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

'Salem's Lot Grail

1975 · Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York
First-edition cover of 'Salem's Lot
First-edition jacket (first (Wikipedia infobox)) · source

What it’s about

Writer Ben Mears returns to the small Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot, where he spent part of his childhood, hoping to exorcise old memories by writing a book about the sinister Marsten House that looms over the community. But his arrival coincides with that of two mysterious newcomers who take up residence in that very house, and soon the townsfolk begin to sicken, vanish, and change in ways that defy explanation. As an ordinary New England town quietly comes undone, Ben and a small band of locals must confront an ancient evil that has found a home among them.

Significance King's second published novel (1975), a modern reimagining of Dracula set in small-town Maine; a cornerstone of the King canon adapted multiple times for screen, including Tobe Hooper's celebrated 1979 TV miniseries.

Is this the true first?yes — the Doubleday trade hardcover (published October 17, 1975) is the true first edition. King's second published novel; no preceding small-press or paperback original. The near-simultaneous Doubleday Book Club hardcover (1975) and the 1976 NAL/Signet paperback are reprints, not the first. The draft's note that an earlier "May 1975" date is WRONG is itself correct: Wikipedia and stephenking.com both confirm October 17, 1975. First-printing run reported ~20,000 copies (veryfinebooks, stephenkingcollector).
The Doubleday trade hardcover IS the true first. No limited/small-press edition preceded it. A modern Suntup Editions fine-press lettered/numbered limited (2020s) and a 2005 Doubleday Illustrated Edition are much later collectible reprints, NOT the first. The only "states" issue concerns the DUST JACKET — the book block is byte-identical across all three jacket states (confirmed by veryfinebooks second-state listing: "the book itself remains identical across all three states — only the dust jacket differs").

First-printing points at a glance

First-printing statement"First Edition" printed on the copyright page. This wording ALONE is NOT sufficient — Doubleday firsts of this era are confirmed by the printer/date code in the gutter (see numberLine/gutterCode). All three dust-jacket states share the identical first-printing book block bearing "First Edition" on the copyright page + code Q37 on the inner margin of page 439. CAUTION: the BCE copyright page can also read "First Edition" / "Book Club Edition" — do NOT rely on the line alone; require Q37 on p.439.
Number lineNo traditional descending number line. Doubleday first printings of this era are identified by an alphanumeric DATE/PRINTER CODE in the gutter at the foot of a specified text page, NOT a number row. A true first shows "Q37" in the gutter of page 439 (the last text page). Later Doubleday printings show a different code (e.g. Q41) and the BCE shows different codes (e.g. ~"50R") and lacks Q37 on p.439.
Gutter / printer codeQ37 — on the inner margin (gutter) at the foot of page 439, the last text page. Confirmed verbatim by multiple INDEPENDENT sources: abebooks/BiblioFile ("code Q37 at page 439"), veryfinebooks ("Q37 code on the inner margin of page 439"), firstandfine, bookpoi, and nocloo. Page count of the book is 439 (one search snippet's "409" was an error and is contradicted by every primary dealer source).
First printing — copiesNot publicly disclosed
First jacket price$7.95 / $8.95 — $7.95 is the NORMAL issued first-edition price (~95% of first printings wear it, often factory price-clipped). Doubleday first priced the jacket $8.95, judged it too high late in the run and pulled it: most $8.95 jackets were factory price-clipped with "$7.95" printed alongside (second state), then reprinted with unclipped "$7.95" + corrected "Father Callahan" flap (third state). The first-state $8.95 UNCLIPPED jacket is exceedingly rare — only ~25 printed, a handful survive (six-figure copies). BOTTOM LINE: a $7.95 (often clipped) jacket = the correct normal first edition; an $8.95 unclipped jacket = the grail-within-the-grail. (Top right corner of the front (upper) jacket flap.)
Board (panel) colorBlood-red paper-covered boards (the side panels). Confirmed by the abebooks/BiblioFile listing ("Blood red boards") and other dealer catalogs. CAUTION: board color is NOT a reliable book-club discriminator — some BCE copies were quarterbound similarly, while OTHER later BCE printings used gray cloth over gray boards; rely on Q37 (p.439) + no-price jacket, never board color alone.
Spine / center bindingBlack cloth spine (quarter cloth) with gilt (gold) spine lettering. Two-tone binding: black cloth backstrip over blood-red paper boards — NOT full cloth. Dealers state verbatim "blood red boards, black cloth spine wrap, gilt spine titles" (abebooks/BiblioFile).
Binding styleQuarter-bound (two-tone): black cloth backstrip/spine over blood-red paper-covered boards; sewn; octavo; 439 pp.; gilt titling on the black spine. Described as "half black cloth boards, octavo, 439 pages" (veryfinebooks).
Topstain / endpapersUNVERIFIED / none documented — no authoritative collector source records a distinctive top-stain color or special endpaper as a point of issue for the trade first. One listing's "staining to endpapers" was condition wear, not an issue point. Treat top-stain/endpaper as none / unconfirmed.

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$1950The BiblioFileprice-clipped $7.95 (normal second-state issued jacket, not a defect). "First Edition" stated photographed + "Father Cody" second-state jacket at $7.9likely first$2100Downtown Brown Booksprice-clipped $7.95 (normal second-state issued jacket, not a defect). "First Edition" stated photographed + "Father Cody" second-state jacket at $7.9cover only — verify$3200Between the Covers Rare Booksprice-clipped $7.95 (normal second-state issued jacket, not a defect). "First Edition" stated photographed + "Father Cody" second-state jacket at $7.9

Dust jacket

Front: a dark, atmospheric painting dominated by the looming, decrepit Marsten House on the hill above the town of Jerusalem's Lot, silhouetted against a brooding sky — emphasizing the town and the malevolent house, NOT an explicit vampire/face/reaper. (Any "reaper" art cue does NOT match the Doubleday first; confirmed by the Wikimedia Commons first-edition jacket image and dealer photos.) Spine and rear carry the same dark palette; flap panels carry publisher/author copy. NOTE: the BCE jacket adds a small picture of a village inside the "O" of "Lot" on the front — a reported BCE-discriminating art detail.

Art / design: Jacket illustration/painting by Dave Christensen (credited by Wikipedia and multiple dealer catalogs). Al Nagy is cited as jacket designer in some dealer descriptions, but that designer credit is LESS corroborated than the Christensen illustration credit — Christensen is the firmly documented name. The original cover painting was famously tiny (reportedly ~1.5" x 2.5").

reference photohttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:'Salem's_Lot_(1975)_dust_jacket,_first_edition_(price_clipped,_$7.95,_%22Father_Cody%22_error).jpgreference photohttps://blog.veryfinebooks.com/2019/09/18/stephen-king-salems-lot-first-issue-dust-jacket/reference photohttps://www.firstandfine.com/product/king-stephen-1975-salems-lot-us-first-edition-in-rare-first-state-dust-jacket/
Book-club edition & fakes — how to spot a wrong copyDoubleday Book Club Edition (BCE) tells for THIS title, in order of reliability: (1) NO "Q37" gutter code on page 439 — the single most decisive tell (a true trade first ALWAYS shows Q37 in the inner margin of p.439; BCE printings show different gutter codes such as "50R" on a different page, e.g. ~p.401, or none). (2) BCE jacket has NO printed price on the front flap. (3) Reported BCE art detail: a small picture of a village inside the "O" of "Lot" on the front cover. (4) Smaller trim / thinner cheaper paper / lighter in the hand; some later BCE printings use gray cloth over gray boards rather than red. (5) BCE copyright page may STILL read "First Edition" (with "Book Club Edition") — DO NOT rely on that line; require Q37. CORRECTION vs draft: the specific BCE rear-panel code "01518" is UNVERIFIED — independent sources document VARIABLE BCE gutter codes (e.g. "50R") and note many BCE copies carry NO blind stamp at all, so neither "01518" nor a guaranteed blind-stamp should be treated as a hard tell. The earlier draft's "43R" / "sand-tan boards" claims were likewise unsupported and correctly removed.

Also watch for: • MARRIED JACKETS: a later-printing or Book-Club jacket on a first-printing (Q37) book, or a first jacket on a later/BCE book — always verify Q37 (p.439) AND jacket state together. • PRICE-CLIPPED jackets hide the price; a clip can be a genuine factory second state OR an attempt to pass a later/BCE jacket as a rare first — scrutinize. • FACSIMILE/REPRODUCTION first-state $8.95 "Father Cody" jackets exist; the genuine first-state jacket is nearly unobtainable, so treat ANY $8.95 unclipped jacket with extreme suspicion and demand expert verification. • EX-LIBRARY copies (stamps, pockets, spine labels) and REMAINDER marks sharply reduce value. • RESTORED/married/color-touched jackets — get expert verification for any high-dollar first-state claim. • BCE COPYRIGHT-PAGE TRAP: BCE may print "First Edition" — never accept that line in lieu of Q37 on p.439.

Print run & scarcity

The ~20,000 figure is the consensus number repeated across King-collector references and dealer descriptions for the 1975 Doubleday first printing, but no Doubleday print-run ledger has been published to confirm it precisely. Separately, a firmly documented sub-figure exists: only ~25 copies of the FIRST-ISSUE dust jacket bearing the publisher's intended $8.95 price were printed; these stayed in-house at Doubleday and the run was re-priced to $7.95 — which is why the $8.95/Father Cody jacket is a true six-figure rarity while the bound first edition itself is relatively obtainable.

First-state points & errata

The famous points are JACKET states (book block identical across all three — confirmed by veryfinebooks, firstandfine, bookpoi): • FIRST STATE jacket: unclipped "$8.95" at top right of front flap; flap blurb reads "Father Cody" (a mis-naming of the priest, who is actually Father Callahan). Only ~25 of these stayed in-house at Doubleday and a handful later surfaced — virtually unobtainable. • SECOND STATE: the $8.95 is factory price-clipped and "$7.95" printed alongside; flap STILL reads the erroneous "Father Cody." • THIRD STATE: unclipped "$7.95" and flap text CORRECTED to "Father Callahan." A first-printing book may legitimately wear any of the three; first/second-state ("Father Cody") jackets are earliest and most desirable. (Forum chatter about italicized vs non-italicized flap title is anecdotal — do not rely on it; rely on price + Cody/Callahan + Q37.)

Limited & signed editions

No 1975 signed/numbered limited from Doubleday. Modern fine-press limited: Suntup Editions 'Salem's Lot (numbered/lettered, slipcased/traycased, illustrated) — a deluxe collectible REPRINT decades after the first, not a first edition. A 2005 Doubleday Illustrated Edition is a distinct later printing, not the 1975 first. Signed firsts exist only as later-signed/inscribed trade copies (signatures added post-publication), not a publisher-issued signed limited.

Market value estimate

~$2k–$6k

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

No confirmed sale found, so this is rated at no less than its original jacket price — a true first/first should hold at least retail in near-fine/fine condition. Soft estimate from dealer listings (treat as approximate): $2,000–6,000 (true first, fine/fine, $7.95 unclipped)

Book-club edition (the trap): $15–60. The Doubleday Book Club edition (no Q37 code, blind-stamp/dot on rear board, smaller/lighter, blue-grey boards or different cloth, no stated price on jacket) is the #1 trap — routinely mislisted as a "first edition." A BCE in jacket is a $20–50 book, NOT $2,000. — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.

THE single biggest separator for this title: the gutter code "Q37" printed at the bottom of page 439 — present ONLY on the true first printing. No Q37 = not a first (and a rear-board blind-stamp/club dot = book-club edition, the most common fake). After that, jacket state drives almost all the value: (1) $8.95 unclipped / "Father Cody" = first-issue, ~25 made, six figures; (2) $7.95 / "Father Cody" = standard first-issue text on re-priced jacket; (3) $7.95 / "Father Callahan" = corrected later jacket. PRICE-CLIPPED jackets gut value (the $1,709 comp was clipped and only VG+/VG). Condition is brutal on the red boards (cocking/fading) and on the dark spine-lettered jacket (edgewear/sunning) — a genuine fine/fine unclipped copy is scarce and commands the top of the band. SIGNED/inscribed adds substantially: a clean signed first commonly runs $5,000–12,000+, and a verified early presentation/association copy far more. Verify any signature — King forgeries are rampant.

Value sources:

Sources

Verification notes: SECOND adversarial pass. Found INDEPENDENT sources NOT in the original draft: nocloo.com (Stephen King first-editions identification guide), natedsandersauctionblog.com (Father Cody misprint writeup), an eBay Q37/Father Cody listing (item 327089025121), and biblio.com/d/1480440685 — all corroborating Q37-on-p.439 + the three jacket states. CONFIRMED unchanged from draft: (1) Q37 on inner margin of page 439; (2) "First Edition" on copyright page; (3) page count 439 (a single search snippet's "409" is an outlier, contradicted by every dealer listing); (4) three jacket states with exact $8.95/$7.95 + Father Cody/Callahan wording; (5) price location = top right of front flap; (6) blood-red boards + black quarter-cloth gilt spine; (7) Dave Christensen jacket illustration; (8) publication OCTOBER 17, 1975 (NOT May); (9) front art = Marsten-House/town scene, NOT a reaper; (10) ~20,000 first-run; (11) first-state $8.95 jacket = six-figure rarity (>$100k sale, Fine Books Magazine via veryfinebooks). NEW DISCREPANCIES corrected vs draft this pass: (A) The draft's BCE code "01518 on the rear jacket panel" is NOT corroborated by independent sources — those document VARIABLE BCE gutter codes (e.g. "50R" near a different page) and note many BCE copies carry NO blind stamp; I downgraded "01518" to UNVERIFIED and made the decisive BCE tells = absence of Q37 + no-price jacket + village-in-the-"O" art detail. (B) Added the documented BCE art tell (small village picture inside the "O" of "Lot"). (C) Flagged that board color is NOT a clean BCE discriminator — some BCE printings used gray cloth/gray boards. (D) Softened the Al Nagy "designer" attribution: Christensen's illustration credit is the firmly documented one; Nagy is dealer-asserted and less corroborated. STILL UNVERIFIED: top-stain/endpaper (treat as none); exact count of surviving first-state jackets ("~25 printed, a handful survive" is the consistent figure).

confidence: high — Q37 gutter code (inner margin of p.439), "First Edition" copyright-page statement, 439-page count, the $8.95→$7.95 price states, and the three-state "Father Cody"/"Father Callahan" jacket sequence are corroborated by MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT sources (abebooks/BiblioFile, veryfinebooks listing + blog, firstandfine, bookpoi, nocloo, Wikipedia). Board (blood-red) / spine (black quarter cloth, gilt) and the Dave Christensen jacket-illustration credit are confirmed by dealer catalogs + Wikipedia. Publication date OCTOBER 17, 1975 confirmed (Wikipedia + dealers) — a "May 1975" date would be wrong. LOWER confidence only on: (a) the specific BCE rear-panel code "01518" (UNVERIFIED — downgraded; BCE codes are variable, e.g. "50R"); (b) the Al Nagy designer credit (Christensen illustration is the firmly documented name); (c) top-stain/endpaper (UNVERIFIED, treat as none).← Back to all titles