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Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season Common

Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan
2004 · Scribner (Charles Scribner's Sons / Simon & Schuster), New York
First-edition cover of Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season
First-edition jacket

What it’s about

Two lifelong Boston Red Sox fans — novelists Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan — set out to chronicle a single baseball season from the inside, trading journal entries and emails from spring training through the long summer grind and into October. Written in real time with no idea how the year will end, it's a fan's-eye diary of hope, dread, superstition, and the particular agony of rooting for a team famous for breaking hearts. Part sports journal, part friendship in letters, it captures what it feels like to live and die with a ballclub day by day.

Significance A rare Stephen King nonfiction title and a true co-authorship — written with novelist Stewart O'Nan as a real-time, dual-diary chronicle of the 2004 Red Sox, prized by King completists as an outlier in his canon and by Sox fans as a contemporaneous record of that season.

Is this the true first?Yes. The true first edition / first printing is the Scribner trade hardcover, published December 2, 2004 (co-authored by Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan), ISBN 0-7432-6752-4 (978-0-7432-6752-6). CORRECTION to draft: the trade paperback was NOT a simultaneous 2004 release — it followed in 2005 (ISBN 0-7432-6753-2 / 978-0-7432-6753-3, Scribner). So the hardcover is both the first edition AND the first format; there is no paperback-original ambiguity. A signed/numbered (350) and signed/lettered (26) deluxe set exist, but those are a 2014 tenth-anniversary issue (Books to Benefit / Lividian, Harrisburg) — NOT the 2004 first.
Scribner (New York) 2004 trade hardcover, ISBN 0-7432-6752-4 (978-0-7432-6752-6), published December 2, 2004, with copyright-page number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" and an unclipped $26.00 (US) dust jacket. Black spine (silver lettering) over red boards, ~432 pp, trim approx. 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. The 2005 trade paperback (0-7432-6753-2) is a later, separate format — not the first edition.

First-printing points at a glance

First-printing statementThe words "First Edition" are not relied upon as the identifier for this Scribner title; the first printing is identified by the complete number line containing the numeral 1 on the copyright page. Independent dealer descriptions (AbeBooks: Mike's Baseball Books, Inga's Original Choices, Falling Waters, rarefirsts) consistently cite "First Edition, First Printing" with the complete 1-10 number line present and the unclipped $26.00 jacket. Confirm by sighting the "1" leading/within the line; a line whose lowest surviving digit is "2" indicates a later printing.
Number line1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Gutter / printer codeUNVERIFIED. The draft's categorical claim that "Scribner of this era did not use gutter codes" is an unsourced definitive negative and is downgraded here. Gutter/printer codes ARE a recognized book-club-edition (BCE) marker, and Scribner/Simon & Schuster titles distributed through book clubs of this era can carry an alphanumeric gutter code at the foot of the final text page. No source was found either confirming or ruling out a gutter code on the Faithful BCE specifically. Primary identification of the trade first remains the copyright-page number line plus the priced, unclipped jacket; treat any gutter code found as a BCE/printer signal rather than a first-state point.
First printing — copiesNot publicly disclosed
First jacket price$26.00 (US). Canadian price not independently confirmed; the commonly cited "$39.95 Canada" figure is UNVERIFIED (lower confidence). (Top of front dust-jacket flap)
Board (panel) colorRed paper-covered boards (confirmed by AbeBooks dealer description: "Red boards, black spine")
Spine / center bindingBlack spine with silver/gilt lettering (confirmed by AbeBooks dealer description)
Binding styleQuarter-bound hardcover: black cloth/material spine over red paper-covered boards, silver spine stamping; sewn binding. ~432 pages, illustrated with photographs. (Board/spine colors independently confirmed; "quarter cloth" specifically is the standard description but the spine-material call is lower-confidence.)
Topstain / endpapersNo colored topstain documented (plain) and endpapers plain on the trade first; illustrated/decorative endpapers belong to the 2014 Lividian deluxe editions, not the 2004 trade first. Any tinted topstain/endpaper on the trade first is UNVERIFIED (lower confidence).

Dust jacket

Glossy red dust jacket featuring color photographs of Boston Red Sox players; title "FAITHFUL" with subtitle "Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season," authors Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan. Front flap carries the $26.00 (US) price at top.

Art / design: Dust jacket: red glossy ground with color Boston Red Sox photographs from the 2004 championship season. Specific jacket designer/photographer credit UNVERIFIED (lower confidence).

reference photohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faithful_(book)reference photohttps://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/97528/stephen-king-stewart-onan/faithful-two-diehard-boston-red-sox-fans-chronicle-the-historic-2004-seasonreference photohttps://veryfinebooks.com/stephen-king-stewart-onan-faithful-signed-lettered-edition-26-slipcased-leather-bound/
Book-club edition & fakes — how to spot a wrong copyBook-Club Edition tells: (1) NO printed price on the dust-jacket front flap (blank where $26.00 should be) — the single most reliable BCE indicator for this title. (2) Frequently no bar code on the rear DJ panel. (3) Possible gutter/printer code at the foot of the final text page (a BCE marker — see gutterCode). (4) Often smaller trim and lighter/cheaper board stock; sometimes a small blind-stamp dot/square on a rear board. (5) BCE may lack the full trade number line. Caution: BCE jackets are sometimes married onto trade firsts — verify the number line in the book AND the priced flap together.

Also watch for: Cautions: (1) Later printings — confirm the numeral 1 leads/sits within the number line; a line whose lowest digit is not 1 is a reprint. (2) Book-club editions marketed as "first edition" — check for the priced flap, bar code, full trim, and no gutter code. (3) The 2005 trade PAPERBACK (ISBN 0-7432-6753-2 / 978-0-7432-6753-3) is NOT the collectible hardcover first and was NOT a simultaneous 2004 release — sellers sometimes blur "first printing" across formats/years. (4) Married/replacement jackets (BCE jacket on a trade book or vice versa). (5) Reading-copy condition passed off as Fine. (6) "Signed" copies are usually O'Nan-only (he signs readily); copies signed by BOTH King and O'Nan are scarce, command a large premium, and warrant authentication (e.g., PSA) since King forgeries exist.

Print run & scarcity

Released December 2, 2004, timed to the Red Sox's first World Series title since 1918, so Scribner printed heavily. The hardcover is common and modestly priced; scarcity/value lives in (a) dual-signed (King + O'Nan) copies and (b) the 2014 Lividian deluxe issues, not in the trade first itself. The 2005 trade paperback is the everyday reprint format.

First-state points & errata

First-state points: (1) Copyright-page number line complete with the numeral 1 present (full 1-10 line; sequence "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2") — presence of the 1 is the definitive marker; lowest digit "2" = later printing. (2) Dust jacket NOT price-clipped, showing "$26.00" (US) at the top of the front flap. (3) Trim size approx. 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (4) Jacket carries a printed price (a blank-price flap suggests a book-club jacket). No multiple simultaneous DJ states or printing errors are documented for this title — it is a straightforward single-state first. The 2005 trade paperback is a distinct, later format, not a state of the first.

Limited & signed editions

No limited edition accompanied the 2004 first. A deluxe TENTH-ANNIVERSARY set was issued in 2014 by Books to Benefit / Lividian Publications, Harrisburg (gift/anniversary ISBN 9781941971000): a signed/numbered edition of 350 copies, tray-cased (seen at ~$399), and a signed/LETTERED deluxe edition of 26 hand-lettered copies (A-Z, slipcased; ~$750 issue / ~$799 secondary). The lettered set features a hand-bound three-piece binding (Japanese book cloth + fine leather), two-color printing throughout, illustrated endpapers, a sewn ribbon marker, a custom maple slipcase, an included Red Sox baseball card, and bonus essays not in the 2004 trade book. 30% of proceeds benefited The Haven Foundation and The Jimmy Fund. These 2014 issues are collectible in their own right but are distinct from the 2004 Scribner first.

Market value confirmed sales

$40–90 (true first, fine/fine, unclipped)

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

Confirmed sales: No major-auction (Heritage/PBA/RBH) records exist for the trade first — this is too common to reach those venues, which is itself the diagnosis. Documented marketplace/dealer transaction data (2024–2026): unsigned fine/fine firsts settling ~$24–34 (AbeBooks dealer-sold range); signed fine/fine (single signature) ~$35–50 (AbeBooks); eBay verified true-1st/1st copies routinely closing $25–60; 2014 Books To Benefit signed numbered limited (of 350, traycase) offered/transacting ~$250–399 (VeryFineBooks / dealer). Treat these as dealer/marketplace SOLD-or-settled comps, not formal auction records.

Book-club edition (the trap): $3–12. Book-of-the-Month/book-club and later-printing copies (number "1" absent from the line, BCE blind-stamp on rear board, often no price on jacket flap or a clipped flap) are the dominant trap and are near-worthless — frequently mislisted as "first edition" at $40–150 asking. An ex-library or facsimile-jacket copy is similarly $5–15. — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.

Condition sensitivity is HIGH relative to the low base price: a fine/fine unclipped copy is worth roughly 2–3x a very-good clipped one, but the absolute dollars stay modest because supply is enormous. THE single biggest discriminator for THIS title: the prompt's "Doubleday gutter code / Richard Bachman" points are TRAPS that do NOT apply — this is a SCRIBNER co-authored book, not a King-Doubleday solo novel and not a Bachman title. The real first-printing point is the copyright-page number line reading "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" with the "1" PRESENT, paired with an unclipped $26.00 dust jacket and NO book-club blind-stamp/blindstamp dimple on the rear board. Any copy missing the "1," carrying a BCE dot/stamp, or wearing a clipped or facsimile jacket is not the collectible first. Signed/inscribed premium: a single-signature (usually O'Nan) fine copy roughly doubles the unsigned price ($40–90); a copy signed by BOTH Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan is the only configuration that breaks meaningfully into the $250–600+ range, because King signatures are scarce and in-demand — verify the King signature against exemplars, as forgeries are common on this title.

Value sources:

Sources

Verification notes: VERIFY tier resolved against INDEPENDENT sources: this IS a genuine hardcover first (Scribner 2004 trade hardcover). Confirmed: (a) hardcover ISBN 978-0-7432-6752-6 / 0-7432-6752-4 and Dec 2, 2004 pub date (Wikipedia + eBay listing titles). (b) $26.00 US jacket price, unclipped, with complete 1-10 number line and "First Edition, First Printing" (multiple independent AbeBooks dealers). (c) Red boards / black spine binding (AbeBooks dealer "Inga's Original Choices"). (d) 2014 Lividian/Books-to-Benefit numbered-350 + lettered-26 limited editions, charity split, gift-ed ISBN 9781941971000 (veryfinebooks / lividian.com / AbeBooks). CORRECTIONS to the draft: (1) the trade paperback was a 2005 follow-on, NOT a simultaneous 2004 release — removed the "released simultaneously" claim. (2) The gutter-code "Not applicable / Scribner did not use gutter codes" claim was an unsourced definitive negative and is downgraded to UNVERIFIED (gutter codes are a recognized BCE marker). UNVERIFIED items (lower confidence): exact Canadian jacket price, jacket photographer/designer credit, any printer gutter code on the BCE, topstain/endpaper details on the trade first, exact first-print quantity, and exact dual-signed comps.

confidence: High on the core first-edition identification — number line, $26.00 US price, publisher, year (Dec 2, 2004), red-board/black-spine binding, hardcover ISBN, and the 2014 limited editions, all cross-checked across independent sources (Wikipedia, multiple AbeBooks dealers, veryfinebooks, lividian.com, eBay listing titles). High confidence on the corrected paperback timing (2005, not simultaneous). Lower/UNVERIFIED: Canadian price, jacket-artist credit, any gutter/printer code, topstain/endpaper details, exact first-print run, and exact dual-signed comps.← Back to all titles