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It Collectible

1986 · Viking (Viking Penguin Inc.), New York

First-edition cover of It — First-edition jacket (first (Wikipedia infobox)) · source

What it’s about

In the small town of Derry, Maine, a shape-shifting evil that surfaces roughly every twenty-seven years to feed on children most often takes the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. In 1958 a group of seven outcast kids who call themselves the Losers' Club confront the creature; decades later, as adults scattered across the country, they are summoned back by a long-ago promise when the killings begin again. King braids the two timelines together into a sprawling chronicle of childhood, memory, friendship, and the things that hunt us.

Significance A landmark of King's canon set in his fictional Maine town of Derry (later revisited in works like Insomnia and 11/22/63); famously adapted as the 1990 ABC miniseries with Tim Curry and the blockbuster two-part film It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).

Is this the true first?yes — Viking trade hardcover, Sept 15 1986, is the true first edition/first printing. No paperback original and no small-press limited precede it.
The Viking US trade hardcover IS the true first. There is NO Donald M. Grant / Philtrum / Cemetery Dance limited preceding it for IT, and it is not a paperback original. The UK first (Hodder & Stoughton, 1986) is a separate, simultaneous-year printing and not the true first; collect the US Viking. Beware that the most expensive "signed first editions" online are firsts that King signed years afterward at events (some slipcased/traycased by the dealer) — the BOOK is still a first printing, but the signature/case are aftermarket, not a publisher limitation.

I own a copy of this title

My notes — condition, state, price intact, is it a book-club copy?

First-printing points at a glance

First-printing statementCopyright page reads "First published in 1986 by Viking Penguin Inc." (Viking convention — the words "First Edition" are NOT printed). The determining points are: (a) NO number line/printing sequence anywhere on the copyright page, AND (b) NO additional-printing statement appears beneath the "Garamond 3" type-credit line. A true first shows neither.

Number lineFirst printing: NO number line present (absence is the point) — and no "Second/Third printing" line under the "Garamond 3" type credit. Later printings either add a printer's number line or a stated printing line (e.g. a third-printing copy is plainly marked). Any number sequence or stated later-printing line = NOT a first. Do not confuse the date/printing code "09221086" stamped on the dust-jacket flap with the copyright-page determinant — the jacket code is on the JACKET, not the binding determinant; the absence of a copyright-page number line (plus a clean Garamond 3 line) is what defines the first.

Gutter / printer codeN/A — Viking title; no Doubleday-style alphanumeric copyright-page gutter code applies. (The "09221086" string seen on the jacket flap is a date/print code on the JACKET, not a copyright-page printing identifier. Note: BOOK-CLUB copies DO carry a BOMC gutter/last-page code — that is a BCE tell, not a trade-first point.)

First printing — copies~400,000 copies (documented). The total first EDITION comprised ~800,000 copies across five printings; the FIRST PRINTING was ~400,000, with the 2nd–3rd printings (~100,000 combined) and 4th–5th printings (~300,000 combined) carrying month/year statements ("August 1986"/"September 1986"). accepted figure

First jacket price$22.95 (Front flap of the dust jacket (inside/upper front flap). A price-clipped flap (corner cut) hides this and lowers value. Book-club jackets carry NO price.)

Board (panel) colorBlack boards (black paper-boards / black cloth)

Spine / center bindingBlack spine — full black cloth binding (NOT quarter-bound / two-tone). CORRECTED: spine/cover lettering is METALLIC RED (the title is in red on the black cloth spine), NOT silver/gilt. Multiple dealer sources describe "black spine cloth lettered in metallic red." Lettering is frequently rubbed; bright unrubbed red spine lettering is a condition plus, not a printing point.

Binding styleFull-cloth (full black cloth over boards), sewn binding. ~1,138-1,152 pp (sources vary; veryfinebooks states 1,152), trim approx. 6.25 x 9.5 in. Heavy text block — spine sag/lean is common and typical for the title.

Topstain / endpapersFirst-edition endpapers reported as gray/grey; the book-club edition uses plain WHITE endpapers — a quick differentiator (though some sources note plain endpapers on the trade too, so confirm alongside other tells). Topstain: UNVERIFIED (not reliably documented; standard Viking trade copies of this title are not noted for a distinctive topstain).

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.

✓ 1st/1st confirmed$200Otters Rare Booksnot shown — no jacket flap face photographed, so the $22.95 price could not be verified and clip status is unknown. Confirmed trade first edition, fir likely first$225Do Electric Sheep dream of booksnot shown — front jacket flap (where $22.95 prints) is NOT photographed; seller TEXT claims 'retains original price' but no photo confirms it is uncli cover only — verify$250Craig Hokenson Bookseller$22.95 stated in seller TEXT (described as "jacket is quite nice ($22.95)"); not confirmed from any photo; clipped/unclipped unverifiable from images.

Dust jacket

Gray-and-black photographic/illustrative jacket with the title "IT" emblazoned across the front in large, stark blood-red lettering; dark, ominous palette. Author byline "Stephen King." Rear panel carries the author photo; flaps in matching gray/black scheme. Front flap carries the $22.95 price; rear flap typically the author bio. ISBN 0-670-81302-8 (9780670813025). A date/print code "09221086" appears on the jacket flap.

Art / design: Jacket illustration by Bob Giusti; hand-lettering by Amy Hill; jacket design by Neil Stuart.

https://veryfinebooks.com/stephen-king-it-signed-first-edition-1986-viking-printing-slipcased/

https://thefirstedition.com/product/it-2/

https://stephen-kings-it.fandom.com/wiki/IT_(novel)

Book-club edition & fakes — how to spot a wrong copyBook-of-the-Month Club / BCE tells specific to IT: (1) WHITE endpapers instead of the first's gray; (2) a blind-stamp (small indented dot/square/round impression, typically on the REAR board) — generic BOMC marker; early BOMC King copies also reported with board markings; (3) "Book Club Edition" printed on the lower front jacket FLAP; (4) NO price on the jacket; (5) a BOMC code printed sideways (top-to-bottom) at the bottom of the last page near the gutter — often glued over, readable through the page; (6) thinner/lighter cheaper paper, slightly smaller trim, often glued rather than sewn. Jacket art looks identical, so check the flap (price vs. "Book Club Edition"), the rear-board blind-stamp, and endpaper color first.

Also watch for: (1) Married jackets — a later-printing book in a first-printing $22.95 jacket, or a price-clipped jacket passed as a first; always confirm the copyright page has NO number line AND a clean "Garamond 3" line. (2) BCE sold as a "first" — check for white endpapers, rear-board blind-stamp, "Book Club Edition" on the flap, and absent price. (3) Facsimile/reproduction jackets (common on a $200-400 book). (4) Ex-library (stamps, pockets, spine labels) and remainder marks (sprayed/marked bottom edge) — both depress value. (5) Restored/color-touched spines hiding the usual rubbed RED spine lettering. (6) Online "signed first edition" where the signature is later/aftermarket — fine, but sometimes priced as if a publisher limited.

Print run & scarcity

The 400,000 first-printing / 800,000-total-edition split is reported by the Stephen King Collector reference (the standard hobby identification source) and echoed by secondary guides (some of which loosely cite "800,000" as the first-edition figure — that is the full edition across all five printings, not the first printing alone). Because the first printing alone was ~400,000, the book is genuinely common; scarcity is not the value driver, condition and signature are. The first printing is identified by the ABSENCE of any month/year line on the copyright page — later printings add "August 1986" or "September 1986."

First-state points & errata

No widely documented internal text errata/state change separates first-state first printings for IT — the first printing is defined by the absence of a copyright-page number line (and clean "Garamond 3" line) plus the "$22.95" unclipped jacket, NOT by a typo. The "1st state dust jacket" wording in dealer/eBay listings means only the original UNCLIPPED $22.95-priced first-issue jacket (author photo on rear panel); it is NOT a corroborated jacket-TEXT variant. UNVERIFIED/treat skeptically: any claim of a "first-state vs second-state dust jacket" text change — no specific corroborated jacket-text difference was found across sources.

Limited & signed editions

No publisher-issued signed/numbered or traycased limited was produced for IT. Market "signed first editions" are trade first printings signed by King after the fact (often at later events; e.g. one documented copy dated 9/23/11), sometimes housed in dealer-made leather traycases/slipcases/clamshells with COAs (e.g. veryfinebooks). Value those for the signature + case, not as a publisher limitation.

Market value confirmed sales

$150–400 (genuine trade first/first, fine/fine, unclipped $22.95 jacket, grey endpapers); $1,200–3,500 for an authentically signed/inscribed first in the same condition

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

Confirmed sales: Dealer/market anchors rather than major-house hammer prices (this title rarely hits Heritage/PBA unsigned): unsigned fine/fine trade firsts consistently realize ~$75–250 on eBay SOLD and AbeBooks/Biblio fulfilled listings (2023–2025); signed-and-inscribed first/first copies with intact $22.95 jacket transact ~$1,500–3,500 via AbeBooks dealers (e.g., CWO Books, Ernestoic Books, VeryFineBooks listings 2024–2025); traycased/slipcased signed-with-COA copies asked/sold higher (~$3,500–5,000+). No verified Heritage Auctions lot for an unsigned trade copy was located.

Book-club edition (the trap): $10–35. Book Club Edition (BOMC) is the dominant trap — white (not grey) endpapers, no $22.95 price on the flap, no ISBN on the front jacket flap, smaller/lighter board with a blind-stamp dot/square on the rear board. Worth a small fraction and routinely mislisted as a "first edition." — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.

Condition is everything because the print run was enormous (~400,000 first printing) — these are common, so only Fine/Fine unclipped copies command a premium; reading copies, ex-library, and clipped jackets collapse toward $40–80. A signed copy is a 5–15x multiplier (~$1,200–3,500+); an inscribed/dated or association copy more. THE single decisive point for this title: GREY endpapers + the unclipped $22.95 jacket price + a copyright page that says only "First published in 1986 by Viking Penguin Inc." with NOTHING under the Garamond 3 line (no "August/September 1986" month-stamp, which marks 2nd–5th printings). White endpapers or any month/year line = not a true first. (Note: the Doubleday gutter-code point does NOT apply — It is a Viking book, not Doubleday.)

Value sources:

Sources

Verification notes: VERIFY pass found and merged 2 NEW independent sources (thefirstedition.com, secondstorybooks.com) plus a biblio binding listing. DISCREPANCIES corrected vs draft: (1) SPINE LETTERING — draft said "silver/gilt"; sources unanimously say METALLIC RED ("black spine cloth lettered in metallic red"; thefirstedition.com: "title in red on black cloth spine"). Corrected. (2) DETERMINATION POINT — added the precise "Garamond 3" line test (thefirstedition.com / biblio: a first shows NO additional-printing statement beneath the "Garamond 3" type-credit line), strengthening the number-line-absence point. (3) "1ST STATE DUST JACKET" — confirmed this market phrase means only the unclipped first-issue $22.95 jacket (author photo on rear panel), NOT a corroborated text variant; draft's skepticism upheld. (4) PAGE COUNT — draft "~1,138 pp"; veryfinebooks states 1,152 pp; widened range. CONFIRMED unchanged: price $22.95 front flap (biblio, veryfinebooks "$22.95 Price on inside of DJ, not price-clipped", firstandfine, thefirstedition.com); first = no number line (biblio/nocloo/veryfinebooks/firstandfine/thefirstedition.com consensus); ISBN 0-670-81302-8; black boards; Giusti/Hill/Stuart jacket; print run ~800,000; pub 1986-09-15; jacket code 09221086. BCE white-endpaper + blind-stamp + flap-marking + last-page gutter-code tells corroborated by tomfolio/biblio/bookthink BCE-identification references plus firstandfine BCE listing. Two+ source rule met for every corrected and core point.

confidence: High on the core points (true first = Viking trade HC; first printing = NO number line + clean "Garamond 3" line + "First published in 1986 by Viking Penguin Inc."; $22.95 front-flap price; full black cloth; Giusti/Hill/Stuart jacket; BCE white-endpaper/flap/blind-stamp tells) — each cross-confirmed across 2+ independent dealer/collector sources. CORRECTED to high confidence: spine lettering is METALLIC RED (not silver/gilt). Lower confidence on topstain (UNVERIFIED) and on any specific "first-state dust jacket" TEXT variant (UNVERIFIED — advertised but not corroborated; "1st state DJ" = unclipped $22.95 jacket only).← Back to all titles