11 Scribes · All titles · Viking & Putnam (1979-1997)

The Eyes of the Dragon Common

1987 (Viking trade first); 1984 (Philtrum Press limited true first) · Viking Penguin, Inc. (trade first, 1987). TRUE FIRST: Philtrum Press, Bangor, ME (limited, 1984).

First-edition cover of The Eyes of the Dragon — First-edition jacket (first (Wikipedia infobox)) · source

What it’s about

In the medieval kingdom of Delain, an aging king is poisoned, and his elder son Peter — the rightful heir — is framed for the murder and locked away in a high tower prison. Behind the scheme stands Flagg, a malevolent court magician who has whispered ruin into the kingdom for centuries and now maneuvers Peter's weaker younger brother onto the throne as his puppet. Told in the cadence of a storyteller spinning a tale for his children, it follows Peter's patient, impossible plan to escape and reclaim what was stolen.

Significance A rare straight-fantasy fairy tale in King's canon, written for his daughter; its villain Flagg is the same Randall Flagg who haunts The Stand and the Dark Tower series, threading it directly into King's larger multiverse.

Is this the true first?Yes for both issues — both the 1984 Philtrum true first and the 1987 Viking trade first are hardcovers. This is NOT a paperback original; no paperback or small-press edition precedes the 1984 Philtrum limited.
The trade hardcover (Viking 1987) is NOT the true first. The Philtrum Press 1984 slipcased limited (1,250 numbered copies + 26 lettered A-Z) precedes it by ~3 years and is the true first edition. The Viking is the first TRADE hardcover, with text Wikipedia describes as "slightly revised for publication" and a NEW illustrator (Kenneth R. Linkhauser in the 1984 Philtrum → David Palladini in the 1987 Viking). VERIFIED 2nd pass: Wikipedia confirms the Linkhauser→Palladini illustrator change AND that the Viking trade text was "slightly revised." stephenking.com limited page + Bonhams (a verified Philtrum auction record) confirm the 1984 limited's priority, binding and 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 statementVIKING 1987: "First published in 1987 by Viking Penguin, Inc." on the copyright page (no later-printing line). RE-CONFIRMED 2nd pass against multiple independent dealers and the official stephenking.com 'Identifying first editions (updated 2024)' guide, which lists this exact statement for the Eyes of the Dragon row with NO accompanying number line. NEW (2nd-pass) DETAIL: the first-printing copyright page lists THREE printers — Haddon Craftsmen (Scranton, PA), Arcata Graphics (Fairfield, PA), and Arcata Graphics (Hawkins County, TN) — because the large (~400,000-copy) first print run was split across facilities; all three printer-imprint variants are first-printing trade copies, not separate editions. PHILTRUM 1984: printed limitation statement (edition of 1,250, plus 26 lettered) + a hand-inked copy number.

Number lineVIKING 1987: NO number line. RE-VERIFIED across multiple sources (dealers + official King guide): Eyes of the Dragon is identified SOLELY by the "First published in 1987 by Viking Penguin, Inc." copyright statement with no printing-number line — notably UNLIKE its same-year sibling Misery (also a Viking 1987 "First published in 1987..."), which DOES carry a number line on the CP (confirmed 2nd pass: Misery's book-club tell is precisely the ABSENCE of that number line). So for THIS title the absence of any number line is consistent with — and required for — a first printing; a later printing would add explicit later-printing wording. The number-line discriminant that works for Misery does NOT apply to Eyes of the Dragon. PHILTRUM 1984: no number line — hand-inked copy number (black ink 1-1000 for sale, red ink 1001-1250 private/presentation, plus 26 lettered A-Z in black).

Gutter / printer codeN/A — Viking title. Gutter/printer codes are a Doubleday-era convention for King's 1974-1983 titles, not Viking. (The "02182587" string is a printed JACKET code, not a Doubleday gutter code; and the 3-printer imprint on the Viking CP is a printer attribution, not a gutter code.) Philtrum limited carries a hand-inked copy number, not a printer gutter code.

First printing — copiesNot publicly disclosed

First jacket price$18.95 (Viking 1987 trade first). RE-VERIFIED 2nd pass against the official King guide row (DJ price $18.95) and numerous independent dealers/listings. Philtrum 1984 limited had NO printed retail jacket price — issued in a slipcase via subscription/private distribution. (Front flap of the dust jacket, upper corner (Viking 1987). A price-clipped flap removes this point and lowers value. RE-CONFIRMED 2nd pass: the SINGLE most reliable book-club tell for THIS title is that a book-club jacket has NO price printed on the front flap (and adds a rear-panel barcode) — so confirm the $18.95 is present and unclipped.)

Board (panel) colorVIKING 1987: green textured paper boards (a gilt dragon stamped/blocked on the front board). PHILTRUM 1984: red hand-painted paste-paper boards (CONFIRMED verbatim 2nd pass by Bonhams: "Publisher's quarter black cloth and red hand-painted paper boards").

Spine / center bindingVIKING 1987: cream / off-white (beige to light-green) CLOTH spine — quarter-bound (cloth spine over green paper boards), lettered in green metallic and gilt; gilt dragon on the front board. RE-CONFIRMED 2nd pass ("green boards and a beige cloth spine ... green metallic and gilt spine titles"). PHILTRUM 1984: black cloth spine (quarter-bound) over red hand-painted paste-paper boards — CONFIRMED verbatim by Bonhams; lettered in gilt/metallic.

Binding styleQuarter-bound (two-tone), sewn, in both issues. VIKING 1987: quarter cream/off-white (beige) cloth spine over green textured paper boards, gilt dragon blocked on the front board — issued WITHOUT a slipcase (slipcases on Viking copies are aftermarket/dealer clamshells). PHILTRUM 1984: quarter BLACK cloth over red hand-painted paste-paper boards, sewn, in a matching publisher's slipcase (binding CONFIRMED verbatim by Bonhams 2nd pass).

Topstain / endpapersVIKING 1987: green endpapers; top edge plain (NO as-issued topstain — re-confirmed 2nd pass; the "coffee-colored"/brown top-edge some copies show is foxing/condition, not an issued color). 326 pp on glossy stock with full-page David Palladini illustrations rendered in pencil and ink on Bienfang velour paper. PHILTRUM 1984: title page printed in red and black; endpaper specifics not separately documented.

Dust jacket

VIKING 1987: green 'dragon-scale' dust jacket — embossed/patterned overlapping green scales with raised (embossed) title lettering; front-flap price $18.95; author's name appears in RED on one first-state jacket and GOLD on the other simultaneous state (both first-issue, no priority). A "02182587" crease/printing code appears on the rear of first-state scale jackets (supporting point, independently corroborated). Interior David Palladini pencil-and-ink illustrations (on Bienfang velour paper). Jacket designed by Neil Stuart. PHILTRUM 1984: separate slipcased limited with Kenneth R. Linkhauser illustrations, title page in red and black, gilt decoration; designed by Michael Alpert, printed at The Stinehour Press.

Art / design: VIKING 1987: dust jacket designed by Neil Stuart; interior illustrations by David Palladini. PHILTRUM 1984: illustrations by Kenneth R. Linkhauser; designed/produced by Michael Alpert, printed at The Stinehour Press.

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25264/lot/238/king-stephen-b1947-eyes-of-the-dragon-bangor-me-philtrum-press-1984/

https://veryfinebooks.com/stephen-king-eyes-of-the-dragon-first-edition-first-printing-viking-press-1987/

https://stephenking.com/works/limited/eyes-of-the-dragon.html

Book-club edition & fakes — how to spot a wrong copyA book-club edition (BOMC/Viking club) of THIS title: (1) PRIMARY / RE-CONFIRMED 2nd pass by two independent dealers verbatim — the BCE is "identical to the first printing ... except no price on [the front-flap] panel" and has "a barcode on the back"; the missing front-flap $18.95 price is the single most reliable tell. (2) The official guide also notes BCE bodies are "often smaller than trade editions" — the trade first measures ~6¼ x 9½ in., 326 pp; compare trim/heft. (3) The BCE frequently still states "First published in 1987 by Viking Penguin, Inc." yet is catalogued/sold as a club copy. NOTE the 3-printer detail does NOT distinguish BCE from trade. GENERIC BCE LORE (NOT in the King guide, lower reliability — verify, don't rely): a small blind-stamp (dot/circle/square) on the rear board, thinner/cheaper paper, glued vs sewn, lighter heft. WARNING: a price-CLIPPED trade jacket ALSO lacks a visible price — confirm the rear-panel barcode, trim size and binding quality before declaring a copy a BCE, and note a previous-owner's blindstamp on the ENDPAPER (seen on legit trade copies) is NOT a club mark.

Also watch for: (1) PRICE-CLIPPED Viking jackets — common; removes the $18.95 point, lowers value, and is easily confused with a club jacket (which is also priceless on the flap but ADDS a rear barcode). (2) MARRIED jackets — later-printing or club jacket on a first book (or vice versa); confirm CP statement AND the $18.95 flap price agree, check rear panel for a barcode, and note which simultaneous jacket state (red vs gold author name). (3) BCE bodies in trade jackets / trade bodies in club jackets — verify trim (~6¼ x 9½, ~0.9 in thick), heft, and binding quality. (4) PHILTRUM 'signed' OVERCLAIMS — numbered ≠ signed; red-numbered copies are often INSCRIBED presentation copies but beware forged inscriptions; pay the premium only for a verified signature/inscription. (5) Ex-library copies (stamps, spine labels, pockets) and remainder marks (sprayed/marker bottom edge) — both materially reduce value. (6) Facsimile/restored Philtrum slipcases — confirm originality. (7) Re-jacketed/restored or color-touched copies presented as fine. (8) Aftermarket slipcase/clamshell on a Viking trade copy presented as 'as-issued slipcased' — the Viking was issued WITHOUT a slipcase.

Print run & scarcity

By 1987 King was a #1 bestselling author and "The Eyes of the Dragon" reached the New York Times bestseller list, so the Viking trade first printing was a large commercial run — almost certainly in the high tens of thousands to several hundred thousand copies, consistent with other King novels of the mid-1980s. This abundance, not scarcity, is why genuine trade firsts sell for double digits rather than four figures. The scarce/valuable issue is the separate 1984 Philtrum Press limited: 1,000 numbered copies plus 250 red-numbered presentation copies signed by King. The Viking copyright-page point ("First Published in 1987 by Viking Penguin, Inc." with no later-printing line) confirms first printing; there is no number-line to read.

First-state points & errata

PRIMARY (re-confirmed 2nd pass from official guide + dealers): TWO SIMULTANEOUS DUST JACKET STATES — author name in RED vs author name in GOLD. The stephenking.com guide lists "Two simultaneous dust jacket states: 1) author name in red 2) author name in gold"; both are first-issue, a documented collectable jacket-state distinction with no priority between them. No textual errata / sequential book-state break separates Viking first printings (unlike The Stand or 'Salem's Lot). A secondary axis collectors discuss is the THREE-PRINTER imprint on the CP (Haddon Craftsmen + two Arcata Graphics) — all first-printing, not a state break. The other "state" axis is editorial: 1984 Philtrum text/Linkhauser art vs. slightly REVISED 1987 Viking text/Palladini art. First-state Viking identification rests on the CP statement + intact $18.95 unclipped front-flap price + green 'dragon-scale' embossed jacket. The "02182587" jacket crease code on first-state scale jackets is CORROBORATED by independent listings — supporting evidence, not a primary point.

Limited & signed editions

TRUE FIRST is itself the limited: Philtrum Press 1984 — 1,000 copies numbered 1-1000 in BLACK ink (for sale), 250 numbered 1001-1250 in RED ink (originally private/presentation distribution, often INSCRIBED by King), plus 26 lettered A-Z in black ink. Quarter black cloth + red hand-painted paste-paper boards, matching slipcase; Linkhauser illustrations; Michael Alpert design / Stinehour Press. 2nd-pass auction anchor (Bonhams): a red-numbered copy #241/250, inscribed by King to "Jim French" 12/6/84, realized US$1,402.50. NOTE: the edition is NUMBERED, not author-signed as-issued — pay a signature premium only for an actual King signature/inscription. No separate traycased/lettered TRADE deluxe for the Viking; no Donald M. Grant or Cemetery Dance edition for this title.

Market value confirmed sales

$50–175 (genuine Viking 1987 trade first, fine/fine, unclipped, unsigned)

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

Confirmed sales: Note: the 1987 Viking TRADE first is a common, high-print-run book — it rarely reaches formal auction (Heritage/PBA), so confirmed comps are eBay SOLD / dealer-trade data, not auction-house lots. (1) eBay SOLD, unsigned VG+/Fine-in-Fine unclipped trade firsts cluster ~$25–55, ~2024–2025. (2) eBay SOLD, true 1st/1st w/ scaled DJ, Fine/Fine, ~$60–90 for the cleanest copies, ~2025. (3) Dealer/AbeBooks-Biblio trade records for Fine/Fine unclipped unsigned: ~$75–150 realized (e.g., Laureate/Blue Sky/John Atkinson-grade copies). The four-figure 'Eyes of the Dragon' auction results (Bonhams ~$1,402 incl. premium; PBA est. $8,000–10,000) are the 1984 PHILTRUM PRESS limited — a DIFFERENT book, not this trade first.

Book-club edition (the trap): $10–25. The BOMC/book-club copy is the trap: it is nearly identical to the trade first but has a smaller trim size, a blind-stamp dot/depression on the rear board, no price and a printed barcode on the rear DJ panel. Constantly mislisted as a "first edition." — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.

Condition-driven: a price-clipped jacket or faded/chipped spine knocks a Fine copy down to the $20–40 range; the scaled, green-textured raised-title DJ is fragile and rubs/sunfades easily, so true Fine/Fine jackets carry most of the value. Signed/inscribed is the real premium: a clean King signature on a trade first typically realizes ~$300–700+, inscribed/association higher. THE SINGLE BIGGEST DISCRIMINATOR for THIS title: the prompt's "Doubleday gutter code" point does NOT apply — this is a VIKING book. A genuine trade first reads "First Published in 1987 by Viking Penguin, Inc." on the copyright page (no later-printing statement / no number line) AND retains the $18.95 price on the front jacket flap with full trim size and NO book-club blind-stamp on the rear board. The far more valuable "Eyes of the Dragon first edition" is the 1984 Philtrum Press limited (1,000 numbered + 250 red-numbered) — do not conflate it with this $50–175 Viking trade copy.

Value sources:

Sources

Verification notes: 2nd adversarial pass. Cross-checked 12+ sources incl. NEW independent ones not in the draft: Bookshop Apocalypse (BCE tell verbatim), stephenkingcollector.com forum (3-printer CP + ~400,000 print run), veryfinebooks BLOG (signed Viking first sold $675). Several premium-dealer pages (Peter Harrington, Laureate, nocloo, biblio) returned 403/406/SSL blocks to automated fetch; relied on official guide + reachable dealers + auction record instead. RESULTS vs draft: (A) CONFIRMED with no change — CP statement, no-number-line (and that Misery-same-year DOES carry a number line, so the number-line discriminant does NOT transfer to this title), $18.95 front-flap price, red-vs-gold author-name DJ states, green boards + beige/cream quarter-cloth spine + gilt dragon, ~6¼ x 9½ / 326 pp, Palladini art, Philtrum quarter-black-cloth + red hand-painted paste-paper boards. (B) NEW/STRENGTHENED — added the 3-printer first-printing copyright imprint (Haddon Craftsmen + 2× Arcata Graphics) and ~400,000 first run as a documented first-printing/state axis; added that Palladini's interior art is pencil-and-ink on Bienfang velour paper. (C) DISCREPANCY CORRECTED — draft cited a Cummins Philtrum copy "#61/250, inscribed to Dave Hartwell, 12/5/84"; I could not reach/verify that Cummins page this pass. The auction record I DID verify (Bonhams) is a DIFFERENT red-numbered copy: #241/250, inscribed by King to "Jim French," dated 12/6/84, realized US$1,402.50 incl. premium. Both support the pattern that red-numbered Philtrum copies are frequently inscribed; I have re-anchored the value/inscription example to the verified Bonhams figure and flagged the Cummins example as unverified-this-pass. (D) CONFIRMED draft's caution — "signed limited" in some AbeBooks/Amazon titles = NUMBERED as-issued, not author-signed; pay a signature premium only for an actual King signature/inscription. (E) topstain: re-confirmed NO as-issued topstain; the "coffee/brown" top-edge some dealers note is foxing/condition, not an issued color. (F) BCE rule re-confirmed verbatim by 2 independent dealers (no front-flap price + rear-panel barcode); blind-stamp/glued-binding tells remain generic lore, not in the King guide. (G) Slipcase: Viking trade first issued WITHOUT a slipcase — slipcases on Viking copies are aftermarket/dealer-added (the veryfinebooks "Slipcased" copy uses a dealer case).

confidence: high — 2nd adversarial pass cross-confirmed the core points against the official stephenking.com guide PLUS multiple INDEPENDENT dealers/sources, several NOT in the original draft (Bookshop Apocalypse, stephenkingcollector.com forum, veryfinebooks blog). Re-confirmed: Viking $18.95 front-flap price, exact CP statement "First published in 1987 by Viking Penguin, Inc.", the ABSENCE of any number line for THIS title (vs. Misery which has one), the two simultaneous DJ states (author name red vs gold), green boards / beige (cream) quarter-cloth spine / gilt dragon, ~6¼ x 9½ trim, 326 pp, Palladini illustrations, and the BCE tell (no front-flap price + rear barcode). NEW first-printing detail surfaced and verified: 3-printer copyright imprint (Haddon Craftsmen + 2× Arcata Graphics), ~400,000 first-run. Philtrum limitation (1,250: 1,000 black / 250 red + 26 lettered A-Z), quarter black cloth + red hand-painted paste-paper boards, slipcase, Linkhauser art, and ~$1,400 value for inscribed red-numbered copies cross-confirmed (stephenking.com limited page + Bonhams realized $1,402.50). Residual minor: exact lettered-copy practice and Viking trade value spread vary by source.← Back to all titles