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Title: The Lost Work of Stephen King: A Guide to Unpublished Manuscripts, Story Fragments, Alternative Versions, and Oddities by Stephen J. Spignesi ISBN: 0-8065-2390-5 Publisher: Citadel Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.75 (4 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A useful book about the working method of the Maestro
Comment: This book does not contain any complete work by Stephen King, but it explores many texts or other works that are little known and that are at times difficult to find. It sums up the texts, works, stories, etc, gives the starting line and at times the punch line, analyzes these works and evaluates the chances one may have to get them. Some of these works are nowadays more readily available than said in the book. It is the case of « L.T.'s Theory of Pets » that has been published in an audio cassette version as read by Stephen King himself in London in 1998 (Stephen King Live !, 1999) or of « Lunch at the Gotham Café » read by the author and published in the form of a CD audiobook (Blood and Smoke, 2000). This book gives some insight on how Stephen King works by exemplifying working or alternative versions of some books we know, and by also covering some rare pieces that show how adventurous and compulsive a writer he may be. I particularly appreciate the column he has in The Maine Campus from february 1969 to may 1970. A must, in other words, for the students of Stephen King's works, the Stephen King literate and the Stephen King lovers. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Rating: 3
Summary: Well, it's for fans, innit
Comment: SHORT: Fans only, I'd say. For them it may be essential, although the writing style is probably offputting for some. LONG: I found this book quite entertaining due to its contents. (Remember that the "complete" SK encyclopedia by the same author a couple of years back was largely confined to fiction.) Spignesi traces many items in the King universe that are obscure and difficult (impossible in some cases) to obtain. If you want to read about rare newspaper appearances, juvenilia, crosswords, and the like (i.e., if you're a die-hard King fanatic like me), you'll probably want to buy this book - although Tyson Blue covered a fair amount of the rare stuff until 1989 in his UNSEEN KING (starmont). I have to say, though, that I find Spignesi's style of writing, like that of Blue earlier, a little off-putting. It is clear that he is enthusiastic about King and his work, ephemeral as some of the pieces discussed in this book may sometimes be. But there is a line, I think, between unobtrusive and still informative prose (like that of Winter and Collings, who write a carefully measured prose but are still fun to read) and a style that may at best be described as chatty and informal, at worst as annoying fannish hyperbole. The more's the pity since this book could have been so much more - if you're looking for critical discussions that go beyond the superficial, I guess you better stick with the many works of Collings. With a subject matter like this it's inevitable that some customers may be disappointed not to actually get to read some of these "oddities," but with the help of the internet it is possible to collect rare King texts, at least, on a beer budget. And then there is, of course, the BOMC collection SECRET WINDOWS, where you might start to gather a couple of rare pieces. All in all, I'd rank it 3 out of 5.
Rating: 3
Summary: Not what I expected!
Comment: Very interesting, yes, but I wanted to see at least some of those "Unpublished Manuscripts, Story Fragments, Alternative Versions and Oddities" and the book has none. It only TALKS about them... forgive me but to me its just not the same.
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Title: The Stephen King Universe by Stan Wiater, Christopher Golden, Hank Wagner, Stanley Wiater ISBN: 1580631606 Publisher: Renaissance Books Pub. Date: May, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work by George W Beahm ISBN: 0836269144 Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Pub. Date: 01 October, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Essential Stephen King : A Ranking of the Greatest Novels, Short Stories, Movies, and Other Creations of the World's Most Popular Writer by Stephen J Spignesi ISBN: 1564144852 Publisher: New Page Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.99 |
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Title: Stephen King: America's Best-Loved Boogeyman by George W. Beahm, George Beahm ISBN: 0836254279 Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Pub. Date: 01 June, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Hollywood's Stephen King by Tony Magistrale ISBN: 0312293216 Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan Pub. Date: 01 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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