Skip to main content

Collecting the King: Recent Pick-ups

I recently came upon some great deals on King books, and wanted to take a few moments to share my enthusiasm.  I'm always on the lookout for good finds, hunting in all sorts of places--used book shops, thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets, etc.  Pretty much anywhere!  Over the last couple of years, I've accumulated a decent collection of King hardcovers.  In many cases, I snag the books for surprisingly low prices, which is helpful when you're collecting the works of a writer as prolific as Stephen King.  

A couple of days ago I happened upon this gem.

It cost me less than $2.00, so I couldn't really pass it up.  I know it's an anthology and therefore not a true "Stephen King book."  Plus, I already own a good quality of Skeleton Crew, but...having this book is pretty cool, given that it's where "The Mist" was first published.

The other two items are fairly special to me.  I didn't own hardcover copies of these books, so picking them up was a no-brainer. 

 
I picked up a copy of Different Seasons in really good shape, and I got it for a steal!  I love the cover design of this hardcover, and the collection itself is my favorite King book that isn't a novel.  Different Seasons is a classic, and makes about as strong a case for the literary merit of King's writing as anything he's written.  It includes "The Body," which is, in my humble opinion, perhaps the single best thing King has written.  A time will come when I write more extensively about this collection, I'm sure.  It deserves the attention.

 
Lastly, having a copy of The Stand (Complete and Uncut) is something I'm truly thrilled about.  It appears to be a true first edition, which is an added bonus.  My copy has a bit of wear, for sure, but it's in pretty good condition overall.  A few years ago, I saw a copy of this book in a used book store while on vacation.  For some reason I can't now comprehend, I left without it.  I've long regretted that decision, so I'm happy to report I finally have a copy, and a pretty good one at that.

I'll try to post some updates now and again, especially when I luck into a really cool find.  To other collectors out there, happy hunting! 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Deeper Look at Stephen King's "Scariest" Novel: Revisiting "Pet Sematary"

The new "Pet Sematary" film will soon be hitting theaters, and I'm feeling pretty excited.  I actually just finished another read-through of the novel, in part to prepare for the movie's release, but also because I hadn't read the book in years and felt I was due to revisit it.  I liked it as much as I always have, but I think my admiration for it has grown.  Folks, this novel is an absolute must-read.  It is one of King's finest, a definite masterpiece, and perhaps as close as he's come to writing a flawless book. It is well known that King has often referred to this book as the one that caused him to feel he'd finally gone too far.  Apparently, upon first writing it, he ended up locking it away in a drawer, expecting never to publish it.  My understanding is that he submitted it, at his wife's urging, to Doubleday in order to satisfy a multi-book contract.  I am immensely grateful that he did.  I shudder to think that this novel very near
Post a Comment
Read more

Don't Judge a Book By Its Terrible TV Adaptation: "The Langoliers" Review

  The latest story I finished was another first-time read: "The Langoliers," one of four novellas contained in Four Past Midnight .  This is one I didn’t have much expectation about going in, since it doesn’t seem to be one of King’s most talked-about stories.  I had been aware of the horrendous 90s TV miniseries of course.  I haven't seen the thing in full; only parts, thank God.  But would a bad adaptation ever put me off to reading a King story?  Certainly not.  Some of King’s absolute best novels have been given deplorable treatment when adapted for TV, so as far as I’m concerned, that is hardly a deal-breaker.     Having read the novella, I think it's a shame about the miniseries, because the story itself is definitely an intriguing and exciting one.  King is working with a great premise here.  It’s a story with such an audacious set-up that you get both thrilled and worried about what’s to come.  Thrilled, because right out of the gate King presen
Post a Comment
Read more