King ConanRobert E. HowardGnome Press

First edition Hardback Gnome Conan Series no. 3

King Conan (1953)

Robert E. Howard · Gnome Press, New York · Updated 28 Oct 2026

Publisher Gnome Press Year 1953

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Market value

What decides the price

It is the first edition, which is the one collectors want.
The original dust jacket carries much of the price for a book of this age; its condition matters as much as the book's.
Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.

Recorded sales: 1

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Price history

1 recorded sale

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In short

Quick answer

Who published the King Conan first edition?: Gnome Press, New York, in 1953, in hardback.

Publisher's practice

How Gnome Press marked its first editions

Gnome Press first printings of the Foundation books state "First Edition" on the copyright page.
The first-printing jacket of Foundation (1951) is priced $2.75 on the front flap.
Gnome books and jackets of this period give the publisher's address as 80 East 11th Street, New York 3.
Beware the Gnome Press Gray Lensman (E. E. Smith): it is a later reprint of the 1951 Fantasy Press edition that keeps the earlier copyright details, so it is often wrongly sold as a 1951 first.

Read the full guide to Gnome Press first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.

Printing by printing

Printings and states

First impression

1953

At a glance

Not yet researched

We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.

Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.

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Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published the King Conan first edition?

Gnome Press, New York, in 1953, in hardback.

Collecting guides

Know what you are looking at

All guides

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Dust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value

For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …

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How to Identify a First Edition

To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …

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Book Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained

Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …

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