Four Past Midnight Common
What it’s about
Four Past Midnight gathers four novellas, each a self-contained descent into the uncanny: a red-eye flight to Boston in which a handful of passengers wake to find the rest of the world gone; a successful novelist accused by a sinister stranger of stealing a story; a buttoned-up real-estate man stalked by a childhood terror he buried long ago; and an instant Polaroid camera that photographs something that should not be there. King opens each tale with a personal note about how it came to be, then turns ordinary people loose against things that wait just past the edge of the everyday.
Significance A Stephen King novella collection (solo-authored, not Bachman) that won the 1990 Bram Stoker Award for Best Collection; its lead story "The Langoliers" became a 1995 ABC miniseries, "Secret Window, Secret Garden" the 2004 Johnny Depp film "Secret Window," and "The Sun Dog" ties into King's Castle Rock canon as a prelude to "Needful Things."
How to spot a true first 30-second check
A true 1st/1st needs BOTH the book and the jacket verified. A first-state jacket on a later or book-club book — or the reverse — is a married copy, not a first.
What to look for
- Decisive: "Stephen King" in GOLD on the front jacket = first state; TAN lettering = a later printing passed off as a first.
- Number line must read "10 ... 3 2 1" and contain the 1 — the 1 is removed for the second printing.
- First-state flap is priced "$22.95 / $29.50"; a no-price flap means a US (BOMC) or UK (Guild) book-club jacket.
- Book-club tells: no flap price, a blind-stamp dot on the lower-rear board, thinner trim/glued binding, and no descending 1-line.
- Watch for married jackets — verify the gold name AND the $22.95 flap AND the number line together, not one alone.
- First printing ran ~1.5 million copies, so true firsts are common — beware unsigned trade firsts priced like small-press limiteds.
Verified listings marker-checked
Each copy screened against the seller's own photos. ✓ confirmed = a photo shows the decisive marker; ⚠ not pictured = the shot to ask for before buying. Condition grades are as-pictured.
Buyer beware — verify before you buy. These are our screening opinions, read from each seller’s own photographs; we can misjudge a copy or misread an image. A listing marked “1st/1st confirmed” is not a guarantee — independently confirm the decisive book and jacket markers with the seller before any purchase. Authentication and the buying decision remain the buyer’s responsibility.
The book side is proven — the full number line is crisply photographed in the correct Viking trade jacket — but the single dim, warm-cast frame of the front panel cannot separate the first-state GOLD author name from the later tan, so the jacket's state is still open.
- Copyright — The copyright page reads "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.", with LC catalog card number 90-50046 and ISBN 0-670-83538-2 (photo 7, sharp; the same page again at a distance in photo 8).
- Number line — Directly beneath that statement the full descending row "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" is legible with the 1 plainly present — the decisive book tell (photo 7).
- Jacket price — The front flap is intact and unclipped, printing "U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.95" at the head and the "0990" September-1990 code at the foot (photo 5).
- Binding — Jacket off, black paper boards over a black cloth-backed spine lettered in gilt "Stephen KING / FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT", with the crescent moon-and-stars device and VIKING at the tail (photos 3 and 10).
- Endpapers / edges — The pastedown and free endpaper are the correct orange-gold (photos 5, 8 and 9), and the text-block edges are plain cream with no publisher's topstain (photo 8).
- Rear jacket barcode — The rear panel carries ISBN 0-670-83538-2 with the 0 51488 02295 4 retail barcode, and the rear flap the Viking Penguin imprint — a trade jacket, not an unpriced club issue (photos 1 and 9).
- Dust jacket — first-state GOLD author name — The front panel appears in exactly one dim, warm-cast frame in which "STEPHEN KING" reads as flat pale cream, the same tone as the tan title (photo 0) — on a well-lit copy the name separates plainly as metallic gold — so the gold-vs-tan state is unresolved here, neither confirmed nor disproved; ask for the front panel shot straight-on in daylight or under neutral light.
- Binding — gilt "SK" board monogram — The boards are shown jacket-off but underexposed and at an angle, and no frame catches the gilt "SK" that sits at the front board's lower outer corner; ask for a straight-on, raking-light shot of the bare front board.
A genuine Viking 1990 first/first with a crisply photographed copyright page and an unclipped first-state gold-name jacket; the book is never shown out of its jacket, so the binding itself is unphotographed.
- Copyright — A sharp, straight-on copyright page reads "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.", with LC catalog card number 90-50046 and ISBN 0-670-83538-2 (photo 10).
- Number line — The same page shows the complete row "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1", the 1 unmistakably present — first printing (photo 10).
- Dust jacket — "STEPHEN KING" reads in bright, saturated GOLD against the paler tan title — the first state, not the later tan lettering (photo 0) — with the Viking longship colophon at the spine foot (photos 1 and 6).
- Jacket price — The upper front flap is unclipped and prints "U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.95" (photo 7), corroborated by the 52295 price code in the rear-panel barcode (photo 2).
- Endpapers / edges — The orange-gold pastedown and free endpaper are visible where the flap is turned back (photos 7 and 8), and the top edge carries no publisher's topstain (photo 4).
- Rear jacket barcode — The rear panel carries ISBN 0-670-83538-2 with the full retail barcode, ruling out an unpriced club jacket (photo 2).
- Binding — All eleven frames show the book jacketed, so the black boards, the gilt spine lettering with its moon-and-stars device and the gilt "SK" board monogram are never pictured; ask the seller to slip the jacket off and shoot the front board and the spine straight-on.
Genuine first/first, gold-name jacket, unclipped, well-photographed; $34 sits at or below fair. A clear discount.
- Dust jacket — "STEPHEN KING" in GOLD on the front (photos 0,1,6,18) = the decisive first-state jacket point.
- Number line — Copyright page "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" with the 1, clearly legible (photo 13) = true first printing.
- Jacket price — Front flap "U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.50" with 0990 code, unclipped — rules out a clubbed jacket.
- Binding — Gilt "SK" monogram on the rear board (photo 19); correct trade trim and sewn binding.
✓ Decisive marker pictured — nothing outstanding to request.
Genuine Viking first in gold-name jacket; flap price box present but blurry. A common-tier copy fairly priced at $35.
- Dust jacket — "STEPHEN KING" in GOLD on the front = the decisive first-state jacket (later states are tan).
- Number line — Full "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" ending in 1, under the Viking Penguin statement — the first-printing tell.
- Copyright — "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin" (not Guild Publishing) = US trade first, not a UK club.
- Binding — Black boards, gilt SK monogram, black cloth spine; correct cosmic clock-face jacket art.
- Jacket price — Printed two-line price box is present and unclipped, but the digits aren't pin-sharp — ask for a crisp flap shot reading $22.95/$29.50.
- Endpapers / edges — Light foxing/toning along the top text-block edge (photo 04) — request a close shot to gauge how far it carries.
Genuine first/first, gold-name jacket, unclipped, thoroughly shot; $40 sits at the low end of the fine/fine band. Fair.
- Dust jacket — "STEPHEN KING" in GOLD on the front (photos 0,2,5) = the decisive first-state jacket, not the later tan state.
- Number line — Full "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" ending in 1 (photo 11) = true first printing; ISBN 0-670-83538-2, LCCN 90-50046.
- Jacket price — Two-line price block U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.50 on the front flap (photo 6), unclipped — a trade, not BOMC, jacket.
- Binding — Gilt "SK" monogram on the front board (photo 7); full trade trim, no BOMC blind-stamp on the rear board (photo 8).
✓ Decisive marker pictured — nothing outstanding to request.
A genuine Viking 1990 first/first with the full number line and the gilt-"SK" front board both plainly photographed under a first-state gold-name jacket, but the front flap is never shown, so the printed price and its clip status remain unverified.
- Copyright — The copyright page reads "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.", with LC catalog card number 90-50046, ISBN 0-670-83538-2 and "Printed in the United States of America" (photo 1).
- Number line — The full "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" line is legible directly beneath that statement — the decisive first-printing tell (photo 1).
- Dust jacket — "STEPHEN KING" is plainly GOLD on the front panel against the tan title — the first-state point (photos 0 and 6) — and the Viking longship colophon sits at the spine foot (photo 5).
- Binding — With the jacket folded back, the black cloth spine carries the gilt title and moon-and-stars device and the black paper FRONT board shows the gilt "SK" monogram at its lower outer corner — the clearest binding shot among these copies (photo 2).
- Rear jacket barcode — The rear panel shows ISBN 0-670-83538-2 with the 0 51488 02295 4 barcode — a trade jacket (photo 7).
- Edges — The text-block edges are plain cream with no publisher's topstain, as the rubric requires (photos 3 and 4).
- Jacket price — No frame shows the upper front flap, so the printed U.S. $22.95 price and whether the corner has been clipped are both unverified; ask for the front flap laid flat with the price block and the flap-foot date code in frame.
- Endpapers — The orange-gold endpapers are never pictured — the white sheet beside the board in photo 2 is the folded-back jacket flap, not an endpaper; ask for the front cover opened flat.
A genuine Viking 1990 first/first — copyright page, full number line and an unclipped first-state gold-name jacket all photographed — carrying a period pencil gift inscription, with the boards never shown out of the jacket.
- Copyright — A clean, full-page shot of the copyright page reads "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.", with LC catalog card number 90-50046 and ISBN 0-670-83538-2 (photo 5).
- Number line — The complete descending row "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" is plainly legible on that page — first printing (photo 5).
- Dust jacket — "STEPHEN KING" is a rich GOLD on the front panel against the tan title — first state (photo 0) — with the Viking longship colophon at the spine foot (photo 1).
- Jacket price — The front flap is unclipped and prints "U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.95" with the "0990" September-1990 code at the foot (photo 3).
- Endpapers — The orange-gold endpapers are shown across the open front cover (photo 3) and again behind the rear flap (photo 9).
- Rear jacket barcode — The rear panel carries ISBN 0-670-83538-2 with the 0 51488 02295 4 trade barcode (photo 2).
- Binding — The book is photographed only in its jacket, so the black boards, the gilt spine lettering with moon-and-stars and the gilt "SK" board monogram go unseen; ask for the jacket removed and the front board plus spine shot straight-on.
Copyright page and unclipped flap nail the first printing; just confirm the front name is gold to seal the first-state jacket.
- Number line — Copyright page (photo 5) fully legible: full "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" ending in 1 = true first printing.
- Copyright — "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin"; ISBN 0-670-83538-2, LCCN 90-50046, "Printed in the U.S.A." = US trade first.
- Jacket price — Front flap (photo 3) U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.50 intact/unclipped, with 0990 date code.
- Dust jacket — The decisive gold-vs-tan "Stephen King" front lettering isn't called out in the 5 photos — request a clear front-cover shot showing the name is GOLD, not tan.
Genuine first/first by the copyright page; the $400 ask rides on aftermarket gilt edges, not the edition — dear for a common title.
- Number line — Copyright page (photo 5) shows the full "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" with the 1 = true first printing.
- Copyright — "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin"; ISBN 0-670-83538-2, "Printed in the U.S.A." — rules out UK and club issues.
- Jacket price — Front flap (photo 3) U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.95 intact with 0990 date code = correct first-state trade flap.
- Binding — Black paper boards with gilt SK monogram (photo 2), standard trade binding — not a Library/Easton/club case.
- Dust jacket — The decisive gold-vs-tan "Stephen King" front lettering isn't confirmed in the 5 photos — ask for a front-cover shot proving the name is GOLD.
- Endpapers / edges — All-edges-gilt is aftermarket/private, not a Viking variant — the $400 hook, but it doesn't upgrade the edition; confirm it's a decorative add, not a defect.
A complete, unclipped copy in the first-state gold-name jacket whose book block was never opened for the camera — the copyright page and number line are simply not pictured, and the seller's "True 1st Edition 1st Printing" is his word, not evidence.
- Dust jacket — "STEPHEN KING" is a bright GOLD on the front panel against the tan title — the first-state jacket point — with the Viking longship colophon at the spine foot (photos 0 and 2).
- Jacket price — The front flap is unclipped and prints "U.S. $22.95 / Canada $29.95" with the "0990" September-1990 code at the flap foot (photo 5).
- Binding — spine — Jacket off, the black spine shows the gilt "Stephen KING / FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT" with the moon-and-stars device and VIKING at the tail, over black boards (photo 6).
- Endpapers / edges — The orange-gold endpaper is visible behind the turned-back flap (photo 5), and the text-block edges are plain cream with no publisher's topstain (photos 3 and 4).
- Rear jacket barcode — The rear panel carries ISBN 0-670-83538-2 with the 51488 02295 retail barcode — soft-focus but resolvable — ruling out an unpriced club jacket (photo 1).
- Copyright — No frame shows the copyright page at all, so the "First published in 1990 by Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc." statement is unproven — ask for the verso of the title page shot square-on and in focus.
- Number line — The decisive first-printing tell, the row "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" ending in 1, has never been photographed and cannot be assumed present — request a close, legible shot of that line on the copyright page.
- Binding — gilt "SK" board monogram — Photo 6 shows the spine but not the board face; ask for a straight-on shot of the bare front board showing the gilt "SK" at its lower outer corner.
All markers are seller testimony on a stock-image listing — needs the copyright page and a real jacket shot before trusting it.
- Dust jacket — No seller photos exist — only the generic ISBN stock cover. The decisive gold "Stephen King" front lettering is unproven; ask for a real front shot.
- Number line — Seller states the full "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" line, but no copyright-page photo backs it — request a clear shot of the number line.
- Jacket price — $22.95 intact is stated, not pictured — ask for a photo of the unclipped front flap.
- Endpapers / edges — A black remainder pen line is noted across the top edge — get a photo to gauge the condition hit.
Full identification detail & sourcescopyright · jacket · binding · book-club traps · print run · value · references
The Viking trade hardcover (1990) IS the true first edition, first printing. Unlike The Eyes of the Dragon (Philtrum precedes Viking) or The Talisman/Christine/Firestarter/Cujo (limiteds from Donald M. Grant / Phantasia / Mysterious Press), Four Past Midnight had NO signed/numbered small-press edition issued before or alongside the trade. Viking is the only US first. NOTE: the first printing was an enormous 1,500,000 copies (per stephenkingcollector.com), so true firsts are extremely common and command modest premiums. A US Book-of-the-Month Club (BOMC) edition and a UK book club edition (Guild Publishing, London, 1990) also exist and must be distinguished from the Viking trade first.
First-printing points at a glance
Dust jacket
Front: a large Roman-numeral clock face floating in a starry cosmos, hands set at four-past-midnight, with a burst of fire/light erupting from the center into the star field. Title "FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT" and author "STEPHEN KING" (author name in GOLD on the first-state jacket; TAN on later states). Spine and back continue the dark cosmic/starfield theme; author photo on rear flap/jacket.
Art / design: Jacket illustration by Rob Wood (clock-in-space concept). Interior/title-page illustrations by Lars Hokanson.
Also watch for: (1) Married jackets — a later-printing/club jacket (no $22.95) placed on a first-edition book, or a priced first jacket on a later/club book; verify the number line contains 1 AND the front-flap $22.95 AND the gold (not tan) jacket name together. (2) Later printings with TAN author-name lettering on the jacket sold as first state. (3) Price-clipped jackets hide the $22.95 and reduce value. (4) Ex-library copies (stamps, pockets, spine labels) — common, low value. (5) Remainder marks on the bottom text-block edge. (6) Facsimile/reproduction jackets. (7) Forged King signatures on inscribed copies — demand provenance/authentication. (8) Because the first printing ran ~1.5 million copies, beware listings inflating an unsigned trade first to small-press prices.
Print run & scarcity
Collector/dealer consensus figure (publisher never disclosed an audited count). stephenkingcollector.com (specialist King-collector reference) states the first edition of Four Past Midnight (Viking, 1990, 763 pp., (c)1990) "had a print run of 1,500,000 copies." This same 1,500,000 first-printing figure is repeated by the Stephen King Fand.
First-state points & errata
PRIMARY first-state point is on the DUST JACKET: the author's name "Stephen King" is printed in GOLD lettering on the front of the jacket on the first state. stephenkingcollector.com: "The first state has 'Stephen King' in gold on the front cover. The second state does not." Later printings/states show the author name in TAN (not gold) lettering on the jacket — a known tell used to catch later-printing jackets passed off as firsts (eBay/dealer sources). NOTE on the BOOK BOARD: the gilt "SK" monogram on the front board is STANDARD on the true first; copies LACKING the gold SK on the board are treated by collectors as an anomaly/error variant, NOT the normal second state. Do not conflate the jacket gold-name state with the board SK.
Limited & signed editions
None. No signed/numbered/traycased limited edition was published for Four Past Midnight. "Signed" copies on the market are author-inscribed/signed copies of the Viking trade first, not a publisher limited. (A later BOMC faux-leather "Stephen King Library / Red Leather Library" volume exists as a club product, not a publisher limited.)
Market value estimate
~$40–$90
Assumes a genuine first edition / first printing in near-fine to fine condition (clean copy, unclipped jacket). Lesser condition is worth less.
Sale evidence no verified realized price: Standard collector reference (stephenkingcollector.com) pegs the unsigned first edition at $10–$20 (current census value). Multiple eBay SOLD/completed first-printing copies in VG–NF, unclipped, cluster ~$20–$55 (2023–2025). Signed/inscribed first, fine/fine, first-state gold jacket: First and Fine (UK) inscribed 1/18/91 copy — fine/like dj, sold out (dealer range ~£1,000+); Bauman Rare Books signed first listed ~$2,000 (2023–2024). These are DEALER prices on the signed tier; no high-value Heritage/PBA auction record exists because the unsigned book is too common to consign.
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): $40–$90 (genuine first, fine/fine, unclipped, first-state gold-foil jacket) — UNSIGNED. Signed/inscribed firsts: ~$1,000–$2,200.
Book-club edition (the trap): $8–$20. The Book-of-the-Month/Viking book club edition is the dominant trap on this title — visually near-identical jacket art but it carries NO number line, the jacket has NO printed $22.95 price, the boards are lighter/thinner, and there is a blind-stamp (gutter dot/square) on the rear board. Constantly mislisted as a "first edition" on AbeBooks/eBay at $50–$300 asking. It is worth almost nothing. — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.
Condition sensitivity is LOW in absolute dollars because the floor is so low — but a fine/fine unclipped first-state copy still doubles a VG copy. The decisive points for a TRUE first on this specific title: (1) full number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page (book club editions have NO number line); (2) FIRST-STATE dust jacket with "Stephen King" printed in GOLD foil on the front panel (a later-state jacket lacks the gold and is a second state, worth less); (3) printed $22.95 price on the front flap, UNCLIPPED (BCE jackets carry no price at all); (4) NO blind-stamp/gutter indent on the rear board and yellow endpapers present. THE SINGLE BIGGEST DIFFERENTIATOR: this title's traps are almost all book-club editions masquerading as firsts — confirm the full number line AND the printed cover price together; either one absent = not the trade first. The signed/inscribed premium is the whole game: a genuine King signature lifts a $40 book to $1,000–$2,200+, so authentication of the autograph (provenance, known dealer, or PSA/Beckett) is far more value-determinative than book condition. Beware "signed bookplate" and secretarial/auto-pen signatures, which carry little premium.
- https://www.stephenkingcollector.com/1st/fourpastmidnight.html
- https://www.firstandfine.com/product/king-stephen-1990-four-past-midnight-us-signed-and-inscribed-first-edition/
- https://www.baumanrarebooks.com/rare-books/127099.aspx
- https://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/128527/stephen-king/four-past-midnight
- https://stephenking.com/other/identifying_first_editions.pdf
Sources
- https://www.stephenkingcollector.com/1st/fourpastmidnight.html
- https://www.firstandfine.com/product/king-stephen-1990-four-past-midnight-us-signed-and-inscribed-first-edition/
- https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Four-Past-Midnight-First-Edition-King/30915166115/bd
- https://www.betweenthecovers.com/pages/books/221879/stephen-king/four-past-midnight
- https://johnatkinsonbooks.co.uk/book/stephen-king-four-past-midnight-first-uk-edition-1990/
- https://bookshopapocalypse.com/products/four-past-midnight-by-stephen-king-first-u-k-book-club-edition-1990
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/362583745501
- https://stephenking.com/other/identifying_first_editions.pdf
- https://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/128527/stephen-king/four-past-midnight
- https://bookshopapocalypse.com/products/four-past-midnight-by-stephen-king-first-edition-first-printing-1990-viking
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Past_Midnight
- https://www.stephenkingcollector.com/1st/fourpastmidnight.html
- https://stephenking.fandom.com/wiki/Four_Past_Midnight
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Past_Midnight
Verification notes: CORRECTIONS vs draft: (1) FIRST-STATE POINT REFRAMED — the draft attributed the gold/no-gold state to the front BOARD SK ("second state lacks the gold [SK on board]"). Sources put the true first-state point on the JACKET: first state has author name "Stephen King" in GOLD on the front of the dust jacket; later states show it in TAN (stephenkingcollector.com: "The first state has 'Stephen King' in gold on the front cover. The second state does not."; eBay/dealer: later prints have tan lettering). The gilt SK monogram on the front BOARD is standard on the true first; a board MISSING the gold SK is an error/anomaly, not the normal second state. firstStatePoints field (empty in draft) now populated. (2) VALUE RANGE CORRECTED DOWN — draft's $75-$200 for an unsigned fine/fine first is inflated; the first printing was 1,500,000 copies and stephenkingcollector.com values a clean copy at $10-$20. Revised to ~$20-$75 unsigned (signed premium retained). (3) PRINT RUN ADDED — 1,500,000 first printing (stephenkingcollector.com / search corroboration). (4) BOOK CLUB SCOPE EXPANDED — US BOMC main selection AND a UK book club edition by Guild Publishing, London (1990) both exist; UK club is stated on the copyright page. (5) ENDPAPERS — primary sources say YELLOW (stephenkingcollector.com, betweenthecovers); "golden"/"orange-mellon" also reported — recorded as variously reported. (6) "0990" flap code retained but flagged as dealer-sourced/unverified in this pass. (7) Copyright statement firmed to the full "Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc." form. Number line, price ($22.95/$29.50), 763 pp, ISBN 0-670-83538-2 / 9780670835386, Rob Wood (jacket) + Lars Hokanson (interior), black boards / black cloth spine / crescent-moon-and-stars gilt all re-confirmed across independent sources.