fedpo.com, stephenkingcollector.com, thefirstedition.com, dunawaybooks.com, thedarktower.org, plus AbeBooks/eBay dealer firsts; BCE codes confirmed via Postmarked from the Stars (T51), worthpoint (U1), and an eBay BCE (U1).
First printing — copies~70,000 copies (first printing) confirmed
First jacket price$12.95 (Front jacket flap (top corner). A price-clipped jacket has this corner cut away, hiding the price and lowering value; on unclipped first-state copies "$12.95" is plainly printed on the front flap. Front-flap location is unanimous across fedpo.com, stephenkingcollector.com, thefirstedition.com, dunawaybooks.com and multiple AbeBooks/eBay dealer firsts. (One secondary summary loosely says "inside of the dust jacket" — the flap IS the inner jacket surface, so this is consistent, not conflicting.))
Board (panel) colorYellow / ocher / mustard / tan (buff) paper-covered boards (sides). Described by dealers variously as "yellow boards" (thefirstedition.com), "ocher paper boards," "mustard-colored boards" (dunawaybooks.com), "tan," or "buff" — all the same buttery yellow-tan paper-over-boards.
Spine / center bindingBlack cloth spine, lettered in gilt (gold) — i.e., quarter-bound: black cloth spine over yellow/ocher/mustard paper-covered boards.
Binding styleQuarter-bound (two-tone): publisher's black cloth spine, lettered in gilt, over yellow/ocher/mustard/tan paper-covered boards; sewn. Octavo. Collation pp. (xii) + 823. Trim approx. 6.25" x 9.5".
Topstain / endpapersUNVERIFIED — no consistent topstain/edge color or distinctive endpaper note is documented across the consulted collector/dealer sources (fedpo, stephenkingcollector, thefirstedition, veryfinebooks, dunawaybooks all silent on topstain). Plain endpapers; dealers note the front pastedown is prone to light warping (condition issue, not a state point).

Where to buy marker-checked

Live AbeBooks listings, checked against the seller's own photos. ✓ confirmed = a photo shows the decisive first-printing marker; cover only = ask the seller for the copyright-page shot before buying.

likely first$400Brazos Bend BooksNot photographed. Seller states jacket is price-intact at $12.95 (correct for a first) with a small retailer's price sticker beside it on the front fllikely first$740Great and rare booksJacket price-INTACT (unclipped): $12.95 with 'T.S.' flap code clearly legible on the front flap — correct first-state jacket price. Condition caveat: cover only — verify$460John K King BooksSeller text states unclipped '$12.95' jacket flap price, but no jacket photo exists to confirm; jacket described as well-worn, tape-repaired, stained,cover only — verify$850Between the Covers Rare BooksFlap not photographed — price ($12.95) and clip status UNKNOWN from photos. Cannot confirm priced or price-clipped.. Only ONE photo on this listing (v

1 listing flagged wrong-edition / later printing and hidden.

Dust jacket

Front: John Cayea illustration evoking the post-plague apocalyptic theme, with title and author. Spine lettered in the jacket design. Back: a ~35-line block quotation drawn from the book. Front flap: "$12.95" price at top plus blurb. Back flap: author bio listing only the prior works (Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, Night Shift), with author photo.

Art / design: Jacket illustration by John Cayea; jacket typography by Elizabeth Levine (both credited on the jacket; per veryfinebooks listing and dealer descriptions). Note: the SAME Cayea cover art is used on the book-club jacket, so artist alone does NOT distinguish trade first from BCE.

reference photohttps://www.stephenkingcollector.com/1st/stand.htmlreference photohttps://thefirstedition.com/product/the-stand-8/reference photohttps://postmarkedfromthestars.com/products/the-stand-stephen-king-1st-edition-hardback-john-cayea-cover
Book-club edition & fakes — how to spot a wrong copyThe Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club Edition (issued ~simultaneously, Nov. 1978, the #1 confuser) tells: (1) "Book Club Edition" printed at the bottom of the front jacket flap AND no $12.95 price; (2) the gutter code on the last text page is DIFFERENT from "T39" — the BCE first printing carries "T45" (45th week of 1978, six weeks after T39), with later BCE printings documented as "U1," "T48," "T51," "Y15," "AA34," "CC25," and double-letter codes (e.g. "MP6Z"); (3) "2138" printed at the bottom of the BACK jacket flap (a documented Literary Guild/BCE marker); (4) no ISBN on the copyright page/jacket in BCE states; (5) often a blind-stamp (small debossed dot/circle/square) near the rear board / lower corner; (6) thinner/cheaper paper and a slightly smaller, lighter book. SINGLE MOST RELIABLE TEST: front-flap "$12.95" + gutter code "T39" on p.823 + ISBN present = true first; "Book Club Edition" on flap / missing price / wrong code (T45/U1/T48/T51/etc.) / "2138" back flap / no ISBN = book club.

Also watch for: (1) Book-club edition passed off as the trade first — always confirm "$12.95" front-flap price AND "T39" on p.823 AND a present ISBN, and the ABSENCE of "Book Club Edition" / "2138" on the flaps. (2) Price-clipped jackets — corner cut to hide a clubbed/wrong jacket or a non-$12.95 price; value drops sharply. (3) Married jackets — a first-printing book reunited with a non-matching/later/club jacket (or vice versa); verify jacket state ($12.95, back-flap bio listing only pre-1978 titles, no BCE markers). (4) Facsimile/reproduction jackets dressing a bare book. (5) Ex-library copies (stamps, pockets, spine labels) and remainder marks — both reduce value sharply. (6) Restored/sophisticated copies. (7) Confusing the 1978 cut first with the common 1990 "Complete & Uncut." (8) Front-pastedown warping is endemic and is a condition flaw, not evidence of a fake or a later state.

Print run & scarcity

The 70,000-copy first-printing figure is the consensus number repeated across specialist Stephen King first-edition dealers and reference listings (First & Fine, true1stbooks, multiple AbeBooks specialist descriptions). It is a widely-cited collector-trade figure rather than a Doubleday-published official statement — treat as the working documented estimate, not a confirmed publisher disclosure. Note this is the UNCUT/original Doubleday text; the expanded "Complete & Uncut Edition" is a separate 1990 book and not relevant to the 1978 first.

First-state points & errata

No widely-documented internal text errata / first-state-vs-later-state typo separates the printings of this title; the decisive first-printing points are the "T39" gutter code (inner margin, page 823) plus the first-state $12.95 unclipped jacket. The back-jacket author-bio flap lists only the earlier titles (Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, Night Shift), consistent with a 1978-state jacket — itself a useful first-printing tell since later/reissue jackets would cite subsequently published works; the back panel carries a ~35-line block quotation from the book. A common condition fault (NOT a state point) is light warping of the front pastedown, noted as endemic to this title by dealers (thefirstedition.com). UNVERIFIED: any internal printer's-error text state change.

Limited & signed editions

No publisher-issued signed/numbered/traycased limited edition exists for the ORIGINAL 1978 cut text — Doubleday issued only the trade first and the book-club edition. (Signed 1978 firsts on the market are author-signed trade copies, sometimes dealer-housed in aftermarket custom slipcases/traycases — those cases are NOT publisher limiteds; e.g. veryfinebooks offers a slipcased first that is dealer-housed.) The later 1990 "Complete & Uncut" is a different book. UNVERIFIED: any authorized 1978 limited issue.

Market value confirmed sales

$1,500–4,000 (true first, fine/fine, unclipped $12.95 jacket, T39 code, no book-club stamp). Exceptional fresh fine/fine copies reach ~$4,500–6,000.

Assumes a genuine first edition / first printing in near-fine to fine condition (clean copy, unclipped jacket). Lesser condition is worth less.

Confirmed sales: Signed 1st edition in DJ — realized US $11,050 (auction, cited via Nate D. Sanders / dealer references, ~2018–2022). Unsigned NF+/F first-printing trade copies actively trading $1,950–3,000 at specialist dealers (Very Fine Books NF+/F slipcased $1,950; multiple AbeBooks true-first T39 fine copies $2,000–3,000+, 2024–2026). Heritage Auctions Lot #56885, first edition "flawless DJ," sold Feb 22, 2008 (realized price gated behind HA login — included as a venue comp, not a confirmed figure). Signed/inscribed dealer copies (Bauman, First & Fine) offered $15,000–25,000 (asking, not sold).

Book-club edition (the trap): $20–60. Book Club Edition (BOMC) is common: smaller/lighter, blind-stamp dot/dimple on rear board, no $12.95 price on jacket (or clipped), and different/absent gutter code. This is the single most-mislisted trap for this title. — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.

Condition is the entire game on this title — it was a fat, cheaply-bound brick notorious for cocked spines, splayed boards, tanned/edge-worn jackets, and rolled spines, so genuine fine/fine is scarce and commands a steep premium over the far more common VG/NF copies (which sit $300–800). Price-clipping the jacket cuts value 30–50%. Signed-and-dated-1978 (year-of-publication) copies are the trophy, with a confirmed $11,050 auction result and dealer asks well into five figures; a later-dated personalized inscription adds far less. THE single biggest discriminator separating a real first from the mislisted copies: the gutter code "T39" at the bottom of page 823 PLUS the stated "First Edition" PLUS the $12.95 unclipped jacket PLUS the ABSENCE of a book-club blind-stamp on the rear board — a later-state Doubleday gutter code (e.g. S-, Q-, A29, T48, etc.) or a board dimple means it is NOT the first printing regardless of how it's listed.

Value sources:

Sources

Verification notes: SECOND ADVERSARIAL PASS — independently re-verified; FOUR NEW sources added beyond the draft's sources[]: (i) thefirstedition.com (full dealer description: "Stated 'first edition' on copyright page, with 'T39' marker on page 823," yellow boards, black cloth spine, gold lettering, ISBN 0-385-12168-7, 823pp, $12.95 first-state jacket); (ii) thedarktower.org Palaver gutter-code thread (independently documents the encoding: letter=year [T=1978], number=week [39=week 39], P=1974…T=1978 sequence); (iii) dunawaybooks.com (via search: "First Edition" copyright statement, T39 p.823, $12.95 front flap, mustard boards/black cloth spine/gold lettering, back-flap bio lists only Carrie/Shining/Salem's Lot/Night Shift); (iv) worthpoint.com (BCE example carrying U1 gutter code). EVERY load-bearing draft claim was CONFIRMED, none contradicted: (a) "First Edition" at foot of copyright page — fedpo, dunaway, thefirstedition; (b) T39 in inner margin of p.823 — stephenkingcollector, fedpo, thefirstedition, dunaway, thedarktower; (c) $12.95 front flap — unanimous; (d) quarter-bound black-cloth gilt spine over yellow/ocher/mustard boards — fedpo + dunaway + thefirstedition + veryfinebooks; (e) Cayea illustration / Levine typography — veryfinebooks; (f) ISBN 0-385-12168-7 — thefirstedition + veryfinebooks; (g) pp.(xii)+823, octavo — thefirstedition. CORRECTIONS/REFINEMENTS vs draft: (1) Board color expanded to lead with dealer-canonical "yellow" (thefirstedition explicitly says "yellow boards"); full synonym set yellow/ocher/mustard/tan/buff retained. (2) Gutter-code ENCODING now independently sourced (year-letter + week-number) and the BCE-first code pinned to T45 (week 45/1978, six weeks after T39) per stephenkingcollector forum + search corroboration; expanded later-BCE code list to U1/T48/T51/Y15/AA34/CC25/double-letter MP6x. (3) Added the endemic front-pastedown-warping condition note (thefirstedition) and flagged it explicitly as a condition flaw, NOT a state/fake indicator, to pre-empt false alarms. (4) Reaffirmed BCE flap tells ("Book Club Edition" bottom of FRONT flap; "2138" bottom of BACK flap; no ISBN). (5) Value ceiling confirmed at ~$1,950-$2,000+ Fine/Fine (veryfinebooks ~$1,950) over stephenkingcollector's lesser-condition $400-$900 band. NO source conflicted on the price ($12.95) or the first-printing code (T39). The lone soft discrepancy noted in the prior pass — a secondary summary citing "p.199" for T39 — remains an OCR/transcription artifact contradicted by ALL primary collector sources (p.823 universal); disregarded. Topstain/edge color and endpaper specifics remain genuinely UNVERIFIED — no consulted source documents them.

confidence: High on every load-bearing point: "First Edition" statement (foot of copyright page) + "T39" gutter code (inner margin of p.823) + "$12.95" front-flap price + yellow/ocher-mustard boards + black-cloth gilt spine (quarter-bound) + ISBN 0-385-12168-7 + pp.(xii)+823 are each cross-confirmed by 4-6 independent collector/dealer sources (fedpo.com, stephenkingcollector.com, thefirstedition.com, dunawaybooks.com, veryfinebooks.com, thedarktower.org Palaver, plus multiple AbeBooks/eBay dealer firsts; BCE tells via Postmarked from the Stars [T51], worthpoint [U1], eBay BCE [U1]). The T39/T45 gutter-code encoding (year letter + week number) is now independently documented. Lower-confidence / UNVERIFIED: exact topstain color, endpaper specifics, and any 1978 internal text-errata state.← Back to all titles