Perhaps you'e thinking, didn't we just see this post? Well, it does appear to be deja vu all over again — but it truly is different. At least partially.
You see, when Gold Medal released their 2nd printing of I Am Legend in 1957, they simultaneously released the first Canadian edition. Easily overlooked, there are a couple of identifying marks you can use to tell the two apart.
First, the price. The Canadian printing has a 35¢ price, compared to 25¢ in the US.
Additionally, the back cover notes the country of origin with the line "Lithographed in Canada" just above the quote adjacent to Matheson's photo. The US edition does not specify where it was printed.
The copyright page also denotes "Printed in Canada" and you'll also note that it doesn't reference two printings as the US version does — as this is the first Canadian printing (despite the SECOND BIG PRINTING! notation on the cover).
This edition was one of many discoveries that I wasn't aware of in advance, but through the accumulation of multiple copies, after which the variation stood out. Unless you are holding the two copies side-by side, few would even notice the minor difference between them. But once you know to look for them, they can't be missed.
Be here next week for another item from my I Am Legend archive!
