Book Read Free

The Stephen King Companion

Page 68

by George Beahm


  Plate 3: “Gunslinger ‘88: Roland” © 1988. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (NAL: Plume, 1988).

  Plate 4: “The Gunslinger: On the Beach” © 1982. Illustration for The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, 1982).

  Plate 5: “The Gunslinger: The Dead Town” © 1982. Illustration for The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (Grant, Publisher, 1982).

  Plate 6: “The Gunslinger stood in his dusty boots” © 2008. Illustration for Little Sisters of Eluria (Grant, Publisher, 2008).

  Plate 7: “The Dark Tower: The Gate of Eluria.” Illustration for The Little Sisters of Eluria (Grant, 2008). Original version © 2005, revised version [Roland on horse] © 2014.

  Plate 8: Interior illustration for The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower © 2004, for Part Two: Blue Heaven, Chapter V: “Steek-Tete” (Grant, Publisher, 2005).

  Plate 9: “Father Callahan” © 2010, for a Web site game, “Discordia” (Stephen King’s official website).

  Plate 10: “The Dark Tower: Algul Siento” © 2003. Illustration for The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (Grant, Publisher, 2004).

  Plate 11: “The Gunslinger followed” © 2005. Illustration for The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, published in The Little Sisters of Eluria (Grant, Publisher, 2008).

  Plate 12: “Legends of the Gunslinger” © 2008. Illustration for The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, published in The Little Sisters of Eluria (Grant, Publisher). Original version of art © 1998, revised art © 2000.

  Artwork by Michael Whelan: A Portfolio

  Part Two: Blue Heaven, Chapter V: Steek-Tete

  Firestarter

  Gunslinger ’88, Roland

  The Gunslinger: On the Beach

  The Gunslinger: The Dead Town

  “The Gunslinger stood in his dusty boots.”

  The Dark Tower: The Gate of Eluria

  Part Two: Blue Heaven, Chapter V: Steek-Tete

  The Dark Tower: Callahan

  The Dark Tower: Algul Siento

  “The Gunslinger followed.”

  Legends: The Gunslinger

  ABOUT THE WRITERS

  George Beahm is a New York Times bestselling author whose books on popular culture and business have been translated into over twenty languages worldwide.

  A leading authority on Stephen King, Beahm has published extensively about the writer and his work, including The Stephen King Companion (first and second edition), The Stephen King Story; Stephen King: America’s Best-Loved Boogeyman; Stephen King Country; Stephen King Collectibles; Stephen King from A to Z; and Knowing Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King.

  He has published books on pop culture figures, including Vaughn Bodé, Tim Kirk, Michael Jordan, Anne Rice, Patricia Cornwell, J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, C. S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, Stephenie Meyer, Caribbean pirates, Indiana Jones, the television show The Big Bang Theory, and Lee Child.

  His Web site is at www.georgebeahm.com. You can sign up for author updates here

  Michael R. Collings is an educator, literary scholar and critic, poet, novelist, essayist, columnist, reviewer, and editor whose work over the past three decades has concentrated on science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with emphasis on the works of Stephen King and related writers. He has served as Guest, Special Guest, and Guest of Honor at a number of cons, professional as well as fan-oriented, including two-time Academic GoH at the World HorrorCon. He has been twice nominated for the Bram Stoker Award® from the Horror Writers Association, once for non-fiction and once for poetry. Now retired after nearly thirty years as an English professor at Pepperdine University, he lives in Idaho with his wife and number-one fan, Judi, and writes and writes and writes. His Web site is http://michaelcollings.blogspot.com.

  Burton N. Hatlen (1936–2008) was a Professor of English at the University of Maine for more than forty years. As a young assistant professor in the late ‘60s, he and colleague Jim Bishop were faculty members of an extracurricular writers’ workshop group that lasted for years. Stephen and Tabitha (nee Spruce) King were members. Later, he served as Chair of the English Department and Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. The recently published Historical Atlas of Maine (eds. S. Hornsby and R. Judd) is dedicated to him in recognition of the role he played at the inception of the project when he was Dean by calling together a committee of key scholars, spearheading a critical NEH grant, and working with the Dean of Engineering to hire a master cartographer. Reviewers have called it the best historical atlas in the U.S.

  His most sustained service to the profession was achieved as director of the National Poetry Foundation founded by Carroll Terrell, and as editor of Sagetrieb, a journal of modern poetry in the tradition of Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Hilda Doolittle, and Charles Olsen.

  His scholarly and teaching interests were broad: over the years, he edited a number of scholarly collections for NPF and published elsewhere more than 100 articles, reviews, and enyclopedia entries on such figures as Stephen King, Shakespeare, Mary Shelley, George Oppen, Kay Boyle, Milton, Henry Adams, Zukovsky, Robert Creeley, Ezra Pound, Hilda Doolittle, Charles Olsen, and the Language poets; and on such topics as the teaching of rhetoric and composition and the nexus of politics and poetry in the 20th century.

  His first book of selected poems, I Wanted to Tell You, was published in 1988 by the NPF, and a second selection, Late Poems and Valedictions, will be published by the same press.

  Stephanie Klose is the media editor for Library Journal and the audiobooks editor for School Library Journal.

  Hans-Åke Lilja is the webmaster for Lilja’s Library: the World of Stephen King, and author of the books Lilja’s Library: The World of Stephen King and The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Trivia Book. Lilja is one of the leading voices on the Internet covering and reporting on Stephen King’s books and news, which he’s covered for two decades. His website is an international watering hole for fans wanting more information. Lilja’s reviews of King’s books and interviews with notable figures in the King community, including King himself, have proven to be invaluable for King students and scholars. Lilja’s Web address is www.Liljas-Library.com.

  Dave Lowell is a Maine writer whose non-fiction first appeared in the official Stephen King newsletter, Castle Rock. His novels for adults include Ghost Trap, Say Uncle, and Blackbird. His novels for younger readers include Shadow Point and School-Bots. His Web site is www.DaveLowell.com.

  Tony Magistrale is Professor of English at the University of Vermont. He is the author of several books about Stephen King, his novels and films adapted from his work. He is currently writing a new book on The Shawshank Redemption entitled The Shawshank Experience.

  Kevin Quigley got hooked on King when he was nine years old and read Creepshow, and became a lifelong King fan. In 1997 he began one of the best fan Web sites on King, Charnel House (charnelhouse.tripod.com). He’s published several chapbooks about King for Cemetery Dance, including Blood In Your Ears, Chart of Darkness, Ink in the Veins, and Wetware.

  Stephen Spignesi is a university professor and bestselling author whose more than 60 published works include books about Stephen King, the Beatles, American and world history, the Titanic, George Washington and the American Presidents, John F. Kennedy Jr., world disasters, Robin Williams, the work of Woody Allen, as well as books on TV, popular culture, Native American history, the lost books of the Bible, and even real estate, jewelry and a cookbook. He is also the author of Dialogues (Bantam Dell), a novel praised for “reinventing the psychological thriller.” Spignesi blogs and occasionally publishes short stories and essays on his Web site, www.stephenspignesi.weebly.com.

  Sanford Phippen grew up on the coast of Maine and received his B.A. in English from the University of Maine and his M.A. from Syracuse University. He has been a teacher for 51 years at both the high school and college levels in Maine and New York. He has published 13 books and for six years he was the editor of the Puckerbrush Review literary journal. He has written for the New York Times, Maine Times, Down East magazine,
Portland magazine, Maine Life, the Bangor Daily News, and other periodicals. His email is: SanPhip@AOL.com.

  Thank you for buying this

  St. Martin’s Press ebook.

  To receive special offers, bonus content,

  and info on new releases and other great reads,

  sign up for our newsletters.

  Or visit us online at

  us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup

  For email updates on the author, click here.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  A Note to the Reader

  Foreword: The Learn’d Astronomer by Stephen J. Spignesi

  Introduction: The Golden Years by George Beahm

  PART ONE: MAINE ROOTS

  1. Family Roots

  2. Durham, Maine

  3. EC Comics

  4. “Three Durham Lads Publishing Bright Hometown Newspaper”

  5. A Special Occasion: Chris Chesley’s Friendship with Stephen King

  6. Stephen King at the University of Maine: A Writer in the Making by Sanford Pippen

  KING GRADUATES: A BLESSED EVENT?

  7. Rick Hautala: Maine’s Other Horror Writer

  RICK HAUTALA: AN INTERVIEW

  8. Burton Hatlen: An Interview

  9. Crossing the Kittery Bridge into Maine’s Heart of Darkness

  10. From Student to Teacher: Stephen King and Carroll Terrell

  PART TWO: PRE-CARRIE: A HARDSCRABBLE LIFE

  11. A Writer’s Nightmare, a Writer’s Dream

  12. “A Good Angel”: Cavalier Editor Nye Willden

  13. The Bones of the Family Business: Writing

  PART THREE: DOUBLEDAY BOOKS: MAGIC TIME—THE MAKING OF THE MASTER OF HORROR

  14. King’s Classic Books: An Overview

  15. William G. Thompson: Another Good Angel

  16. Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King: The Future Queen of Durham

  RUTH P. KING OBITUARY

  17. Carrie

  18. “Campus Columnist Publishes Novel” by Burton Hatlen

  STEPHEN KING: AMERICAN GOTHIC

  19. ’Salem’s Lot

  ON ‘SALEM’S LOT AS THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL

  STEPHEN KING AND FRANK DARABONT ON LIMITED EDITION BOOKS

  20. The Shining

  THE STANLEY HOTEL SHINES ON

  21. Night Shift

  KEEP ON TRUCKING: MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE

  22. The Stand

  TAKING A STAND AGAINST DOUBLEDAY

  23. Cemetery Dance’s Deluxe Special Editions of the Doubleday Books

  24. The Early Bachman Books: Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982)

  PART FOUR: “THE BESTSELLASAURUS REX” STOMPS OVER TO NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY

  25. Turning the Page: King Goes to New American Library

  26. The Dead Zone

  27. The Kings’ Maine Haunt in Bangor

  TERRY STEEL ON THE KING’S FENCE

  “BATS AND SPIDERS”

  28. Firestarter

  29. Dark Forces: “The Mist”

  30. Frank Darabont on “The Mist” An Interview Conducted by Hans-Åke Lilja

  31. Cujo

  COMING CLEAN: KING’S ADDICTION

  32. Danse Macabre

  33. Stephen King’s Creepshow

  34. Drawn to Darkness: Bernie Wrightson, an Artist Inspired by Stephen King

  35. Stephen King: A Chautaqua in Pasadena, California

  36. Different Seasons

  37. The Road to the Dark Tower: Roland’s Quest

  38. Michael Whelan: Illustrating the Dark Tower

  39. Christine

  THE KING’S AND QUEEN’S CARS

  40. Rock and Roll Haven: Stephen King’s Station, WKIT 100.3 FM

  41. Pet Sematary

  42. Thinner

  43. The Talisman

  ANTHOLOGIST PETER STRAUB

  44. Douglas E. Winter’s Stephen King: The Art of Darkness

  45. The Eyes of the Dragon

  ILLUSTRATOR KENNY RAY LINKOUS

  46. Castle Rock: “All the News That’s Fit to Print”

  47. Cycle of the Werewolf

  BERNIE WRIGHTSON AND CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF

  48. Skeleton Crew

  49. J. K. Potter: Illustrating the Limited Edition of Skeleton Crew

  50. Off the Beaten Path: Stephen King’s Office

  51. Marsha DeFelippo: An Interview by Hans-Åke Lilja

  FAN MAIL

  52. It

  “STEPHEN KING, THE MASTER OF POP DREAD”

  MICHAEL COLLINGS ON STEPHEN KING AS STORYTELLER

  53. SK Tours of Maine: Stephen King’s Maine Haunts

  54. Misery

  “HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN”

  55. Making Whoopee: Stephen King’s “Gift of Gotta”

  HARRY, CARRIE, AND GARP: STEPHEN KING AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE

  56. Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

  57. The Tommyknockers

  STEPHEN KING ON THE TOMMYKNOCKERS

  58. Bag of Nerves: Meeting Stephen King

  59. The Dark Half

  60. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition

  61. Stephen King Draws on Bernie Wrightson to Illustrate The Stand

  “I NEARLY JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN”

  62. A Dark Treasure: The Limited Edition of The Stand

  63. Michael Collings on Four Past Midnight

  64. Rock Bottom Remainders

  65. Quotes by and About the Rock Bottom Remainders

  66. Needful Things

  67. Gerald’s Game

  68. Philtrum Press

  69. Nightmares and Dreamscapes

  70. Dolores Claiborne

  71. Michael Collings on Insomnia

  72. Rose Madder

  73. Clive Barker: Demon Fabulist

  CLIVE BARKER ON STEPHEN KING

  74. Desperation and The Regulators

  A BULLETED BOOK

  75. The Green Mile

  PART FIVE: SCRIBNER: BUILDING BRIDGES

  76. The Winter of King’s Discontent

  77. Michael Collings on Bag of Bones

  78. Storm of the Century: An Original Screenplay

  ON STORM OF THE CENTURY

  79. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

  80. The Day That Changed King’s Life: The Accident—June 19, 1999

  “THE BONUS ROUND” AND GALLOWS HUMOR

  81. Hearts in Atlantis

  CODA: “SQUAD D”

  82. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing

  83. Dreamcatcher

  84. Black House, with Peter Straub

  85. The Ultimate Stephen King Horror Story: Retirement?

  THE ONION’S TAKE

  86. From a Buick 8

  87. Stephen King Receives the National Book Award

  88. Take Stephen King. Seriously.

  89. Everything’s Eventual

  90. Faithful

  “NOT IN MY LIFETIME. NOT IN YOURS, EITHER”

  91. Stewart O’Nan: An Interview by Hans-Åke Lilja

  92. The Colorado Kid

  93. How to Speak Like a “Mainah”

  A MAINER ON ACTORS’ MAINE ACCENTS BY DAVE LOWELL

  94. Cell

  95. Lisey’s Story

  96. Blaze

  97. The Haven Foundation: A Place for Freelance Artists

  98. Duma Key

  99. The Kings’ Main Home in Florida

  TOURING “DUMA KEY”

  100. Just After Sunset

  THE STORY BEHIND “THE CAT FROM HELL”

  101. Under the Dome

  THE TV ADAPTATION OF UNDER THE DOME

  102. Blockade Billy

  THE SKELETON CREW AT CEMETERY DANCE

  103. Full Dark, No Stars

  104. 11/22/63

  “Q&A: RUSSELL DORR, STEPHEN KING’S RESEARCHER” INTERVIEWED BY STEPHANIE KLOSE

  105. The Dark Man


  GLENN CHADBOURNE: AN INTERVIEW BY GEORGE BEAHM

  106. Joyland

  107. Doctor Sleep

  OSCAR THE CAT

  108. Mr. Mercedes

  109. World Fantasy and World Horror Conventions

  110. Revival

  111. Stephen King’s Revival Book Tour

  STEPHEN KING ON DEATH

  112. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Stevie

  113. “I Hear Time’s Winged Chariot Drawing Near”

  114. Finders Keepers

  115. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

  PART SIX: MOVIES: SCREAMPLAYS

  116. Stephen: A Box Office King

  117. Ten Notable Films in Chronological Order

  UNEARTHED AND UNTOLD: THE PATH TO PET SEMATARY

  118. Frank Darabont: An Interview by Hans-Åke Lilja

  119. The Real Thing: Drew Struzan: A Profile by George Beahm

  PART SEVEN: THE CRITICS’ CORNER

  120. Stephen Spignesi: An Interview by George Beahm

  121. Stephen King and the Critics: A Personal Perspective by Michael Collings

  122. Steve’s Take: An Interview with Stephen King by Tony Magistrale

  123. The King and I: Further Adventures with Stephen King by Sanford Phippen

  PART EIGHT: STEPHEN KING IN CYBERSPACE

  124. Top Web Sites for King Fans

  GLASS ONION GRAPHICS: MICHAEL WHELAN’S DARK TOWER PRINTS

  125. Lilja’s Library: An Interview with Hans-Åke Lilja by George Beahm

  126. An Interview with David A. Williamson of Betts Books by George Beahm

  127. Making the Grade: Assessing Book Condition

  A Chronology of Stephen King’s Life: Personal and Professional, 1947–2015

  Acknowledgments

  About the Writers

  About the Artists and Photographers

  Further Copyright Information

  Michael Whelan’s Color Portfolio

  THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.

  An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

 

‹ Prev