Stephen King "Skeleton Crew" Scream Press 1985 Hardcover. First edition,
slip-case with full color Potter fold-out laid in. Profusely
illustrated book. This copy is # 262 of only 1000 copies available SIGNED by both the author Stephen King and
artist J.K. Potter on a special black dedication page. A Horror collection of 23 stories. 545 pps. This is an oversized book measuring
7 1/2" x 10".
Condition
Very Fine. Clean & straight boards. No markings, writings, or stampings. No attached
bookplates or signs of any removed. A well-cared for book, protected from any
potential damage. This book stands out as having had exemplary care. Square and
tight spine. Not price-clipped. Excellent original example. Collector's grade hardcover book worthy of your Stephen
King library.
Book Photos of Actual Item
Background
In the introduction to Skeleton Crew (1985), his second collection of
stories, King pokes fun at his penchant for "literary elephantiasis," makes
scatological jokes about his muse, confesses how much money he makes (gross and
net), and tells a story about getting arrested one time when he was "suffused
with the sort of towering, righteous rage that only drunk undergraduates can
feel." He winds up with an invitation to a scary voyage: "Grab onto my arm now.
Hold tight. We are going into a number of dark places, but I think I know the
way."
And he sure does. Skeleton Crew contains a superb short novel ("The
Mist") that alone is worth the price of admission, plus two forgettable poems
and 20 short stories on such themes as an evil toy monkey, a human-eating water
slick, a machine that avenges murder, and unnatural creatures that inhabit the
thick woods near Castle Rock, Maine. The short tales range from simply enjoyable
to surprisingly good.
In addition to "The Mist," the real standout is "The Reach," a beautifully
subtle story about a great-grandmother who was born on a small island off the
coast of Maine and has lived there her whole life. She has never been across
"the Reach," the body of water between island and mainland. This is the story
that King fans give to their friends who don't read horror in order to show them
how literate, how charming a storyteller he can be. Don't miss it.
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