Stephen King "Lettered" Editions-Define

[Randall Flagg]

Define in chronological order what meets the Collectors definition of "Lettered Editions".
The A-Z books may be easy, but the Colorado Kid (3 versions 1/33) may be considered a "Lettered", or may not. Is a "PC" of the S/L Gunslinger a lettered?
Define, discuss, debate.

[Cook]

PC lettered gunslinger would depend if his signature is above or below his name ?
I think...

[Randall Flagg]

PC lettered gunslinger would depend if his signature is above or below his name ?
I think...

That did not make sense.
Go read the first post, and submit the list that you believe defines all of King's Lettered Editions. Once you post the list, feel free to annotate any item.

[Cook]

PC lettered gunslinger would depend if his signature is above or below his name ?
I think...

That did not make sense.
Go read the first post, and submit the list that you believe defines all of King's Lettered Editions. Once you post the list, feel free to annotate any item.

Jesus Jerome... It was a question about gunslinger PC, You did say define, discuss, debate.

Lettered signature is shown below his printed name.



Numbered signature is shown above his printed name.



Publishers signature is shown below his printed name.



So my question is... (since I don't know)
Does the signature placement on the signature page define Lettered or Numbered?

[tippy4]

Good question Jerome.

I would consider TCK 1/33 as a "Lettered" in the sense it is the "better" of the two versions of the same S/L title by the same publisher. By using the same logic, I guess the Postscripts #10 with slipcase is a "Lettered" version too.

The Gunslinger PC copy.....I would not consider it a S/L as it is no different from the numbered version.

Here is my list...feel free to hack it apart and debate. I left a few ambiguous items on it.

1980 Firestarter 26 Lettered
1981 Cujo 26 Lettered
1981 Danse Macabre 15 Lettered
1982 Dark Tower I Gunslinger 52 + ?
1982-85 The Plant 26 + 200 x 3 years = 678 (NOT including proof copies)
1982 Whispers - 26 Lettered
1983 Christine 26 Lettered
1983 Frankenstein 26 Lettered
1984 Eyes Of the Dragon 52 Lettered
1984 The Talisman 70 AE's=(SKC lists the following: 30 AC's, lettered-indeterminate, 70 AE's, 5 designer, 1,200 #'d)
1985 Cycle of the Werewolf (8 presentation copies)
1985 Skeleton Crew 52 Lettered 1 skin
1987 Dark Tower II 35 Lettered
1988 Letters from Hell 26 Lettered
1989 Dolan’s Cadillac 1,000+250+26 = 1276 (SKC lists numerous states with indeterminate #'s) Total=>1,276
1989 The Killer Inside Me 26 Lettered
1990 The Stand 52 Lettered
1991 Dark Tower III 26 Lettered
1991 Signatures 26 Lettered
1993 House Next Door (1993 edition by Olde New York Press) 26 Lettered
1996 Regulators 52 Lettered
1996 The Girl Next Door 52 Lettered
1997 Cujo guitar (2 shapes, 10 Dreadnaught shape and 14 Grand Auditorium shape, 125 each) = 250
1997 Six Stories 200 roman numbered for the author's private use
1998 Legends 50 + 200 = 250
1998 The Best of Cemetery Dance 52 Lettered
1999 The New Lieutenant's Rap 500+24 Proofs=524
2000 Dystopia 26 Lettered
2000 From a Buick 8 52 Lettered
2000 Life in the Cinema 52 Lettered
2003 Borderlands 5 - 52 Lettered
2004 Quietly Now 52 Letered
2004 Salems Lot 300 + 80 + 15 + 10 = 405
2004 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon 125+ 15 = 140
2005 Transgressions 26 Lettered
2005 Great Ghost Stories 52 Lettered only
2006 Secretary of Dreams: Volume One: 52 Lettered
2007 The Green Mile 52 Lettered
2007 Postscripts #10 200 (numbered with slipcase)
2007 The Colorado Kid 99 #'ed 1-33 x 3 artists (in traycase)
2009 He Is Legend 52 Lettered
2010 The Secretary of Dreams Volume Two 52 Lettered
2010 Riding The Bullet 52 Lettered
2010 Legacies 52 Lettered
2011 J.N. Williamson's Illustrated Masques - 52 Lettered
2011 Full Dark, No Stars 52 Lettered
2011 Blockade Billy 52 Lettered
2011 The Big Book of Necon 52 Lettered
2011 IT: The 25th Anniversary Edition 52 Lettered

[Shannon]

Oh, I like this question. I have to go to dinner, but when I get back I shall answer.

[Brice]

I really don't mean this sarcastically, but I only consider a book lettered if there is actually a letter.

[neosatus]

I really don't mean this sarcastically, but I only consider a book lettered if there is actually a letter.

Pretty much, via the KISS method.

I don't think PC copies of Slinger should be considered Lettered either way. Further more, I don't even consider PC copies of any edition as official copies of said edition. I know why they are needed--as extras in case there is damage to one or more of the copies of the set. But after all copies have been distributed, any remaining PC copies should be destroyed. I don't like how all of these PC are left running around, inflating the number of the set. Publishers should stick to the actual number that is released, not use these PC copies to supplement their income.

[Brice]

I have no problem with PCs being out there. I do think they should be marked as such though.

[Randall Flagg]

I really don't mean this sarcastically, but I only consider a book lettered if there is actually a letter.

Then provide the list.

[Brice]

Okay, here's the best I've been able to put together so far. I'm sure there are mistakes. I only have one of these myself so I'm relying on (limited) research...mostly the catalog, but here goes...

Firestarter, Cujo, Danse Macabre, Dark Tower I, Whispers, Christine, Frankenstein, Eyes Of the Dragon, Skeleton Crew, Dark Tower II, Letters from Hell, Dolan’s Cadillac, The Killer Inside Me, The Stand, Dark Tower III, Signatures, House Next Door, Dark Tower IV, Desperation, Regulators, The Girl Next Door, The Best of Cemetery Dance, Dystopia, From a Buick, Life in the Cinema, Borderlands 5, Dark Tower V, Quietly Now, Dark Tower VI, Dark Tower VII, Transgressions, Great Ghost Stories, Secretary of Dreams: Volume One, The Green Mile, The Little Sisters of Eluria, He Is Legend, The Secretary of Dreams Volume Two, Riding The Bullet, Legacies, J.N. Williamson's Illustrated Masques, Full Dark, No Stars, Blockade Billy, The Big Book of Necon, IT: The 25th Anniversary Edition, The Wind Through The Keyhole

[Shannon]

Signed Limited, Lettered Editions

Firestarter
Cujo
Danse Macabre
The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I
The Plant: Part 1
Whispers: Volume 5, Numbers 1/2
Christine
Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus
The Plant: Part 2
The Eyes Of The Dragon (black)
The Eyes Of The Dragon (red)
Skeleton Crew
The Plant: Part 3
Letters From Hell
Dolan's Cadillac
The Killer Inside Me
The Stand
Signatures
The House Next Door
The Regulators
The Girl Next Door
Legends: Stories By The Masters Of Modern Fantasy
The Best Of Cemetery Dance
Dystopia
From A Buick 8
A Life In Cinema
Borderlands 5: An Anthology Of Imaginative Fiction
Quietly Now
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-Up Book
Transgressions
Great Ghost Stories: Tales Of Mystery And Madness
The Secretary Of Dreams: Volume One
The Green Mile
He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson
The Secretary Of Dreams: Volume Two
Riding The Bullet
Legacies
Full Dark, No Stars
Blockade Billy
IT
The Big Book Of Necon
The Century's Best Horror Fiction
J.N. Williamson's Illustrated Masques

And apparently some of the Dark Tower books were lettered also? I've never seen or heard about these (they're also not in the Catalog).

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

I really don't mean this sarcastically, but I only consider a book lettered if there is actually a letter.

I agree totally. A letter is a letter. A number is a number, even if it is a Roman number.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

And apparently some of the Dark Tower books were lettered also? I've never seen or heard about these (they're also not in the Catalog).

? There is a picture of one on this page.

[TwistedNadine]

I really don't mean this sarcastically, but I only consider a book lettered if there is actually a letter.

I agree totally. A letter is a letter. A number is a number, even if it is a Roman number.

And if its marked PC - or out of series - then it is a PC with an undertermined amount floating out there. The only variable is one that has nothing on the number line at all. Then you wonder is it a PC or did the person responsible for writing in the numbers / letters forget to mark what it is (which I have heard of). But the only way to find out if your unmarked copy is an actual number or letter is find out where all the other ones are. Good luck with that.

I think a far more intriguing question is collectors definition of "First Edition" not to be confused with "First TRADE Edition". You brought this up in another post mentioning how you consider NLR and Plant to be first editions. This got me thinking 'cause I had never really put them in that category - in my mind keeping S/Ls separate as their own editions.

Some quotes from Wiki defining First Edition as:
"First edition most often refers to the first commercial publication of a work between its own covers, even if it was first printed in a periodical"
and
"A small minority of book collectors, particularly in the science fiction field,[citation needed] hold that the earliest bound copies of a book—promotional advance copies: bound galleys, uncorrected proofs, advance reading copies sent by publishers to book reviewers and booksellers—are the true first edition."

Using the first definition NLR, Plant and Proofs would then not be First Editions since they are not considered "commercial" at the time of printing. However, I have always personally considered a proof to be the true first edition - other than the original manuscript from the author.

I am far more curious to see the opinion and viewpoints of other collectors on how they define First Edition.

[biomieg]

I agree with Brice and Alan. A lettered book contains a 'limitation letter' on the appropriate page. One shouldn't confuse 'lettered' with 'the most desirable and rarest state of a book', even though the rarest books are often lettered. We just need more categories.

[Shannon]

... besides the gunslinger.

[tippy4]

Okay, here's the best I've been able to put together so far. I'm sure there are mistakes. I only have one of these myself so I'm relying on (limited) research...mostly the catalog, but here goes...

Firestarter, Cujo, Danse Macabre, Dark Tower I, Whispers, Christine, Frankenstein, Eyes Of the Dragon, Skeleton Crew, Dark Tower II, Letters from Hell, Dolan’s Cadillac, The Killer Inside Me, The Stand, Dark Tower III, Signatures, House Next Door, Dark Tower IV, Desperation, Regulators, The Girl Next Door, The Best of Cemetery Dance, Dystopia, From a Buick, Life in the Cinema, Borderlands 5, Dark Tower V, Quietly Now, Dark Tower VI, Dark Tower VII, Transgressions, Great Ghost Stories, Secretary of Dreams: Volume One, The Green Mile, The Little Sisters of Eluria, He Is Legend, The Secretary of Dreams Volume Two, Riding The Bullet, Legacies, J.N. Williamson's Illustrated Masques, Full Dark, No Stars, Blockade Billy, The Big Book of Necon, IT: The 25th Anniversary Edition, The Wind Through The Keyhole

There was no lettered Dark Tower IV, V, VI, VII, TLSOE or TWTTK as far as I know.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

There is no FDNS, The Big Book of Necon or IT lettered versions yet. Still waiting on CD releasing them.

[tippy4]

There is no FDNS, The Big Book of Necon or IT lettered versions yet. Still waiting on CD releasing them.

You are being nitpicky...they will exist eventually.

[tippy4]

I agree with Brice and Alan. A lettered book contains a 'limitation letter' on the appropriate page. One shouldn't confuse 'lettered' with 'the most desirable and rarest state of a book', even though the rarest books are often lettered. We just need more categories.

Or we need less.

Frankly, I think we should just lump S/Ls of the same title into the same spot.

I think it would be just fine if you lumped all nine Colorado Kid versions into one spot.

[herbertwest]

I really don't mean this sarcastically, but I only consider a book lettered if there is actually a letter.

I agree totally. A letter is a letter. A number is a number, even if it is a Roman number.

I aint collecting limited editions, but i always considered lettered and numbered edition ass mentioned above

[Randall Flagg]

Subject to debate, and change, IMO a "lettered" edition can only be an edition that is lettered A-Z, and or AA-ZZ That's it. No matter what the "design" of the book, case size the book can only contain the "Letter(s)". There can only be 26 A-Z lettered and only 26 AA-ZZ copies. Anything else can be a wonderful "edition", but should be noted as a "PC" rendition of the lettered version.
I think TCK was a screwup. There should have been only 26 (or I suppose 52) of each.

[Shannon]

"There was no lettered Dark Tower IV, V, VI, VII, TLSOE or TWTTK as far as I know."

Have you (or anyone else) seen a Lettered DT II or III?

[tippy4]

I have not seen a lettered DT2 or DT3.