by George Beahm
GB: Do you have any personal favorites regarding editions of King’s limited edition books?
David: Yes, I most certainly do! In terms of sheer brilliance in design and production, I have to give the nod to the lettered Regulators produced by Charnel House. The design is nothing short of breathtaking with the leather-bound book appearing to have been shot with Winchester bullets, housed in a wood tray case. But the limitation page is really a stroke of genius. Regulators was written under King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman, and at first people involved in the project producing the signed/numbered and lettered states were stymied because Richard Bachman was fictitious. They settled on using checks from Richard Bachman’s estate. The check number became the limitation number and the “pay to the order of” for each check is written out to various characters that appear in King’s novels and/or entities that are part of Stephen King’s “circle.” I happen to personally own the Letter “RR” with a check made out to “Betts Bookstore” in the amount of $325 for a limited edition of The Regulators.
But the series of books that are near and dear to my heart are the Donald M. Grant Publisher, signed, numbered copies of the Dark Tower series. I own three complete samenumber sets, but what is extraordinarily unique about my sets is that my friend, artist Michael Whelan, did original sketches in each of my three Gunslinger signed, numbered copies as well as my lettered Gunslinger copy. Moreover, Michael cast me as the new image of Father Callahan for Stephen King’s Discordia online game.
GB: How much does King’s signature in a recently published book (say, Revival) add to the book? (On eBay, it’s $300 to $400, but is that fair market value?)
David: King’s signature in a recently published book like Revival is about $275, but generally, the value of the signature rises as one goes back in time to earlier editions. Obviously, King’s signature is worth the most in his early Doubleday novels like Carrie and ’Salem’s Lot, well over $1,000.
GB: What are some of the odd collectibles you carry that are King-related?
David: At Betts, I sell almost exclusively special editions or signed copies of Steve’s novels. My predecessor at Betts Books, Stuart Tinker, sold more unusual collectibles such as items from movie adaptations of King stories, promotional items given away by booksellers, etcetera. As caretaker of Betts Books, I deal mainly in books and book-related artwork.
1 A full set also exists in the special collections at Duke University, courtesy of Edwin and Terry Murray, who are completists in both the comics and science fiction field.
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MAKING THE GRADE
ASSESSING BOOK CONDITION
The primary consideration of a book’s value on the secondary market is its condition: the book itself, and (if present) the dust jacket.
In Book Collecting: A Comprehensive Guide, Allen and Patricia Ahearn use the term “mint” to describe a pristine copy, which is often used in the comic book industry. AB Bookman’s Weekly (known as AB in the book trade), a weekly buy-and-sell publication for book collectors that is no longer being published, listed its criteria on book grading in every issue. The reason is simple: “These terms may be arbitrary, but whatever terms are employed, they may be useless or misleading unless buyer and seller both agree on what they mean to actually describe a book.” AB preferred “as new” to “mint.” AB notes that “as new” is to be used only when the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. This is a very important distinction, specifying that the book in question should be indistinguishable from a copy purchased at the time of publication. AB’s definitions are useful:1
Very Good can describe a used book that does show some small signs of wears—but no tears—on either binding or paper.
Good describes the average used and worn book.…
Fair is a worn book.… Binding, jacket (if any), etc., may also be worn.
Poor describes a book that is sufficiently worn that its only merit is as a Reading Copy.
In addition, AB points out that former library copies and book-club copies must be noted, as must all defects, and the presumption is that the book is intact and whole, with dust jacket (if issued).
ON DEFECTS
It’s important to remember that “as new” means just that: The book would be indistinguishable from a copy available on publication date. “As new” implies that there are no defects. This also means there’s no bookplate, no owner’s signature, no pencil markings—nothing added to the book by the owner.
ON WHERE TO BUY
Superadhesive stickers and plastic antitheft devices permanently attached to the dust jacket are fine for most retail products but not books. “Big box” retailers often use these, and when they can’t sell them, they return them to the publisher who recycles them to other sales channels. So be sure to inspect your copy as soon as possible for these unwanted gremlins.
“Churn”—the recycling of books between bookstores and the publisher’s or distributor’s warehouse—is also a collector’s concern: Spend some time in any bookstore and you’ll see the wear and tear involved in handling books, because customers pick up, browse, and then put down a copy of a book.
After several such pass-arounds, the book is no longer “as new” because the mere handling of the book introduces oil from fingers on the jacket itself, produces bent pages, or introduces other flaws.
For instance, I’ve seen a customer in a bookstore moisten a fingertip, putting saliva on the corner of every turned page, and then put the book back on the shelf! (A pity that the free-range rude, as Hannibal Lecter termed them, can walk freely among us.)
Another problem concerns online booksellers: They don’t care whether they ship you a first edition or a subsequent printing. Even though a book may have a large printing of the first edition, its publisher may also go back to press with a second printing. Adding to the confusion: The book industry has not standardized how it identifies first editions (or subsequent printings) on copyright pages, so the burden of identifying a book’s edition falls on the bookseller or customer, who must know the publishing house’s protocols in listing the printings on the legal page.
The problem: If you can’t decipher the correct printing, you may not get a coveted first printing but a less valuable second (or later) printing. To minimize the problem, preorder the book as soon as it’s announced, which puts you in the queue before the customers who buy later. Presumably, you’ll get one of the first copies and not a reprint, but do carefully check the “legal page.”
SINS OF OMISSION AND COMMISSION
On the assumption that there are a few readers out there who are new to book collecting and don’t know where to begin, here’s some time-tested advice:
• Do not discard the dust jacket! It is an integral part of the book.
• Do not clip the price—a practice common to copies given as gifts, since the giver doesn’t want the recipient to know what they spent on the book.
• Do not paste in a bookplate or use a rubber stamp with your name on it.
• Do not sign your name in the book, unless you’re the author or artist, in which case it becomes an associational copy.
• Do not store the book in a place with high humidity. (An unventilated storage unit’s heat will warp the cover boards and the pages and prematurely age the book. Store books only in climate-controlled environments.)
• Do not buy book club editions. You will save a few bucks up front, but on the resale market, these have no value whatsoever. (The first edition of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for instance, appears to have been published in one printing for both the trade first and the book club edition. But the discerning collection will know that the only difference is its dust jacket—the book club edition has no price listed on the front flap.)
• Do not buy former library copies. They’re only good as reading copies, because they are often shopworn and underlined or marked with pencil or ink! (If you order used books from Amazon, most booksellers are shipping book club o
r former library copies, almost always shipped in a plastic bag to save money on postage.)
ON WRAPPING BOOKS IN PLASTIC
I am not an advocate of keeping books in the original shrink-wrap, for a few reasons. First, the shrink-wrap process itself is designed to shrink plastic with a heat gun from a loose to a tight state, which may eventually warp a book cover if left permanently on the book.
Second, the plastic is chemically harmful to the book because it “breathes”; the only plastic that doesn’t “breathe” is a chemically inert brand called Mylar. (A good source for Mylar bags: Bags Unlimited, 7 Canal Street, Rochester, NY 14608; www.bagsunlimited.com.)
Third, keep in mind that shrink-wrapping is used by the publisher as a short-term method of protecting the book until it is delivered to the customer, an expedient way to prevent wear and tear in transit to the bookstore.
Novice sellers like to state their copies are “still in the original shrink-wrap!” But buyer beware: Shrink-wrapping is very common and you cannot distinguish between the publisher’s shrink-wrapping or one shrink-wrapped with a home machine. Sometimes, the seller shrink-wraps a damaged book or one that’s not what was advertised and hopes it’s not opened for inspection. In other words, it’s important to inspect the book in question, for which the shrink-wrap must be removed.
Case in point: When I received copies, direct from the publisher, of Stephen King Country, one copy had loose pages separated from the binding! Had the book been shrink-wrapped and sold thus, the buyer would never have known about it unless he visually examined the book. Yes, the bindery can screw up, as can the printer. These things happen. But it’s better to find out when you can still return the book for replacement or credit than when you sell it and the buyer complains, “Hey, it’s missing pages!” By then, the publisher may have no replacement copies—a real concern, especially with small presses who don’t keep a lot of spare copies on hand for books damaged during the manufacturing or shipping stages.
Case in point: When I ordered the signed limited edition of The Talisman from Donald M. Grant, Publisher, it arrived via the U.S. Postal Service by media mail. Upon opening the box, the first book was so badly damaged that the first signature fell out on my lap. The publisher replaced the book, and it wasn’t his fault, because it was clearly damaged in transit, but had I waited later to open and inspect it, I might not have been able to get a replacement copy from the publisher.
DUST JACKETS
They are fragile and very susceptible to damage. Even keeping them stored with the book in an acid-free plastic bag is problematic because handling the dust jacket directly leaves oil residue from fingers and other potential damage.
Without exception every dust jacket should be covered with an acetate plastic cover. Two companies, who cater to the library trade, sell them: demco.com and shopbrodart.com. They are available in a variety of sizes. I’ve found you need at least five different sizes to cover books from trade paperbacks to large art books.
As many a collector looking to resell books has discovered, even slightly damaged dust jackets significantly affect their resale value. (Publishers usually don’t keep replacement jackets on hand, so make sure yours is in good condition or return/replace it immediately.)
CAVEAT EMPTOR
I am very wary of online auctions because of the imprecision in the seller’s description, the obvious lack of proper knowledge in identifying the first editions, and the dubious bookselling credentials of the prospective seller.
I am very wary of eBay offerings—sellers aren’t as careful about noting defects as you’d wish. I do buy limiteds from eBay, but only after e-mailing the seller for specifics to reassure myself that what I’m buying is exactly what I’m looking for and accurately described.
Direct sellers like Amazon are even worse: I only buy reading copies from them; they deal in volume, with generic listings, and the listings themselves are often inadequate in describing the book.
FURTHER READING
The two best sources online are bettsbooks.com and abebooks.com. (The latter is the online source for antiquarian booksellers, who generally do know how to properly grade books. Be sure to read the listing carefully, though.) Of the two, bettsbooks.com is preferred because it specializes in King books and nothing else.
Now, with all of that in mind, here are two horror stories regarding book misidentification.
A woman wanted to sell a bookseller I know a copy of Cujo that she insisted was the limited edition; because she was unable to properly describe the book over the phone, the bookseller urged her to come in with the book, and she did. She had brought in a trade edition of Cujo but insisted that it was a limited edition because the copyright page stated, “A special limited first edition of 750 numbered and signed copies of this book has been published by The Mysterious Press, New York.” (One look at her copy clearly shows that it was published by Viking, not Mysterious Press.) She was upset, and even after explaining that the limited was published by another company, she was not convinced.
In another instance, Waldenbooks got copies of the Donald M. Grant edition of The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three, which unfortunately bore two prices on the dust jacket: the trade-edition price ($38, issued in a print run of thirty thousand copies) and the price of the limited edition, in slipcase ($100, issued in a print run of 850 signed and numbered copies, of which 800 were for sale). The retail stores were misinformed by Waldenbooks’s corporate office that they were all getting limited editions, so the store clerks marked the higher price on the shrink-wrapped books and sold them to unsuspecting customers, who in turn thought they were buying the limited edition.
I argued with a local clerk, who was adamant in his ignorance. He’d been selling the trade edition to customers for the limited edition price! Imagine the shock the buyer will get when, down the road, somebody who knows what he’s talking about explains that he paid $100 for a $38 book that won’t have the investment potential of the limited edition.
Bottom line: Caveat emptor (buyer beware). Carefully inspect every book you buy, especially one purported to be signed.
1 For a detailed listing of book criteria, go to http://www.modernlib.com/General/AB%20Bookman%20content.xhtml
A CHRONOLOGY OF STEPHEN KING’S LIFE:
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL, 1947–2015
King giving a public talk.
King’s print and film bibliographies are so extensive that a detailed listing is beyond the scope of this overview, which is limited to personal data, novels, movies and TV adaptations, awards, and significant first books by King critics. A complete listing of short fiction is available on King’s Web site; I’ve noted the most significant works.
For more information, I’d recommend Stephen King: A Primary Bibliography of the World’s Most Popular Author, by Justin Brooks (2008; e-book, Kindle); Stephen King: The Non-Fiction, by Rocky Wood and Justin Brooks (2008; e-book, Kindle), and Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished, by Rocky Wood (2012; hardback, paperback, and Kindle; Wood also published an update in 2014). Michael Collings also published a bibliography of fiction and nonfiction, Horror Plum’d (2002; out of print).
Unfortunately, there is no current bibliography of King’s work available.
I am indebted in constructing this chronology to King’s official Web site for information, especially about awards, and also Justin Brooks’s useful Stephen King: A Primary Bibliography of the World’s Most Popular Author.
Note: Stephen King’s name is abbreviated below as SK.
1939
Donald Edwin King, a merchant mariner, marries Nellie Ruth Pillsbury.
1945
The Kings adopt a newborn baby, David Victor King, after they were erroneously told that Ruth couldn’t conceive.
1947
Stephen Edwin King is born at Maine General Hospital (now Maine Medical Center) in Portland (September 21).
1949–58
Ruth scrambles to make a living, and the family is geographica
lly fractured; sometimes, they are together, and at other times, they stay temporarily with relatives. As Dave King recalled in an interview in The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia, the boys stayed with relatives on both sides of the family tree until, finally, they settled down in Stratford, Connecticut, where their mother rented a house on West Broad Street, and worked at the Stratford Laundry. (SK would, years later, buy a house on West Broad Street in Bangor and also worked at a commercial laundry.)
1949
Donald King abandons family, who never hears from him again, and lights out for the territories.
1953
SK hears Ray Bradbury’s “Mars Is Heaven” on radio (Dimension X radio program) through Dave’s bedroom door and is captivated. Theirs is the last generation of baby boomers to remember radio dramatizations as a mass market form of entertainment.
1953 or 1954
SK spends a year in bed due to health issues and misses a year of school; he’s surrounded by comic books and begins writing imitative stories based on the comics on hand, including Combat Casey.
1957
SK is at the Stratford Theater watching Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, which is interrupted when the manager stops the film, raises the house lights, and tells the audience of young boys that the Russians just put Sputnik in orbit around earth.
1958
The Kings move from Stratford, Connecticut, and permanently settle down in Durham, Maine. They move into a small house near Methodist Corner, down the street from Ruth’s sister, Ethelyn, and her husband, Oren Flaws. Ruth becomes a paid caregiver for her elderly parents, who are in declining health. The family gets their first television, a black-and-white model. Their mailing address: Route 1, Pownal, Maine.
