The Stephen King Illustrated Companion Manuscripts, Correspondence, Drawings, and Memorabilia
by Bev Vincent
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With thousands of horrific pages published since the first lines of Carrie, Stephen King's gripping perennial fiction has earned him the rightful appellation 'The Master of Modern Horror'. 'The Stephen King Illustrated Companion' takes a critical look at King's most iconic works and reads between the lines to uncover the personal influences and demons as reflected in each monster, epidemic, and depraved character. Unseen family photographs, handwritten manuscript notes, and typed early show more drafts complete this volume. Packed with fascinating biographical details, literary interpretations, and personal memorabilia, 'The Stephen King Illustrated Companion' is a must-have addition to any true fan's library. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Knowing my love for King, you might be surprised to learn that I just found out about the existence of this book today. Despite the fact that I am a devoted King fan, and a member of the Stephen King Fan group here on GR, in which there was a thread about this book open since last October, I somehow managed to miss it.
But that was kind of fortuitous, as events worked out in such a way as for me to get this book 1/2 price. But even if I hadn't, it would still have been worth every penny.
This is an absolute MUST-HAVE for every King lover. Inside is a plethora of tidbits and relics of King's life and career. Everything from reproductions of sections of the newspaper he and his brother put out as kids, to reproductions of rough drafts of show more work, sketches, etc.
Bev Vincent provides not only a readable and interesting narrative, but also contributes a lot of insight into King's work that I'd never thought of before. It makes me want to go back and read these books with a new eye. (So I think I will! :D)
A lot of the information in this book regarding King's life is general knowledge or pulled from the pages of Danse Macabre (which I haven't read yet, but will squeeze in as soon as it lands on my doorstep), On Writing, which I've just read, and quotes from interviews and the like. Most of the major facets of King's life are touched on. His childhood, his early writing career, his inspiration and ideas, The Rock Bottom Remainders, his radio station, his accident (with some touches on "old" King vs "post-accident" King), his relationship with his wife, his philanthropy, his innovation in publishing, and the possibilities the future may hold. Just about everything but the kitchen sink. But I'd have read about that too if they put it in. :)
Contained within these pages is a quote which I think sums up most of what I love about King:
I'm proud to call Stephen King my favorite author. He deserves it. Not only is he able to write characters that make me physically miss them after a while, but he is accessible, and real and good-hearted himself. And yet, literary snobs like Harold Bloom seem to think that he is the "death of the Literary Reader". Pfft. This is twice that old Harold has offended me (three times if you count that he cannot even spell "Tolkien", yet claims to be a fan...). Somebody needs to slap old Harold. He's an idiot. King's response is to say
Anyway, enough ranting about Harold. (Although I now wonder if overweight, pimply and pompous poet-wannabe Harold Lauder was modeled after old Harold Bloom? Hmm. The answer does not lie within this book, but if I ever meet King, I'll be sure to ask.) Really, now, enough of the snobs.
As I mentioned before, this is a must have for any King fan. Surely the Harold quote is enough to justify the purchase, but really, these 176 pages are jam-packed with memorabilia that shows us (if we didn't know already) that King is a person, and a GOOD one, not just a FAMOUS or a RICH person.
He's active in his community, has several charities, and gives back whenever he can, most recently by purchasing bus tickets so that a good-sized chunk of soldiers home from Afghanistan (I think- may have to check which war they were home from) could visit their families for the holidays.
So, yes, he deserves to be my favorite author, and he's got a spot on my 'favorite person' list too. :) show less
But that was kind of fortuitous, as events worked out in such a way as for me to get this book 1/2 price. But even if I hadn't, it would still have been worth every penny.
This is an absolute MUST-HAVE for every King lover. Inside is a plethora of tidbits and relics of King's life and career. Everything from reproductions of sections of the newspaper he and his brother put out as kids, to reproductions of rough drafts of show more work, sketches, etc.
Bev Vincent provides not only a readable and interesting narrative, but also contributes a lot of insight into King's work that I'd never thought of before. It makes me want to go back and read these books with a new eye. (So I think I will! :D)
A lot of the information in this book regarding King's life is general knowledge or pulled from the pages of Danse Macabre (which I haven't read yet, but will squeeze in as soon as it lands on my doorstep), On Writing, which I've just read, and quotes from interviews and the like. Most of the major facets of King's life are touched on. His childhood, his early writing career, his inspiration and ideas, The Rock Bottom Remainders, his radio station, his accident (with some touches on "old" King vs "post-accident" King), his relationship with his wife, his philanthropy, his innovation in publishing, and the possibilities the future may hold. Just about everything but the kitchen sink. But I'd have read about that too if they put it in. :)
Contained within these pages is a quote which I think sums up most of what I love about King:
"...King says, 'I believe these {horror} stories exist because we sometimes need to create unreal monsters and bogies to stand in for all the things we fear in our real lives.'This quote is in the section dedicated to The Shining, but it's true of all of his work, in my opinion. I love the way that King brings his characters to life. They are more than just words on a page, they could be real people, some that I would love to know, others that I'd avoid like the plague, but real nonetheless.
His hope, though, is that 'you don't get scared of monsters-- you get scared for people.' This succinctly describes one of the secrets of King's success-- his books are fundamentally about how people react to stressful circumstances. He makes readers care for his characters, and then throws something catastrophic at them."
I'm proud to call Stephen King my favorite author. He deserves it. Not only is he able to write characters that make me physically miss them after a while, but he is accessible, and real and good-hearted himself. And yet, literary snobs like Harold Bloom seem to think that he is the "death of the Literary Reader". Pfft. This is twice that old Harold has offended me (three times if you count that he cannot even spell "Tolkien", yet claims to be a fan...). Somebody needs to slap old Harold. He's an idiot. King's response is to say
"Harold Bloom has never been very interested in popular culture, and he has no real grasp of popular culture, popular writing, or the places where what we call pop culture crosses what you would call higher culture... What I would really like to do is see Harold Bloom given an injection of sodium pentothol so that he had to tell the truth and say 'Now, Harold, how much Stephen King have you actually read?' And I think the answer would be probably less than one whole book. My guess is he's dipped a few times, and you come to the table with certain prejudices, and naturally you're going to see those prejudices fulfilled."Bravo. How true. Prejudiced is the perfect word to describe Harold Bloom in my opinion.
Anyway, enough ranting about Harold. (Although I now wonder if overweight, pimply and pompous poet-wannabe Harold Lauder was modeled after old Harold Bloom? Hmm. The answer does not lie within this book, but if I ever meet King, I'll be sure to ask.) Really, now, enough of the snobs.
As I mentioned before, this is a must have for any King fan. Surely the Harold quote is enough to justify the purchase, but really, these 176 pages are jam-packed with memorabilia that shows us (if we didn't know already) that King is a person, and a GOOD one, not just a FAMOUS or a RICH person.
He's active in his community, has several charities, and gives back whenever he can, most recently by purchasing bus tickets so that a good-sized chunk of soldiers home from Afghanistan (I think- may have to check which war they were home from) could visit their families for the holidays.
So, yes, he deserves to be my favorite author, and he's got a spot on my 'favorite person' list too. :) show less
With a successful professional career that spans some 45 years, a lot of stuff accumulates. [The Stephen King Illustrated Companion], essentially a scrapbook gift for all of King’s ‘constant reader’ fans, collects and displays both the visual and written ephemera that chronicle King’s life and career. From King’s youthful foray into publishing and literary marketing to his first success as a novelist with [Carrie] to his most recent publications, the book lays out the personal events that fueled King. There are reproductions of King’s earliest writings, handwritten drafts, and recently copyedited manuscript pages. There are personal photographs of King and of locations that inspired King. There is even an illustrated romance show more book cover, released with one edition of [Misery], depicting the master of horror, in a shirt and bodice ripping clench with a breathless vixen. Much of the material featured has never published before. And the text of the book translates thousands of pages of material into a narrative describing much of the behind-the-scenes events that colored King’s stories.
Several other companion books and fan-books are on the market for the dedicated King fan. None of them are offer such a coherent narrative as this work, and none of them display such a rare collection of ephemera as this work. Even though I have been a constant reader for a over three decades, I was surprised and by the degree to which this book lifts the veil on King’s personal life and writing.
Bottom Line: A must have for any true King fan.
5 bones!!!!! show less
Several other companion books and fan-books are on the market for the dedicated King fan. None of them are offer such a coherent narrative as this work, and none of them display such a rare collection of ephemera as this work. Even though I have been a constant reader for a over three decades, I was surprised and by the degree to which this book lifts the veil on King’s personal life and writing.
Bottom Line: A must have for any true King fan.
5 bones!!!!! show less
My only complaint...and it's a minor one, because Bev Vincent definitely did his homework here, is that I would have enjoyed an even deeper dive into the books. Why did King choose the characters he did? Why did he take the story in that particular direction? That sort of thing. But that's the writer in me asking for that stuff. All in all, an enjoyable read and an informative look into the mind of Stephen King.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for over 10 years. I bought it before I discovered that I am not a fan of Stephen King. In the last 10 years, I’ve started a few King novels and finished exactly one. His style and manner of writing just isn’t my thing.
However, as this book attests, my singular opinion is only that. An opinion which has no bearing on King’s chronic success. I actually enjoyed reading about his life and the wild inspirations for his novels. But I will say that the editor and/or designer of this particular biography assembled this more like a textbook. The main text was broken up by asides and inserts that occasionally spanned several pages. Constantly flipping back and forth to attempt to read this thing in show more any semblance of an order grew tiresome.
Read it. Rated it. Donated it. show less
However, as this book attests, my singular opinion is only that. An opinion which has no bearing on King’s chronic success. I actually enjoyed reading about his life and the wild inspirations for his novels. But I will say that the editor and/or designer of this particular biography assembled this more like a textbook. The main text was broken up by asides and inserts that occasionally spanned several pages. Constantly flipping back and forth to attempt to read this thing in show more any semblance of an order grew tiresome.
Read it. Rated it. Donated it. show less
Stephen King is an interesting guy. His writing is so much more than horror, but it's his dance with darkness that draws the majority of his fans. I think with every book about Stephen that is put out into the world, the world is made aware that Stephen was born to be a writer not to be pigeonholed. Constant Readers just can't get enough of him and whether we hear an anecdote for the first time, or for the umpteenth time, we never grow tired of hearing about his path.
Numerous books have focused on the life and career of Stephen King--some fun and interesting; others, not that user-friendly--but every single one is a fascinating look at the most popular writer alive today. This book, however, tops them all as we actually get to see a show more glimpse of the growth of an author hands-on. Pockets inside the book contain copies of a variety of career-making writings. From childhood to struggling scribbler to best-selling author, we are given a gift we have never been privy to before.
Personal photographs that I had never seen in print grace the book, and Bev Vincent skillfully walks us along the time-line of a life with old stories and new.
The layout and quality of this book and the items it contains is first rate and so worth every dime--which in my opinion was nothing. They could have charged double and I would have gladly paid the cost. A definite must-have collector item, I would recommend this book. show less
Numerous books have focused on the life and career of Stephen King--some fun and interesting; others, not that user-friendly--but every single one is a fascinating look at the most popular writer alive today. This book, however, tops them all as we actually get to see a show more glimpse of the growth of an author hands-on. Pockets inside the book contain copies of a variety of career-making writings. From childhood to struggling scribbler to best-selling author, we are given a gift we have never been privy to before.
Personal photographs that I had never seen in print grace the book, and Bev Vincent skillfully walks us along the time-line of a life with old stories and new.
The layout and quality of this book and the items it contains is first rate and so worth every dime--which in my opinion was nothing. They could have charged double and I would have gladly paid the cost. A definite must-have collector item, I would recommend this book. show less
This is really a coffee table book, but it's still enchanting. A must have for hard-core Stephen King fans. It features reproductions of pieces of copy edited manuscripts in folders that can be pulled out of each chapter. Rarely seen photos and insight on some of his most important novels up through 'Under the Dome'.
I found this treasure at Barnes and Noble one lucky afternoon. I love Stephen King's work and find him a fascinating character in his own right. This book is quite unique. Over sized, it contains several pockets filled with remarkable copies of early King writing memorabilia. Included are pages from a high school newsletter King wrote for and I believe also edited. Book galleys, manuscript pages, newsletter short stories. This is a biography and intimate look into several of King's bestselling books. If you are a Stephen King fan, you need this book.
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