I Am Legend 40th Anniversary Signed #334/500

📖 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1995, Gauntlet Publications) — The 40th Anniversary Edition of the landmark 1954 science fiction/horror novel that redefined the vampire myth for the modern age. This is copy #334 of 500 signed limited editions, published by Gauntlet Publications of Springfield, Pennsylvania.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Richard Matheson (1926–2013), author of The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come, and numerous Twilight Zone episodes
• Publisher: Gauntlet Publications, Springfield, Pennsylvania
• Year: 1995 (40th Anniversary Edition; original novel published 1954)
• Format: Hardcover in black slipcase with silk ribbon bookmark sewn in
• Pages: 258 | ISBN: 1-887368-01-9
• Condition: Near fine to fine — appears unread, full report below

THE STORY

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth. By day he scours the empty cities for food and supplies, fortifying his home against the night. By night he barricades himself in while the dead rise — vampires who were once his neighbors, colleagues, friends. Matheson’s spare, suspenseful prose transforms the gothic vampire into a scientific phenomenon, creating a template for post-apocalyptic fiction that influenced everything from Night of the Living Dead to The Walking Dead. The novel’s final twist — that Neville himself is the monster of legend — remains one of the most celebrated reversals in genre fiction.

THIS EDITION

Published in 1995 to mark the 40th anniversary of the original Bantam paperback, this Gauntlet Publications edition is a true collector’s production. Bound in red leather with gilt lettering and Matheson’s signature embossed on the cover, the book includes new contributions from Dan Simmons (introduction), Dennis Etchison (afterword), Matthew R. Bradley (introduction), and George Clayton Johnson (“Horror Legend”). The volume is dedicated to Henry Kuttner. Limited to 500 numbered copies, this is #334, signed on the limitation page by Matheson, Simmons, Johnson, and Etchison.

COVER ART / DESIGN

The book features a striking red leather binding with gold-stamped title lettering and a reproduction of Matheson’s signature on the front cover. The spine carries the title and author in gilt. Accompanied by a matching black textured slipcase. Inside, the pages are printed on high-quality archival paper with red-stained fore-edges and a silk ribbon bookmark sewn into the binding. The overall presentation is clean and substantial — a book designed for both reading and display.

WHY IT MATTERS

• I Am Legend (1954) is widely credited as the first modern vampire novel and a foundational text of post-apocalyptic fiction. The Novelists’ Guild ranked it the seventh-best science fiction novel up to 1965.
• Three major film adaptations: The Last Man on Earth (1964, Vincent Price), The Omega Man (1971, Charlton Heston), and I Am Legend (2007, Will Smith). The 1964 and 1971 versions were the direct inspiration for George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.
• Gauntlet Publications was a respected small press specializing in limited horror and dark fantasy editions during the 1990s, known for high production values and exclusive contributor content.

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? This is the 40th Anniversary Limited Edition published by Gauntlet Publications in 1995, copy #334 of 500. It is a first edition of this expanded anniversary version.

What condition is it in? Near fine to fine. The book appears unread — binding is tight, pages are clean and unmarked, the slipcase is solid. Full condition report below.

Is it signed? Yes. Signed by Richard Matheson, Dan Simmons, Dennis Etchison, and George Clayton Johnson on the limitation page.

FOR COLLECTORS

This copy combines several factors that matter to collectors: a landmark novel in a high-quality limited edition, signed by four significant genre authors, numbered 334 of 500, in what appears to be unread condition with the original slipcase intact. Gauntlet’s limited Matheson editions have become increasingly sought-after since the author’s passing in 2013.

This is a “near fine” to “fine” vintage hardcover in slipcase with silk ribbon mark sewn in, published by Gauntlet Publications in 1995 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this classic “vampire” / zombie / science fiction tale.

Limited, numbered edition, first edition thus, signed by Richard Matheson, Dennis Etchison, Dan Simmons and George Clayton Johnson.

Appears to be unread.

See accompanying images to view just how nice this copy is.

Will ship promptly, well packaged.

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