There are few authors quite as prolific as Stephen King. For over thirty years, King has published countless novels, short stories and essays that have thrilled and frightened millions, but not all of those works are readily available to the average reader. Where can the budding Stephen King collector go to find those missing pieces for his or her collection? Thankfully Stephen J. Spignesi, author of The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia, has created a wonderful resource in The Lost Work of Stephen King: A Guide to Unpublished Manuscripts, Story Fragments, Alternative Versions, and Oddities. The book provides information on over 70 pieces of King writing that have never been available to a wide audience, making it an essential purchase for any King aficionado.
After a brief introduction, the book begins with a chapter on Stephen King's earliest known story (Jhonathan and the Witchs written when King was just nine-years-old). The format of the chapter is the basis for each subsequent chapter, and includes information on the story's availability, a lengthy summary and analysis of the work by Spignesi, and a listing of its publication dates. Chapter length varies depending on how much is known about the writing (some of the works listed in the book have never been made publicly available) and how important the piece is to King's development as a writer. The book proceeds in chronological order and ends with a section detailing novels and stories King has talked about writing over the years but have never surfaced.
For the Diehards Only
First a caveat: if the reader is not a King fan, or only a casual fan, The Lost Work of Stephen King will be of little interest. The majority of the pieces included are essays by King, not unpublished novels or short stories as one might suspect. A King fan will obviously find his thoughts on a variety of issues fascinating and informative, but a more casual reader will probably be bored or uninterested. Some of the stories Spignesi mentions are simply fragments; something a fan would find intriguing but would be of little interest to anyone else. And a non-fan will undoubtedly be put off my how many pieces discussed in the book are nearly impossible to find, especially now, nine years after the book's original publication.
However, if the reader is a hardcore King fan, then this book is a truly essential purchase. Spignesi has dug up an incredible amount of information on a number of forgotten and little seen works: early unpublished novels, never-before-collected short stories, and essays on a variety of topics. Realizing that most people will never have a chance to view these writings, Spignesi provides lengthy summaries and frequent excerpts from the works, creating a very complete look at the highlighted piece that should satisfy any reader.
A Valuable and Entertaining Reference Book
A book like this could easily become a fairly dry and academic exercise but Spignesi manages to infuse it with a real sense of passion and fun. Spignesi is obviously a huge fan of Stephen King and his enthusiasm for the man is clearly evident throughout the book, as he pores over every entry and analyzes how each piece of writing fits in with the King canon. Indeed Spignesi at times is almost too enthusiastic as he seems to love every piece of work discussed in the book but compared to the number of dry, academic books about authors, Spignesi's is a welcome change of pace.
One hidden highlight of the book is the appendixes. For example, Appendix A provides very useful advice on becoming a Stephen King collector, including a list of popular Stephen King media on the seller's market and tips on the collecting trade. Appendixes B and C, meanwhile, lists every published Stephen King book and film adaptation, along with brief summaries and commentary by Spignesi. For additional reading on King, Appendix D lists some of the most acclaimed books about the author, while Appendix E provides a list of popular and well-known King-related resources, including booksellers, publishing companies and online groups. That's an incredible amount of information for any King fan.
By the end of The Lost Work of Stephen King the reader will be exhausted as Spignesi has done everything in his power to cram as much material as possible into this book. Simply put, this is a tremendous reference resource that compiles information on an incredible amount of unknown work. Spignesi has created a fascinating and exhaustive look at King's little-seen writing that should satisfy even most the hardcore fan, along with a fantastic primer on becoming a serious collector. The lost world of Stephen King awaits and with this book, the reader is now prepared for the journey. Good luck.
Publishing Information
Spignesi, Stephen J.The Lost Work of Stephen King: A Guide to Unpublished Manuscripts, Story Fragments, Alternatives Versions, and Oddities. New York, NY: Citadel Press, 2002.
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