The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Common
What it’s about
Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland wanders a few steps off an Appalachian Trail hike to escape her bickering mother and brother, and within minutes is hopelessly lost in the deep woods of Maine and New Hampshire. With dwindling food, a fading Walkman, and the wilderness closing in, she clings to the one constant that keeps her moving: the voice of Red Sox broadcasts and the steady, unshakable poise of her hero, closing pitcher Tom Gordon. Alone for days, she begins to sense that something in the forest is following her.
Significance A lean, single-protagonist survival novel from King's late-90s run, notable for its baseball-as-faith motif and its original hardcover release with a foil-and-die-cut "watch" cover by Mark Ryden; long optioned for film (with George A. Romero and later others attached).
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
- Confirm the FULL number line ends in the leading "1" — if the lowest digit is "2," it's a 2nd printing.
- True-first flap is priced "$16.95" (top-right); a Book Club Edition flap carries NO price.
- BCE tell: blind-stamp dot on the rear board + missing number line + unpriced flap = club copy, not a first.
- Watch married jackets — match BOTH the "1" number line AND the unclipped $16.95 flap to the same copy.
- Ex-library and remainder-dotted copies are common on a ~1.25M print run and steeply discounted.
- Don't mistake the 2004 Little Simon pop-up adaptation for the 1999 Scribner first edition.
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.
Confirmed unclipped 1st/1st, conservatively VG/VG but presents NF/NF; $20 ask is under valueLow — clear value, ~$50-65 fair.
- Number line — Decisive tell pictured in full: '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' with terminal 1 present = true first printing.
- Jacket price — Front flap reads U.S. $16.95 / Can. $24.95 — first-edition price, NOT clipped.
- Copyright — Copyright (c) 1999 Stephen King; ISBN 0-684-86762-1 on copyright page and rear barcode; Scribner flame colophon throughout.
- Binding — No 'Book Club Edition' flap text, no BCE blind-stamp, standard trade trim/weight; full retail barcode present.
- Endpapers / edges — Corner tips and top edge not inspectable at close range (grade held below Fine); a top-edge/corner shot would firm up the NF call.
A genuine Scribner first printing with both decisive tells legibly photographed — the full number line and the unclipped $16.95 first-state flap — with the book never shown out of its jacket.
- Number line — The copyright page is shot square and fully legible, reading "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" with the leading 1 present — the decisive first-printing tell for this title (photo 9).
- Copyright — The same frame carries Scribner with the flame colophon, 1230 Avenue of the Americas NY 10020, Copyright © 1999 by Stephen King, designed by Erich Hobbing, text set in Garamond No. 3, and ISBN 0-684-86762-1; no separate "First Edition" statement is printed on this plate — none of the copies we re-opened carry one — so the number line is what carries the proof (photo 9).
- Jacket price — The front flap is laid open and photographed with "U.S. $16.95 / Can. $24.95" printed at the top-right on a full, square, uncut corner — the first-state price, unclipped (photo 7).
- Dust jacket — The O'Leary woods-and-Red-Sox-cap art is shown front, spine and rear; the rear panel carries the trade barcode with price code 51695 over ISBN 0-684-86762-1, and the rear flap prints "JACKET DESIGN BY JOHN FONTANA / JACKET ILLUSTRATION BY SHASTI O'LEARY" — a trade jacket, with no club flap (photos 0, 1, 2, 10).
- Endpapers / edges — The front and rear free endpapers are plain cream stock with no decorative paper, and the edge frames show plain cream edges with no colored topstain (photos 4, 7, 10).
- Binding — The jacket is never removed in any of the eleven frames — a chip at the jacket's spine foot exposes a sliver of dark cloth, but the boards themselves go unseen; ask the seller for the book unjacketed, front board face-on to show the gilt wasp at the lower fore-corner, plus the cloth spine straight on.
A genuine first printing with both decisive tells clearly photographed — full number line and unclipped $16.95 flap — with the boards beneath the jacket left unshown.
- Number line — The copyright page is photographed close and sharp with the full line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2", leading 1 present — the decisive first-printing tell (photo 8).
- Copyright — The same page shows Scribner and the flame colophon, 1230 Avenue of the Americas NY 10020, Copyright © 1999 by Stephen King, Erich Hobbing / Garamond No. 3, and ISBN 0-684-86762-1; as on every copy we re-opened there is no separate "First Edition" statement, so the number line carries the proof (photo 8).
- Jacket price — The front flap is laid open with "U.S. $16.95 / Can. $24.95" printed at the top-right on a full, unclipped corner — the first-state price (photo 6).
- Dust jacket — Front, spine and rear panels are all shot; the rear carries the trade barcode with price code 51695 above ISBN 0-684-86762-1 — a trade jacket, nothing club about it (photos 0, 1, 2).
- Endpapers / edges — The front pastedown and free endpaper are plain cream with no decorative paper, and the edge frames show plain cream edges with no colored topstain (photos 3, 4, 6).
- Binding — The jacket is never taken off; the open-book frame shows only the headband and the black cloth spine turn-in at the gutter — the sewing is not legible and the front board is unseen — so ask for the book unjacketed, front board face-on showing the gilt wasp, plus the spine straight on.
The book block proves itself — the number line is fully legible — but no frame shows the jacket's printed price, so the first-state $16.95 flap is unproven from these photographs.
- Number line — The copyright page is held open and readable with the complete line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2", leading 1 present — the decisive book tell (photo 4).
- Copyright — The same frame shows Scribner with the flame colophon, 1230 Avenue of the Americas NY 10020, Copyright © 1999 by Stephen King, Erich Hobbing / Garamond No. 3, and ISBN 0-684-86762-1 matching the jacket; no separate "First Edition" statement is printed, as on every copy we re-opened (photo 4).
- Dust jacket — Correct first-jacket art front and spine, the rear flap printing "JACKET DESIGN BY JOHN FONTANA / JACKET ILLUSTRATION BY SHASTI O'LEARY" with the 1999 USA Today author photo credit, and the rear panel carrying the trade ISBN 0-684-86762-1 barcode — a trade jacket, not a club one; note the "04991645" box at the rear panel's lower right is the printed Simon & Schuster jacket code, visible in the identical printed box on every rear panel in this cohort, not an applied sticker as our earlier screening recorded it (photos 0, 1, 2, 6).
- Endpapers / edges — The front free endpaper is plain cream with no decorative paper, and the edge frame shows plain cream edges with no colored topstain (photos 3, 7).
- Jacket price — There is one front-flap frame, and it shows the whole flap with its top edge and top-right corner in view and uncut — yet nothing registers in the price block above the opening line, so "U.S. $16.95 / Can. $24.95" can be neither read nor ruled out here (the rear panel's 51695 price code is likewise lost to glare); ask for a straight-on, well-lit close-up of the front flap's top-right corner showing the price block and the full flap edge.
- Binding — The jacket is never removed, so the boards are unseen — ask for the book unjacketed, front board face-on showing the gilt wasp at the lower fore-corner, plus the spine.
A genuine first printing documented end to end — full number line, unclipped $16.95 flap, and the jacket-off boards with the gilt wasp all photographed — with nothing material outstanding.
- Number line — The copyright page is shot large and sharp with the complete line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2", leading 1 present — the decisive book tell (photo 8).
- Copyright — The same page carries Scribner and the flame colophon, 1230 Avenue of the Americas NY 10020, Copyright © 1999 by Stephen King, Erich Hobbing / Garamond No. 3, and ISBN 0-684-86762-1; no separate "First Edition" statement is printed on this plate, as on every copy we re-opened, so the number line is the proof (photo 8).
- Jacket price — The front flap stands open with "U.S. $16.95 / Can. $24.95" printed at the top-right on an intact, unclipped corner — the first-state price (photo 6).
- Binding — The jacket is removed and the book photographed bare: quarter-bound, with a gilt wasp stamped at the lower fore-corner of the front board and the spine gilt-lettered STEPHEN KING / THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON over the Scribner flame, and the rear board plain with no club blind-stamp; worth recording that these frames show pale grey paper boards and a dark charcoal cloth spine — as do the glimpsed spines on the other copies in this cohort — not the "amber cloth spine over black boards" our rubric currently states (photos 10, 11, 12).
- Dust jacket — Front, spine and rear panels are all shot, the rear carrying barcode price code 51695 over ISBN 0-684-86762-1 and the rear flap printing the Fontana/O'Leary credits with the bio listing Bag of Bones, Storm of the Century and The Green Mile as most recent — the correct first-state trade jacket (photos 0, 1, 2, 9).
- Endpapers / edges — Front and rear free endpapers are plain cream with no decorative paper, and the edge frames show plain cream top and bottom edges with no colored topstain and no remainder dot (photos 3, 5, 6, 9).
✓ Decisive marker pictured — nothing outstanding to request.
Photo-confirmed 1st/1st, NF/NF, unclipped via 51695 code; $19.99 sits below valueLow — correct and cheap on a Common-tier title.
- Number line — Decisive tell legibly pictured: full '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' with leading 1 present = true first printing.
- Copyright — Copyright (c) 1999 Stephen King; Scribner flame colophon + '1230 Avenue of the Americas'; ISBN 0-684-86762-1 on page and rear barcode.
- Jacket price — Rear-jacket barcode code 51695 = $16.95, the correct first-edition price; no clip evident.
- Dust jacket — Correct first-edition art (black woods / girl in Red Sox cap, 'a novel') front and rear.
- Binding — Only 3 angled, glare-y shots; spine, flaps and corner tips out of frame — ask for the spine and front-flap clip corner to confirm condition.
Genuine 1st/1st, NF/NF, number line pictured; ~$24.66 delivered is at/below range, real headroom even if the flap is clipped.
- Number line — Decisive tell pictured (photos 5-6): full Scribner line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' with leading 1 = true first printing.
- Copyright — Copyright (c) 1999 Stephen King; copyright-page ISBN 0-684-86762-1 matches the rear-jacket ISBN, so jacket and book agree.
- Dust jacket — First-state jacket: 'Jacket illustration by Shasti O'Leary' credit on rear flap (photo 8); SCRIBNER title-page imprint (photo 4).
- Binding — Full trim, sewn block, no BCE blind-stamp or club tells; full number line rules out a Book Club Edition.
- Jacket price — $16.95 front-flap price not legibly photographed; ask for a clear flap shot to rule out a price-clip (minor caveat, not an edition issue).
Full identification detail & sourcescopyright · jacket · binding · book-club traps · print run · value · references
The Scribner trade hardcover IS the true first edition. Unlike the early Dark Tower / Eyes of the Dragon / Cycle of the Werewolf cases, there is no Donald M. Grant, Philtrum, or Land of Enchantment limited that precedes this title. The only signed/limited variant of note is the 2004 Little Simon POP-UP adaptation (a different, later book — adapted text, not the King novel), so it does not displace the 1999 Scribner first.
First-printing points at a glance
Dust jacket
Front jacket features the title and author name with imagery evoking the dark New England woods (the lost-girl-in-the-forest motif); a stylized wasp/insect motif ties to the gilt wasp on the front board. Rear panel carries review/jacket copy; rear flap carries author bio and photo. (Full art layout not photo-verified field-by-field in sources consulted.)
Art / design: Jacket designed by Shasti O'Leary (Shasti O'Leary-Soudant). Jacket/photo credits: photographic/illustrative jacket; specific cover photographer UNVERIFIED in sources consulted.
Also watch for: (1) Married jackets — a true-first book block in a later/club jacket (or vice versa); confirm BOTH the number line "1" AND the "$16.95" unclipped flap match. (2) Price-clipped jackets hide the price point and cut value. (3) Ex-library copies (stamps, pockets, spine labels) — common for a 1.25M-copy print run; heavily discounted. (4) Remainder marks (sprayed/marker dot on bottom text-block edge) — not a club tell but reduces value. (5) Do not confuse the 2004 pop-up adaptation with the novel's first edition. Given the enormous first print run (~1,250,000), genuine firsts are abundant and inexpensive — facsimile jackets are rarely worth faking.
Print run & scarcity
Headline 1,250,000 is the FIRST TRADE PRINTING of the regular Scribner hardcover (ISBN 0-684-86762-5), $16.95, 224 pp, pub. April 6, 1999. PW also notes major ad/promo and Book-of-the-Month-Club / Quality Paperback Book Club featured-alternate selections (separate book-club runs, not part of the 1.25M trade figure). First-printing point: copyright-page number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. NOTE — do NOT confuse with: (1) a signed/limited trade edition of the 1999 novel (signed copies exist but the 1.25M is the headline trade run); and (2) \"The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-Up Book\" — a SEPARATE 2004 adaptation by Peter Abrahams (Little Simon), of which there was a signed/numbered limited edition of 125 copies (King-signed on the pop-up inlay). That 125-copy figure belongs to the 2004 pop-up, NOT the 1999 novel. No source disagreement found on the 1,250,000 figure; this is an unusually well-documented King first printing because it is a late, big-publisher mass title rather than a scarce early-career book.
First-state points & errata
No documented first-state-vs-later-state errata; the number-line "1" and stated First Edition are the operative points.
Limited & signed editions
No signed/numbered slipcased limited of the NOVEL was issued at first publication (no Donald M. Grant / Cemetery Dance limited of the 1999 text). The notable limited is later and DIFFERENT: "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-Up Book" (Little Simon / Simon & Schuster, 2004; text adapted by Peter Abrahams, illustrated by Alan Dingman, paper engineering by Kees Moerbeek) — a SIGNED LIMITED of 125 numbered copies, signed by King on a pop-up inlay on the front cover, in a black cloth slipcase. This is an adaptation, not the first edition of the novel.
Market value estimate
~$25–$75
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: Signed/JSA-authenticated fine copy offered ~$1,104 (AbeBooks dealer, 2024-25) — an asking price, real signed copies clear ~$400-900 at sale; unsigned fine trade firsts routinely sell $10-40 on eBay sold/AbeBooks (2024-26); Stephen King Collector reference pegs unsigned first-edition value at $5-10. No Heritage/PBA realized auction comp located for the trade novel (auction houses don't catalog this common 1999 title).
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): $25–75 unsigned (true first, fine/fine, unclipped); $400–900 author-signed/JSA-authenticated, fine/fine
Book-club edition (the trap): $5–15. Book-of-the-Month/Scribner book club edition is the dominant trap — it carries the SAME ISBN (0684867621) and even a number line, so it is constantly mislisted as a "first edition." Worth a few dollars. — a fraction of a true first; never pay first-edition money for one.
Condition sensitivity is LOW on the unsigned copy because supply is enormous (1.25M) — only true fine/fine matters, and even then ceiling is ~$75. The ENTIRE value is in the signature: an authentic King signature (title page or flyleaf), ideally JSA/Beckett-authenticated, lifts a fine copy to roughly $400-900 (dealers ask up to ~$1,100). THE SINGLE BIGGEST TRAP for this title: the book club edition shares the same ISBN AND a number line, so number line alone does NOT prove a trade first. Confirm the trade first by (1) the $16.95 price present on the unclipped front jacket flap, and (2) the ABSENCE of a book-club blind-stamp (small circle/square/dot) on the rear board and the absence of "Book Club Edition" on the lower jacket flap. A clipped jacket or any rear-board blind-stamp = not the collectible trade first. Ex-library and married/facsimile jackets further kill value.
- https://www.stephenkingcollector.com/1st/tomgordon.html
- https://www.firstandfine.com/product/king-stephen-1999-the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon-us-signed-first-edition/
- https://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/97153/stephen-king/the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon
- https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon/author/king/signed/
Sources
- https://www.stephenkingcollector.com/1st/tomgordon.html
- https://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/97153/stephen-king/the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon
- https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon/author/stephen-king/first-edition/
- https://stephenking.fandom.com/wiki/The_Girl_Who_Loved_Tom_Gordon
- https://www.raptisrarebooks.com/product/the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon-a-pop-up-book-stephen-king-signed/
- https://www.biblio.com/the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon-by-king-stephen/work/1988
- https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780684867625 — PW review (04/05/1999): "1,250,000 first printing; major ad/promo; BOMC and QPB featured alternates."
- https://www.stephenkingcollector.com/1st/tomgordon.html — "A first edition of 1,250,000 copies"; Scribner, pub. April 6, 1999, $16.95; full-number-line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 identifies the first printing
- https://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/97153/stephen-king/the-girl-who-loved-tom-gordon — dealer listing, First Edition; First Printing (HTTP 406, surfaced via search)
Verification notes: Cross-checked two+ sources. Number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" confirmed by stephenkingcollector.com AND multiple AbeBooks first-edition listings. Price $16.95 confirmed by stephenkingcollector.com (via rarebookcellar listing) AND AbeBooks listings. Binding (quarter-bound, amber spine / black boards / gold wasp) confirmed by stephenking.fandom-sourced description AND AbeBooks. Jacket designer "Shasti O'Leary" from AbeBooks listing (single-source — MEDIUM confidence). Board/spine color descriptions vary slightly between dealers (black boards + gold wasp vs. "black spine + gray boards"); the load-bearing fact (quarter-bound / two-tone, plus gilt wasp) is consistent. Stated "First Edition" wording per Scribner convention but not photo-verified in sources reachable.