What are your best memories of Stephen King (in a general sense)?

[firemonkey66]

This thread may seem sentimental, but I'm curious about what motivates the other members here in terms of their love for Stephen King's work and why they are collectors. Personally, my best memories of Stephen King revolve around the basement 'horror' section of the public library I frequented as a kid. My mother used to drop me off there and I would spend hours on end perusing that section and making careful selections of what seemed scariest based on the synopses and the artwork on the covers (one of the reasons why I'll buy a book just because I like the cover). Then I would find a corner and read until the book and my imagination scared the shit out of me so much that I would have to go up to the ground floor where the sun was shining through the windows and there was more people around and nervously wait to be picked up (knowing damn well that I would have nightmares that night and not caring). For me, Stephen King is intricately linked in my mind to the sights and smells of that library basement that I loved so much: the low lighting, the seemingly endless rows of books, the pervasive and unnerving quietness, the concentrated smell of all that paper, and that waxing and waning sickly-sweet fear in the pit of my stomach as I read King's stories that so effectively shocked and fueled my imagination. I have a lot of cherished memories of friends and family and shared experiences from my childhood, but as weird as it sounds, some of my best memories I have are from those times I spent alone in the library: immersed in the strange and captivating worlds that King created. In a way, the books that I collect are a means of immortalizing those moments and of paying tribute to the author(s) that have enriched my life over the years.

For those that have read this, I apologize for getting all sentimental, but I've been thinking about the past a lot lately and these thoughts seemed worthy of sharing in this forum. I'm curious to hear about other people's memories and experiences of Stephen King and how those things relate to their collecting.

[Sir_Boomme]

This thread may seem sentimental, but I'm curious about what motivates the other members here in terms of their love for Stephen King's work and why they are collectors. Personally, my best memories of Stephen King revolve around the basement 'horror' section of the public library I frequented as a kid. My mother used to drop me off there and I would spend hours on end perusing that section and making careful selections of what seemed scariest based on the synopses and the artwork on the covers (one of the reasons why I'll buy a book just because I like the cover). Then I would find a corner and read until the book and my imagination scared the shit out of me so much that I would have to go up to the ground floor where the sun was shining through the windows and there was more people around and nervously wait to be picked up (knowing damn well that I would have nightmares that night and not caring). For me, Stephen King is intricately linked in my mind to the sights and smells of that library basement that I loved so much: the low lighting, the seemingly endless rows of books, the pervasive and unnerving quietness, the concentrated smell of all that paper, and that waxing and waning sickly-sweet fear in the pit of my stomach as I read King's stories that so effectively shocked and fueled my imagination. I have a lot of cherished memories of friends and family and shared experiences from my childhood, but as weird as it sounds, some of my best memories I have are from those times I spent alone in the library: immersed in the strange and captivating worlds that King created. In a way, the books that I collect are a means of immortalizing those moments and of paying tribute to the author(s) that have enriched my life over the years.

For those that have read this, I apologize for getting all sentimental, but I've been thinking about the past a lot lately and these thoughts seemed worthy of sharing in this forum. I'm curious to hear about other people's memories and experiences of Stephen King and how those things relate to their collecting.

I too have fond memories of the Library basement.... but mine involves the Baylor Library, my ex-wife (when we were only dating).... and a Library Policeman <-(I shit you not & that was before Sam and Naomi met him)
no jail time was served... but two horney late teen kids were given a stern warning to not ever be seen in the periodicals again.

[Cordial Jim]

My fondest memories of King relate to the 1980's after I first "discovered" him as an excited young reader of 13 in 1983. Mom's hardcover copies of The Dead Zone and Firestarter got me hooked, then it was a long series of mass market paperbacks (purchased with my own hard earned money -- Mom stopped reading King after Pet Sematary came out, heh) that I still treasure to this day. That whole era brings a big smile to my face when I think of King. From young teenager to young man. I grew up with him. He's been a part of my life for so long. Those great 80's books: Christine, Pet Sematary, The Talisman, IT, Eyes of the Dragon, Misery! Finding out (via the ad card in Pet Sematary) that there was this mysterious book called "The Gunslinger". The jubilation upon learning that some guy named "Richard Bachman" is actually Stephen King, and that there are now five more King stories to read! The American Express card ad. Creepshow! The bad, cheesy movies (Maximum Overdrive). The great movies (Stand by Me, Misery)! The King cameo's. I know that 80's nostalgia comes heavily into play here, but these will always be my favorite King memories.

Oddly enough, I didn't into "collecting" King until about ten years ago. By "collecting" I mean first edition hardcovers. One day it just hit me, "stop buying mass market paperbacks and start buying hardcovers." I'm not sure where this came from, or why. From there, I quickly transformed from a gutter reader to a full fledged bibliophile. It's been a long journey for me.

[firemonkey66]

My fondest memories of King relate to the 1980's after I first "discovered" him as an excited young reader of 13 in 1983. Mom's hardcover copies of The Dead Zone and Firestarter got me hooked, then it was a long series of mass market paperbacks (purchased with my own hard earned money -- Mom stopped reading King after Pet Sematary came out, heh) that I still treasure to this day. That whole era brings a big smile to my face when I think of King. From young teenager to young man. I grew up with him. He's been a part of my life for so long. Those great 80's books: Christine, Pet Sematary, The Talisman, IT, Eyes of the Dragon, Misery! Finding out (via the ad card in Pet Sematary) that there was this mysterious book called "The Gunslinger". The jubilation upon learning that some guy named "Richard Bachman" is actually Stephen King, and that there are now five more King stories to read! The American Express card ad. Creepshow! The bad, cheesy movies (Maximum Overdrive). The great movies (Stand by Me, Misery)! The King cameo's. I know that 80's nostalgia comes heavily into play here, but these will always be my favorite King memories.

Oddly enough, I didn't into "collecting" King until about ten years ago. By "collecting" I mean first edition hardcovers. One day it just hit me, "stop buying mass market paperbacks and start buying hardcovers." I'm not sure where this came from, or why. From there, I quickly transformed from a gutter reader to a full fledged bibliophile. It's been a long journey for me.

Me too. While I was growing up I bought paperbacks and hardcovers, but I read them roughly, so to speak. I used to mark my pages with big page folds, drop them, spill shit on them, crack the spines to fold over the book to read, it was brutal in retrospect. Those books are gone and now my new books get the extreme opposite treatment. Now I put all of the jackets in mylar covers and I handle the books as little as possible so as not to damage them in any way and I'm always worried about ambient light in the room even though my bookcase sits in a big shadow all day.

I feel the same way: Stephen King's worlds have permeated my life in many respects. You know why I know this? Because every time I see a hedge cut into the shape of animal, I get nervous. I went to France on a class trip in high school and there were castles with courtyards just littered with hedge animals; it was so friggen creepy. Man, that was one of the scariest things I've ever read, not just because of the creepiness of the idea of inanimate objects closing in on you when you're not looking, but also because of how King describes Jack's experience of the moment so vividly; like you can feel Jack's mind stretching to it's limits to keep it together. Brilliant writing. And don't even get me started on the woman in 217. Large, quiet hotels are forever unnerving to me too.