Books about Stephen King and his Work:The Essential Stephen King: Complete and Uncut Edition

Title:	The Essential Stephen King: Complete and Uncut Edition
Author:	Stephen J. Spignesi
Artist:	N/A
Publisher:	GB Books
ISBN:	None
Published Year:	2001
State:	Limited edition of 666 numbered copies, 52 lettered copies plus 9 presentation copies. Issued in a black acrylic slipcase signed by the author and all 8 contributors (Stephen Spignesi, George Beahm, Jim Cole, Jay Holben, Tyson Blue, Michael Collings, Mick Garris, Bev Vincent and Charlie Fried)
Price:	$75.00 (numbered edition); $175.00 (lettered edition)
Comments:	The interior paper is 60# Windsor, Each copy of the limited edition is encased in a handmade acrylic case manufactured in Virginia. The lettered state is bound in red leather and is encased in a handmade wooden slipcrate manufactured by Paul Beahm. This edition contains substantial material not included in the trade edition, including the excised text from the trade edition and new material - a new piece by Spignesi, a new piece by Beahm, a revised afterword by Beahm and an in-depth interview conducted with Spignesi by Beahm.

Interesting Note: This book was originally distributed by Stuart Tinker of Betts Books.

This "Complete and Uncut" edition includes the following material that was not included in the trade edition:

1. "In The Matter Of Stephen King" by Tyson Blue. A 3,200 word legal brief defending Stephen King against charges that his work does not stand up against the finest classic American literature.
2. "Fan's Favorites" - the SKEMERS rank their favorite King works, a 1,300 word poll drawn from over 300 members of the premiere King fan club on the Internet.
3. "Stephen King Essentials" - a restructuring of the top 100 by category: Essential Novels, Essential Novellas, Essential Short Stories,Essential Nonfiction.
4. "Forty-nine runners-up" - King pieces that did not make the top 100, but are of exceptional merit and noteworthy.
5. "On The Horizon" - a look at future works.
6. "The Stephen King Master A to Z List" - the master 588 item, A to Z bibliography from which the list was drawn.
7. The complete text of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask Of Amontillado".
8. The complete text of Robert Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".
9. A poem by Spignesi, "A Crow On The Lawn Of The House I Grew Up IN", accompanying the "Paranoid: A Chant" chapter.
10. A new introduction by George Beahm, done especially for this edition.
11. A Playboy-style interview with Spignesi.
12. Dozens of photos, many never seen before!

About the Book:
Spignesi, credited with over 20 books (The Stephen King Quiz Book; The Celebrity Baby Name Book; The Beatles Book of Lists; etc.) in the past decade, views Stephen King as "our greatest living author." With his staggering 18,000-item Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia, he was labeled "the world's leading expert on Stephen King" by Entertainment Weekly, and he again beelines for his favorite destination. This time he itemizes 553 works by King and selects his 101 favorites from among King's novels, short stories and nonfiction (with one poem). His top 10 picks are all novels, including It, The Stand and Bag of Bones. Each selection is shoehorned into a template that includes, for example, rank (and justification for such), publication date, King's comment about the work, Spignesi's brief personal reaction ("what I really liked about the book"), film adaptations and a short excerpt from each work. The author's colloquial style is peppered with such sentences as "Yikes!" and "Great fun." Personal anecdotes, parenthetical digressions and Spignesi's worshipful approach signify mammoth first-draft fanzine more than serious critical study. Short pieces by Spignesi's friends and colleagues, including an interview with a King collector, add to this effect.