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

Carrie Grail

1974 · Doubleday & Company, Inc. (Garden City, New York)
First-edition cover of Carrie
First-edition jacket (first (Wikipedia infobox)) · source

What it’s about

Carrie White is a shy, friendless high school senior raised by a domineering, religiously fanatical mother, and a relentless target of cruelty from her classmates. When a humiliating incident in the girls' locker room becomes the latest torment, the painfully sheltered girl begins to discover a strange power stirring inside her — telekinesis she can barely understand or control. As an invitation to the senior prom offers a fragile chance at acceptance, the pressures of home, school, and her awakening ability draw toward a breaking point.

Significance Stephen King's debut novel (Doubleday, 1974) — the breakout that launched his career, famously rescued from the trash by his wife Tabitha, and adapted into Brian De Palma's iconic 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek, plus later remakes and a Broadway musical.

Is this the true first?Yes — the trade hardcover is a true first edition, first printing. (Not a paperback original; not a small-press first.) Documented print run 30,000 copies (Wikipedia, re-confirmed this pass; secondstorybooks and veryfinebooks repeat the 30,000 figure), scarce in collectible condition with an unclipped jacket.
YES — the Doubleday trade hardcover (1974) IS the true first edition. No small-press limited precedes it; Carrie was King's debut novel and was published only by Doubleday in hardcover (Garden City, NY). The only thing earlier than the trade first is the publisher's ADVANCE REVIEW COPY / uncorrected proof, issued in printed paper wraps (softcover proof, not a hardcover edition), reported to carry the earlier gutter code "O50" (i.e. late 1973 — week 50). Wikipedia independently confirms advance copies were sent to salesmen in 1973 ahead of the April 1974 release. That proof is a famous King rarity but is a WRAPS proof, not the "first hardcover." The first PUBLISHED hardcover state is the "P6" trade first described below. NOTE on dates (INDEPENDENTLY RE-CONFIRMED): the gutter code reflects the PRINTING week — "P6" = printed the 6th week of 1974 (mid-February) — while the book was ultimately PUBLISHED April 5, 1974 (Wikipedia; thedarktower.org/Palaver gutter-code thread confirms the letter=year/number=printing-week scheme). Do not conflate the printing-week code with the publication date.

First-printing points at a glance

First-printing statementCopyright page explicitly states "First Edition." Carrie is one of the early Doubleday Kings that DID print "First Edition" on the copyright page — but the statement ALONE is NOT sufficient (book-club editions of this era can carry the same legal "First Edition" text). The decisive point is the COMBINATION of "First Edition" on the copyright page AND the gutter printer's code "P6" on page 199 (cross-confirmed independently by fedpo.com, veryfinebooks, secondstorybooks, Heritage Auctions, bookpoi/HubPages, and the official Stephen King 'Identifying First Editions' listings).
Number lineN/A — no printing number line. Doubleday firsts of this era are identified by the alphanumeric GUTTER CODE ("P6" here), not by a "1 3 5 7 9..." number string. (Number lines appear on King's later Viking/Putnam/Scribner titles, not on the 1974 Doubleday Carrie.) A first shows "P6"; later printings/BCEs show other codes (e.g. L25, H18, AA42).
Gutter / printer code"P6" — printed in the gutter at the inside/foot margin of page 199 (the last page of text). Per the standard reading, re-confirmed this pass via the thedarktower.org Palaver gutter-code thread: "P" encodes the year (1974) and "6" the 6th week of that year (mid-February 1974 printing). This is THE defining first-printing point. Later printings and book-club editions carry DIFFERENT codes — and the BCE code is NOT a single fixed value: independently observed BCE/later codes include "L25" (eBay BCE listing), "H18" (reported on page 198), "AA42" (collector-forum copy, page 199, $15.95 flap), and double-letter forms; the draft's claim of a fixed "O32" BCE code is therefore an over-assertion (see verifyNotes). The reliable discriminator is the PRESENCE of "P6" specifically, NOT any one BCE code.
First printing — copies~30,000 copies (widely cited Doubleday first-printing figure). Treat as an approximate, repeated-in-trade number rather than a King-verified bibliographic count. accepted figure
First jacket price$5.95 (Printed on the dust-jacket FRONT FLAP (upper inside front flap), cross-confirmed by fedpo, veryfinebooks, secondstorybooks. REFINEMENT added this pass: multiple independent sources (HubPages identification guide; "C above $5.95" search corroboration) state the first-issue jacket shows the price as "$5.95" with a letter "C" printed ABOVE it on the front flap — a recognized first-issue jacket point. A price-clipped flap hides this and lowers value (and a clipped upper-front-flap can be used to disguise a BCE jacket). Book-club jackets carry NO printed price; later trade printings may show a different price (a collector-forum later/club copy showed "$15.95").)
Board (panel) colorMaroon cloth (boards) — full-cloth case in maroon/burgundy. Cross-confirmed by fedpo ("Bound in maroon cloth with gold lettering on the spine"), Heritage Auctions, secondstorybooks, and multiple AbeBooks confirmed-first listings. Book-club editions typically use cheaper solid-color paper-covered/cloth boards.
Spine / center bindingMaroon/burgundy cloth spine (same cloth as the boards — full cloth, single color, NOT two-tone/quarter-bound) with title and author stamped in GILT (gold) on the spine. fedpo and Heritage both confirm gold/gilt spine lettering on maroon cloth.
Binding styleFull-cloth case binding (single maroon/burgundy cloth over the boards — NOT quarter-bound/two-tone), sewn. Octavo, 199 pages. Trim approx. 5¾ x 8½ inches. Gilt spine lettering; BLACK endpapers. (BCE copies are typically a smaller trim on lighter/thinner paper, often glued rather than sewn.)
Topstain / endpapersCORRECTED this pass — the draft listed endpapers as UNVERIFIED; multiple independent sources now confirm the 1974 first edition has BLACK ENDPAPERS (Heritage Auctions listing data; nocloo/identification-guide corroboration; a dealer description stating "the endpapers are black" as part of true-first criteria). Black endpapers are a genuine corroborating feature of the trade first (paired with maroon cloth + gilt spine), though dealers still treat the P6 code + first-issue jacket as the decisive points. TOP STAIN: still not consistently documented as a distinguishing state point — treat top-stain color as non-load-bearing.

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.

cover only — verify$975James Graham BooksellerJacket price-clipped per seller text (flap not photographed, so unverified). A clipped jacket is a condition caveat only, not a disqualifier — but comcover only — verify$3250Third Season BooksListed US$3,250. Jacket is PRICE-CLIPPED per seller description (and no flap price is legible in the photos). Per rubric a clipped jacket is a conditi

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

Dust jacket

Pictorial/photographic dust jacket. Front panel features the stylized title "CARRIE" with teaser/tagline copy introducing Carrie White and the telekinetic-horror premise; spine and front carry title/author. Front flap carries the "$5.95" price (with a "C" above it) and jacket blurb. Rear panel/back flap carries a black-and-white author photograph of a young Stephen King plus biographical/jacket copy, with the credit "Jacket by Alex Gotfryd" printed on the back flap. Presents the menacing-debut-horror branding of the period.

Art / design: Dust jacket designed by Alexander (Alex) Gotfryd, longtime Doubleday art director (he also designed the jacket for Peter Benchley's Jaws). The rear-panel author photograph is also attributed to Gotfryd (c. 1974). Re-confirmed this pass: the credit "Jacket by Alex Gotfryd" appears on the back flap of the first-edition jacket (multiple dealer descriptions; Wikimedia Commons author-photo attribution to Gotfryd; Heritage catalog entry).

reference photohttps://veryfinebooks.com/stephen-king-carrie-us-first-edition-printing-doubleday-1974-p6-code/reference photohttps://www.nocloo.com/carrie-stephen-king-1974-bce/reference photohttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_photograph_of_Stephen_King_by_Alex_Gotfryd,_c._1974.jpg
Book-club edition & fakes — how to spot a wrong copySee dedicated BCE field above — key tells: "Book Club Edition" on flap, NO flap price, rear-board blind-stamp, ABSENCE of "P6" (BCE codes vary: L25/H18/AA42/etc.), smaller trim, thinner paper, often glued, solid-color boards instead of maroon cloth + gilt spine + black endpapers.

Also watch for: (1) MARRIED JACKETS — a later-printing or book-club jacket placed on a P6 first (or vice versa); confirm the jacket shows an unclipped "$5.95" (with "C") front flap AND the book shows "P6" on page 199 AND black endpapers. (2) PRICE-CLIPPED jackets hide the price point, depress value, and can mask a club jacket. (3) FACSIMILE / reproduction dust jackets are openly sold (e.g., dustjackets.com) — acceptable on a true first only if disclosed; undisclosed it is a trap. (4) EX-LIBRARY copies (stamps, pockets, spine labels) are heavily devalued. (5) REMAINDER marks (sprayed/marker edge) indicate non-collectible stock. (6) BCEs misrepresented as "First Edition" because the copyright line says so — verify P6 on page 199, black endpapers, maroon cloth/gilt spine, full trim, sewn binding, ABSENCE of the rear-board blind-stamp, and the printed front-flap "$5.95/C" price; remember a non-P6 gutter code (L25/H18/AA42/etc.) flags a later printing or club copy. (7) Forged signatures on a debut this valuable — prefer provenance/COA for signed copies.

Print run & scarcity

~30,000 first-printing copies is the consistently repeated trade/dealer figure; roughly half reportedly went to libraries (hence the abundance of ex-library copies and the scarcity of clean trade firsts). It is NOT tied to a primary Doubleday production document or an authorized King bibliography in the sources found, so cite it as an approximation. Book Club Editions were printed in far greater numbers, which is the structural reason the market is flooded with BCEs misrepresented as firsts.

First-state points & errata

No widely-cited textual erratum/typo separates first-state from later first-printing trade copies — RE-CONFIRMED this pass: targeted searches for a documented first-state typo/errata return nothing; collector identification is purely CODE- and JACKET-based, not textual. The first-printing point is effectively binary: "First Edition" on copyright page + "P6" gutter code on page 199 + maroon cloth with gilt spine + BLACK endpapers + full trade trim (199 pp) + first-issue jacket showing "$5.95" (unclipped) with a "C" above the price on the front flap. This is distinct from the earlier advance-wraps proof (printed wraps, code "O50," ~late 1973), which is a pre-publication state, not the trade first hardcover.

Limited & signed editions

No contemporaneous signed/numbered or traycased limited edition was issued for the 1974 first (Doubleday issued only the trade first + book-club edition + the advance wraps proof). Later collectible variants exist (e.g., 2024 50th-anniversary editions; UK Hodder reissues) but those are reprints, not the true first. Value premiums attach to author-INSCRIBED/SIGNED copies of the 1974 first and to the early advance-wraps proof ("O50") — but neither is a publisher "limited edition." Custom clamshell/slipcases seen on dealer copies are aftermarket, not publisher-issued.

Market value confirmed sales

$2,500–6,000 (genuine first printing, unsigned, fine/fine, unclipped $5.95 jacket, P6 gutter code). A clean unsigned copy in true fine/fine realistically sits ~$2,500–4,500; only the very best, jacket-bright copies push toward $5,000–6,000. Signed/inscribed copies are a different market entirely ($4,000–15,000+).

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

Confirmed sales: (1) Signed/inscribed first printing ("For Tim – Be well, Stephen King 6/24/88"), SOLD ~$1,800 — Nate D. Sanders Auctions. (2) Signed first edition/first printing, near fine, inscribed/dated — Nate D. Sanders (Lot 7119), realized in the low-to-mid four figures. (3) Heritage Auctions (historical.ha.com Lot 45182), first edition w/ P6 code to p.199, signed & dated "8/22/80" — sold via Heritage archive (signed premium copy). (4) Community/dealer consensus: signed good-to-excellent copies trading ~$2,000–3,000 at auction; unsigned true-first fine/fine dealer asks $3,995 (VeryFineBooks) to ~$7,500. NOTE: I could NOT verify a clean unsigned fine/fine realized hammer — do not treat the unsigned high end as a confirmed sale.

Book-club edition (the trap): $15–50. Book Club Edition (BOMC) is the dominant trap for this title — vastly more BCEs exist than trade firsts. A BCE in a fine jacket tops out around $40–60; ex-library or jacketless BCEs are $10–20. — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.

Condition is everything on Carrie: the jacket is the value. The $5.95 jacket tans/chips easily and is almost never found bright — a fine, unclipped, untanned jacket can double a copy's price versus a near-fine one. Price-clipping alone knocks 30–50% off. Signed/inscribed copies command a large premium (roughly 2–5x), and a King signature must be scrutinized because forgeries are common on this title. THE SINGLE BIGGEST TELL separating a real first from the constant mislistings: it is NOT the "First Edition" slug on the copyright page (the BCE also says "Book Club Edition"/"First Edition"-style wording and the gutter code can be faked-out by sellers). It is the combination of (a) the "P6" gutter code stamped at the foot of page 199 AND (b) the ABSENCE of any blind-stamp/deboss (circle, square, dot, or maple-leaf) on the lower rear board. A blind stamp on the back board = book club edition, period — no exceptions, regardless of what the copyright page or the seller says. Also confirm the priced $5.95 jacket (BCE jackets are unpriced) and reject ex-library and married/facsimile jackets.

Value sources:

Sources

Verification notes: ADVERSARIAL SECOND PASS — verified against independent sources NOT in the original draft sources[]: HubPages 'How to Identify a First Edition of Carrie' (discover.hubpages.com), bookpoi.com Carrie identification page, the thedarktower.org/Palaver Doubleday-gutter-code thread, an eBay BCE listing showing an "L25 Gutter Code," the stephenkingcollector.com forum (a later/club copy with "AA42" code on page 199, "$15.95" flap), and finebooksmagazine.com (original Carrie art). CORRECTIONS/REFINEMENTS recorded: (1) BLACK ENDPAPERS — draft listed endpapers as UNVERIFIED/not-a-point; multiple independent sources now confirm BLACK endpapers as a recognized first-edition feature. UPGRADED in topstainEndpapers/bindingStyle/firstStatePoints. (2) "C" ABOVE $5.95 — draft omitted this; independent sources (HubPages + corroborating search) confirm the first-issue front flap shows "$5.95" with a "C" above it. ADDED to jacketPriceLocation/firstStatePoints. (3) BCE GUTTER CODE — draft asserted the BCE 'is documented carrying an O32 code' as a defining tell; this is an OVER-ASSERTION. Independent evidence shows BCE/later codes VARY widely (L25, H18 on page 198, AA42 on page 199, double-letter forms). The reliable discriminator is the ABSENCE of P6 + missing flap price + rear-board blind-stamp, NOT any single code. DOWNGRADED 'O32' to one possible example among many; corrected gutterCode/bceTells/numberLine. (4) PAGE 198 vs 199 — confirmed the trade FIRST is page 199; some BCE/later copies place the code on page 198 (H18 example), but page number alone is NOT a clean discriminator (an AA42 later copy was also on 199). (5) DATE — re-confirmed P6 = mid-February 1974 PRINTING week vs April 5, 1974 PUBLICATION; the wraps proof (O50, ~late 1973) precedes publication by ~4 months. (6) FIRST-STATE ERRATA — re-searched; NO documented textual typo/errata point; identification is code/jacket-based (matches draft). (7) GOTFRYD — confirmed jacket designer AND author-photo, with the credit "Jacket by Alex Gotfryd" on the back flap. (8) VALUE — '$732 presentation copy' snippet flagged as an out-of-context fragment, range otherwise consistent with dealer asks. Two-source rule satisfied on all load-bearing points (price/C-code, P6/page-199, First Edition statement, maroon cloth + gilt spine, black endpapers, Gotfryd jacket, 30,000 run, April 5 1974 pub).

confidence: high — Copyright-page "First Edition," the "P6 on page 199" gutter code, the "$5.95 (with C above) front-flap price," maroon cloth + gilt spine, BLACK endpapers, and the Gotfryd jacket are each cross-confirmed across the official Stephen King 'Identifying First Editions' listings (Bev Vincent), fedpo.com, veryfinebooks.com, secondstorybooks.com, Heritage Auctions, bookpoi.com / HubPages identification guide, and multiple AbeBooks/Biblio confirmed-first listings. Print run 30,000 and April 5, 1974 publication confirmed by Wikipedia. The gutter-code scheme (letter=year/number=printing-week) confirmed by the thedarktower.org Palaver thread. Lowered confidence ONLY on (a) the specific BCE gutter code — observed to VARY (L25/H18/AA42), so the draft's fixed "O32" is downgraded to 'not reliable'; and (b) top-stain color, which is not a documented state point.← Back to all titles