Originally Posted by
PeterSchneider
Okay, once I posted my previous email, I saw that there were a few new ones that had popped up. I'll try to answer them in this one response.
As far as who originated the coffin box for THE STAND, well, that's kind of a difficult question to answer. I can tell you what my original concept for the box for the limited edition was. My first idea was a wooden box, but it would be standing on end with the spine facing out. There would have been a hinged cover (opening to the left), along with a brass plaque with the name on the front. The door would have been a half-cylinder, with the flat edges facing the box holding the book. (Hope you can all visualize this.) So, you'd have a curved door, with a curved plaque on the front -- and there'd be some sort of handle to open the door. The whole idea was that when you opened the door, first you'd see the spine of the book facing you on the right. But when you looked at the inside of the door, there would be a small recess, with a small vial labeled "Superflu Vaccine" sitting within it.
So, I mocked this whole thing up out of cardboard (including the little vial) and took it to my publisher's office for our first meeting about the limited edition. I set my box up (along with samples of other limited editions to use as examples). I then ran through the whole idea, culminating with opening the door and showing the vial. There were a few seconds of silence, then my publisher (Nancy Evans) said, "Peter, are you out of your f**king mind?"
So, I then fell back on my next idea. This was the concept of a "coffin box." However, this wasn't the design that ended up being produced. I envisioned an actual coffin, either the old-fashioned kind with the box narrowing to the feet or the modern kind -- rectangular but with hand-rails. Now I wasn't too keen on either of these concepts, for the simple fact that I felt they would be far better suited for either 'SALEM'S LOT or PET SEMATARY -- but again I was told that this was "too, too expensive." And so we ended up with what you know today -- a rectangular wooden box with a red satin liner. And as far as the wood used in the box, I'm not too sure -- but if I had to guess, I would think it was some kind of pine, given how light it is.