11 Scribes · All titles · Richard Bachman

Thinner Collectible

as Richard Bachman
1984 · New American Library (NAL Books), New York and Scarborough, Ontario
First-edition cover of Thinner
First-edition jacket (first edition (verified vs jacket)) · source

What it’s about

Billy Halleck is an overweight, complacent small-town lawyer whose comfortable life cracks open after a fatal car accident and the curse of an old Romani man, delivered with a single word and a touch: "Thinner." As the pounds begin sliding off him no matter what he eats, Billy's relief curdles into dread, and his frantic hunt for the man who marked him pulls him into a dark bargain over guilt, justice, and how far a desperate man will go.

Significance The last novel published under King's "Richard Bachman" pseudonym (1984) before the pen name was exposed — King later quipped that Bachman "died of cancer of the pseudonym" — and adapted into the 1996 film starring Robert John Burke and Joe Mantegna.

Is this the true first?Yes. The NAL trade hardcover (First Printing, November 1984; publication date November 19, 1984) is the true first edition and Bachman's FIRST and only pre-reveal book to appear in hardcover. There is no paperback-original precursor and no small-press/fine-press first for this title.
The NAL trade hardcover (November 1984) is the true first edition. There is NO preceding small-press limited and NO signed/numbered limited from a fine press for this title — unlike The Eyes of the Dragon (Philtrum 1984) or the Grant Dark Tower volumes, Thinner has no fine-press precursor. Historical irony: Thinner was the LAST Bachman book written under the live pseudonym but the FIRST (and only pre-reveal) Bachman HARDCOVER. The draft's earlier "50,000-copy" claim is undocumented and CORRECTED: documented sources (Wikipedia) report the pre-reveal hardcover sold ~28,000 copies, jumping ~tenfold to ~280,000 after the King-as-Bachman reveal (Feb 9, 1985, Bangor Daily News) — so the surviving true-first population is genuinely modest, which drives the jewel-tier scarcity.

First-printing points at a glance

First-printing statementCopyright page reads exactly "First Printing, November, 1984". CRITICAL CAVEAT (verified this pass): this statement ALONE does NOT prove a first printing — NAL retained the same "First Printing, November, 1984" line on LATER printings (e.g., a documented 6th printing still reads "First Printing, November, 1984" but its number line starts at "6"). The load-bearing distinction is the FULL number line beginning with "1". A true first must show BOTH the statement AND a number line whose lowest digit is "1". Cross-confirmed on multiple confirmed-first dealer listings (veryfinebooks, bookshopapocalypse, downtownbrown, secondstorybooks, AbeBooks firsts).
Number line"1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9" on the copyright page. The lowest number present IS the printing, so later printings drop the low numbers from the front (a 3rd printing line runs to "3"/starts at "3"; a 4th printing starts at "4", i.e. "4 5 6 7 8 9"; a 6th printing starts at "6"). Because the "First Printing, November, 1984" statement is RETAINED on later printings, the number line — not the statement — is the decisive printing indicator. A true first = full ascending "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9".
Gutter / printer codeN/A for the NAL trade first — NAL identified the printing via the printed "First Printing, November, 1984" statement + number line, not a Doubleday-style gutter code. The "Q12" gutter mark reported (~p.281) is a BOOK-CLUB-edition marker, not a trade-first point.
First printing — copies~28,000 copies (first Bachman hardcover printing / initial run, Nov 1984). Often-cited figure: it sold ~28,000 as "Bachman," then roughly 10x more after King's identity was revealed. accepted figure
First jacket price$12.95 (Printed on the upper front flap of the dust jacket. A price-clipped corner hides this and lowers value; book-club editions carry NO printed price. Confirmed "$12.95 to upper front flap" by multiple firsts (veryfinebooks, downtownbrown, bookshopapocalypse).)
Board (panel) colorRed paper-over-boards (bright/vivid red). Confirmed by multiple dealer listings ("black quarter cloth with red boards"; "Pristine red boards bound tightly in black cloth"). NOTE: the H468 BOOK-CLUB edition ALSO uses red boards, so board color alone does NOT distinguish trade first from BCE — see bceTells.
Spine / center bindingBlack cloth spine with red metallic-stamped lettering, over red boards (quarter/two-tone binding). Bauman describes it as "original half black cloth." Distinguishing point: the book-club edition's spine is reported (bookshopapocalypse BCE listing) as black LEATHERETTE, not cloth — so a black CLOTH spine with red metallic stamping over red boards points to the trade first. (Caveat: spine-material wording varies between dealers; treat leatherette-vs-cloth as a supporting tell, with H468 code + no flap price + no number line as the decisive BCE markers.)
Binding styleQuarter-bound (two-tone) hardcover: black cloth spine over red paper-covered boards, sewn binding. Octavo, 309 pages. Trim approx. 5.8 x 8.75 x 1.25 in. (some listings round to 6 x 9). ISBN 0-453-00468-8 / 978-0-453-00468-8 (note the "00468" digits echo the H468 book-club code).
Topstain / endpapersNo distinctive topstain reported (plain/unstained text block); none noted on confirmed firsts (UNVERIFIED on any colored topstain). Blank/plain endpapers confirmed on firsts; no special first-state endpaper point documented.

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$475M.A.D. fictionprice-not-shown — front-flap price corner ($12.95) was NOT photographed; cannot confirm present vs price-clipped (condition/value caveat only, not an cover only — verify$200Capitol Hill Booksnot shown in photo (no flap image); seller TEXT states $12.95 price present/unclipped. Listing has only ONE seller photo: a front-cover + spine shot ocover only — verify$300James Graham Booksellerunknown — jacket front flap not photographed, so the $12.95 price could not be verified; seller TEXT claims 'fine unclipped dust jacket' (unclipped),

2 listings flagged wrong-edition / later printing and hidden.

Dust jacket

Front: black background dominated by a red handprint/open-palm graphic with the title "THINNER" and "Richard Bachman" in red/white/grey lettering. Spine continues the black ground. Rear panel/flaps carry publisher info; the rear flap bears the staged B&W "Richard Bachman" author portrait (actually Richard Manuel) with the "© 1984 by Claudia Bachman" credit, alongside the "To my wife, Claudia Inez Bachman" dedication. First-printing front flap carries the $12.95 price (upper flap).

Art / design: Jacket design: predominantly black ground with a stylized red handprint/open-palm motif and red, white and grey type — the iconic 1984 NAL cover. Exact cover designer/illustrator credit is UNVERIFIED in collector sources. The famous detail is the AUTHOR PHOTO on the rear flap: the black-and-white portrait of "Richard Bachman" is actually a photo of Richard Manuel, a construction worker from the Saint Paul, Minnesota area (per Wikipedia), chosen by King's literary agent Kirby McCauley because he lived far from New York City to reduce recognition risk. (The draft's "insurance agent" characterization is NOT supported by the primary source and is corrected to construction worker; some secondary accounts vary, but Wikipedia's sourced account is preferred.) The credit reads "Author photo © 1984 by Claudia Bachman," Claudia Inez Bachman being the fictional wife to whom the book is dedicated ("To my wife, Claudia Inez Bachman"). This fictitious author photo + fictitious photo credit is the signature first-edition jacket tell.

reference photohttps://bookshopapocalypse.com/products/thinner-by-richard-bachman-aka-stephen-king-first-edition-first-printing-1984-nalreference photohttps://veryfinebooks.com/stephen-king-richard-bachman-thinner-first-edition-first-printing-slipcased-Fine/reference photohttps://www.downtownbrown.com/pages/books/363544/stephen-king-richard-bachman/thinner
Book-club edition & fakes — how to spot a wrong copyBook Club Edition (BCE / "First Book Club Edition", H468) shows: NO price on the front jacket flap; NO number line on the copyright page; the code "H468" (with ISBN) to the rear cover/board; commonly a small blind-stamp (indented dot/square) impressed into the lower corner of the REAR board near the spine; a black LEATHERETTE spine (vs the trade first's black CLOTH spine); and thinner/cheaper paper, often smaller trim and glued (not sewn). A "Q12" gutter mark (reported ~p.281) is a book-club marker, not a trade-first point. Quick decisive rule: no flap price + no number line + H468 = BCE, NOT the true first (blind stamp / leatherette spine are supporting confirmation). Note the BCE and trade BOTH use red boards — do not rely on board color.

Also watch for: Watch for: (1) BOOK-CLUB editions (H468) sold as "first edition" — verify the $12.95 flap price + the FULL "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9" number line, and check for the rear-board blind stamp / H468 code / leatherette spine / Q12 gutter mark that flag a BCE; (2) LATER printings passed off as firsts — DANGEROUS because they RETAIN the "First Printing, November, 1984" statement; the only safe check is the number line (a 4th printing starts at "4", a 6th at "6"). Do NOT trust the printing statement alone; (3) PRICE-CLIPPED jackets passed off as firsts (clipping hides whether $12.95 was ever present); (4) MARRIED jackets — a BCE jacket (no price) on a trade book, or a trade jacket on a BCE; (5) post-reveal PROMOTIONAL BAND/sticker described as a "first-state point" — it is a later add-on; (6) ex-library copies (stamps, pockets) and remainder-marked text blocks; (7) facsimile/repro jackets. Confirm the fictional Richard Manuel author photo + "Claudia Bachman" credit are present on the rear flap.

Print run & scarcity

Format: hardcover first edition, NAL Books / New American Library, ISBN 0-453-00467-3 (US). First-printing identification: "First Printing, November, 1984" on the copyright page with full number line "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9"; DJ price $12.95. This was Bachman's FIRST hardcover (prior Bachman titles — Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man — were paperback originals, so they have no comparable hardcover first-printing count). The ~28,000 figure is the commonly cited initial Bachman-run number; treat it as approximate. No exact NAL-announced first-printing quantity appears to have been published. UK edition: Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 0450061337 (separate printing).

First-state points & errata

No widely documented internal-text errata or state change separates first-state first printings — the load-bearing first-printing points are the FULL "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9" number line (decisive; the "First Printing, November, 1984" statement persists on later printings and is NOT decisive on its own) + the unclipped $12.95 jacket price. The signature jacket detail is the staged author photo of "Richard Bachman" (actually a photo of Richard Manuel) credited to the fictional "Claudia Bachman" (see jacketArtist). A scarce wraparound PROMOTIONAL BAND/sticker referencing the King unmasking appeared on some copies AFTER the February 9, 1985 reveal; a band-less first-printing copy is the cleaner pre-reveal state. Review copies sometimes carried an NAL promo sheet. Treat any "now you know it's King" band/sticker as a POST-reveal addition, NOT a first-state point.

Limited & signed editions

No fine-press limited, signed, numbered, slipcased or traycased FIRST edition exists for Thinner. Inscribed/signed copies exist only as author-signed trade firsts (e.g., a Bauman copy inscribed "'Richard Bachman' Stephen King 4/4/85"); a dual-identity "Richard Bachman / Stephen King" signature is scarce and commands a large premium. "Slipcased" copies offered by dealers (e.g., the veryfinebooks listing) are aftermarket custom clamshell/slipcases, NOT a publisher's limited issue. (No Phantasia/Donald M. Grant/Cemetery Dance limited of this title — high confidence.)

Market value confirmed sales

$150–$350 (true first, fine/fine, unclipped $12.95 jacket, unsigned). Signed/inscribed: $1,500–$5,000+

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

Confirmed sales: Bauman Rare Books — inscribed copy ("'Richard Bachman' Stephen King 4/4/85"), fine, with publisher reveal band: SOLD (listing marked "this item has been sold"), Bauman inscribed-King range ~$3,500–$5,000 (~2023–2024). Second Story Books — SIGNED first edition/first printing: SOLD item (dealer record, ~2023). Downtown Brown Books — first edition/first printing: SOLD item (dealer record). stephenkingcollector.com reference value $75–$175 fine, condition-dependent (Aug 2023). NOTE: no Heritage/PBA auction-realized lot surfaced for this title; signed figures are dealer-SOLD records, not fabricated auction results.

Book-club edition (the trap): $8–$25. Book Club Edition (BCE) is the dominant trap — near-worthless, routinely mislisted as a "first edition." — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.

Condition is everything in this $75–$350 band: a clipped jacket, ex-library markings, or rear-board bumps cut value 40–70%, while a crisp fine/fine unclipped copy sits at the $250–$350 top. Signed/inscribed is the real money — Stephen King "Bachman" signatures are scarce (he signed few before/at the 1985 reveal) and push copies to $1,500–$5,000+; an inscription dated around the reveal (e.g. 4/4/85) or "as Richard Bachman" carries the strongest premium. THE #1 SEPARATOR FOR THIS TITLE: the $12.95 PRICE on the front dust-jacket flap. The true first trade DJ is priced $12.95 and UNCLIPPED; the Book Club Edition jacket has NO price printed on the flap (and the BCE board is cheaper/thinner, often with a small blind-stamp dimple at the lower rear corner). A "first edition" with a blank-priced or clipped flap is almost always a BCE or a married/price-clipped jacket — the most common mislisting. Also confirm copyright page reads "First printing, November 1984" with full number line 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9; later NAL printings (4th, 5th, 6th) are common and worth a fraction. (Prompt's "Doubleday gutter code" is a red herring — Thinner is NAL, not Doubleday.)

Value sources:

Sources

Verification notes: SECOND adversarial verification pass. New INDEPENDENT sources added beyond the draft: downtownbrown.com (full first-edition spec), secondstorybooks.com (signed first), abebooks.co.uk printing-line page, and an Etsy true-first listing; corroborated against Wikipedia and live searches. CONFIRMATIONS: (A) Full "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9" number line + "First Printing, November, 1984" CONFIRMED on firsts (veryfinebooks, downtownbrown, bookshopapocalypse). (B) $12.95 UPPER-front-flap price CONFIRMED (veryfinebooks "$12.95 to upper front flap", downtownbrown, bookshopapocalypse). (C) Binding CONFIRMED — "black quarter cloth with red boards. Red metallic-stamped text to spine" (downtownbrown); "Pristine red boards bound tightly in black cloth" (bookshopapocalypse); Bauman "half black cloth." 309pp, blank endpapers, trim 5.8 x 8.75 x 1.25 in. (D) Author photo = Richard Manuel credited to fictional Claudia (Inez) Bachman CONFIRMED. (E) BCE tells CONFIRMED — H468 code + no flap price + no number line; bookshopapocalypse BCE adds the "Red cover with black leatherette spine" data point. MATERIAL NEW FINDING / CORRECTION THIS PASS: later NAL printings RETAIN the "First Printing, November, 1984" statement — a documented 6th printing still reads "First Printing, November, 1984" but its number line starts at "6" (abebooks printing-line data). Therefore the number line, NOT the printing statement, is decisive — firstPrintingStatement/numberLine/firstStatePoints/commonFakesCautions updated to stress this. DISCREPANCIES vs draft, sources preferred: (1) PRINT RUN — draft "50,000"; documented ~28,000 pre-reveal → ~280,000 post-reveal (Wikipedia) — corrected. (2) RICHARD MANUEL OCCUPATION — draft "insurance agent"; Wikipedia (sourced) states construction worker near Saint Paul, MN — corrected toward construction worker (draft had softened to "contested"; the primary source supports construction worker, so resolved). (3) Publication date pinned to November 19, 1984; reveal Feb 9, 1985 (Bangor Daily News). No preceding small-press/fine-press limited found. ISBN confirmed 978-0-453-00468-8 / 0-453-00468-8.

confidence: high← Back to all titles