The Stephen King Companion


I love this book! 

My tattered copy of George Beahm's "The Stephen King Companion" is well worn.  This was the first of many (MANY) books I would own about Stephen King. 

I purchased this book as a teenager at a real brick and mortar bookstore. It was probably 1990.  This was before the era of Internet and instant information.  What we knew, we read in books!  Sheesh, I sound old!  But after reading The Stand and the first couple Dark Tower books, I was totally hooked on Stephen King.  I was way over my head when it came to this new world of books.  I had read a lot of classics, but King spoke to me in a way no one else had.

George Beahm's book was an absolutely wonderful find.  It gave a short biography, explained his work, and best of all -- acted as something of a scrap book.   It is full of short articles, fun tidbits, reviews and even an interview with King.  For someone new to the world of Stephen King, this was exactly what I needed to guide my way.

I still enjoy this companion book quite a bit.  It reflects how King was seen in the late eighties.  What was being said, how was his work viewed.  In particular, before he brought an end to Castle Rock, before the accident. 

So what's inside?  A short tour of the Stephen King Companion:

PART ONE: The Real World Of Stephen King.
This section focuses on what King is really like.  It relies heavily on Douglas E Winter's work.  Also in this section, Beahm refers to King as "the boogeyman of Bangor, Maine."  Interesting, since Beahm would later write a book titled "Stephen King, America's Favorite Boogieman."

  • Chronology.  Personal Life.  Published Books (up through Dark Tower 2) , Books About King, Movies, TV Shows, Audiotapes, Screenplays and Teleplays.
  • The Long Strange Trip Of Stephen King.  Charts something like a publishing biography, telling the story of King in order of his published works.
  • King's Ten Favorite Fantasy-Horror Novels
  • Stephen King -- Actor. 
  • The playboy interview, with Eric Norden
  • An evening With Stephen King.  (Like a transcript of King's visit to Virginia Beach).  This includes an extended discussion about banned books.
  • WZON, "Rocking In The Dead Zone!"
  • Article by Donald M. grant, "Stephen King as Breckinridge Elkins?"
  • Stephen King trivia.  (Did you know the most "expensive flop" was Carrie the musical?  By the end of 1990, there were 29 books about King.)
  • A Writer In her Own Right, Tabitha King.
  • The House That Horror Built.  Kings Bangor home and office.  Includes article "A Girl's dream Coms True In Mansion Fit for Kings" by Joan H. Smith of the News Staff.  There is an interesting picture in this section of Kings indoor pool.
  • Article by Terry Steel titled "Wrought Iron" about the fence and gate around the house.  (I wonder if these names are real!  Terry Steel writes an article titled Wrought Iron. . .)
PART TWO: The Unreal World Of Stephen King
This section looks at the work of Stephen King.  It includes:

  • Fans Letters To Stephen King
  • A Self Quiz, rating yourself as a King fan.  Ten stages of fan!
  • Castle Rock: The official Stephen King Newsletter.  After discussing the end of the publication, we are given a PO Box tow rite to for back issues.  Ah, if only it was still that easy!
  • Horrorfest, A Stephen King Convention.
  • "My Say" by Stephen King.  An opinion article from Publishers Weekly (about book publishing).  There is a great picture here of Stephen and Tabby signing copies of Danse Macabre and Small World.
  • A Kingly Collectible: My Pretty Pony.  Discussing the strange Whitney Museum's limited edition of My Pretty Pony.
  • Lord John Press
  • Philtrum Press: King's Book Publishing Company.  (The Plant, Eyes of the Dragon.) 
  • Specialty Publishers.  Discusses limited editions and small presses.  This includes a listing of specialty publishers who have released Stephen King books.  Beahm included P.O. box contact info so that fans could purchase these items.  Publishers include: Dark Harvest, Donald M. Grant, Hill House Publishers, Land of Enchantment, Lord John Press, Scream Press, Starmont House, Underwood-Miller and Phantasia Press.
  • Specialty Dealers. 
  • Starmont House.  Includes, Titles by Michael R. Collings. 
  • Audio publishing.  Discusses his relationship with Recorded Books.  Of course, this is when audio books was a rather new idea.  It also included a half page blurb by King abotu reading his books aloud.  Under "current offerings" we are given:  The Mist, which sold for $19.95.  Again, if only!  Also, all of different seasons, and Skeleton Crew were offered by Recorded Books.
  • "The Mist" on Audiocassette (A Sound Idea).  Discusses the 3D sound adaptation of The Mist.
  • Thinner on Audiocassette.  This actually was the recording that caused King to refuse future works be abridged.  (Except, he did allow Desperation to be abridged.  I don't know why.)
  • Michael R. Collings, An Interview.  (The book is worth this interview!)
  • Stephen King and the Critics, A Personal Perspective by Michael R. Collings.
  • Article: "King Helps Spearhead Censorship Referendum Defeat" by Christopher Spruce
  • Writing: Clive Barker on Stephen King, Horror, and E.C. Comics.
  • An Interview With Harlan Ellison
  • Terror in Toontown, by Howard Wornom
PART THREE: A Look At The Books
This section is a book by book look at King's published and unpublished works.  It is presented alphabetically -- which seems a little strange!  The natural way to approach the books would have seemed chronologically.   I really liked this section, and wore each page out as I read the King book.  It was like having my own notes as I went through the books.
  • Overview of the books.
  • An Interview With Douglas E. Winter

3 comments:

  1. I have this, and it is indeed an excellent book.

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  2. David, I bought this under much the same circumstances as you (as a brand-new but utterly hooked King fan), and at roughly the same time (though it would probably have been '91 before I got my copy, so I was a bit behind you).

    And, like you, I hold it up as a treasured part of my King collection. I learned a TON from that book: that Tabitha King is also an author; that there were such stories as "The Plant" and "My Pretty Pony" and "Dolan's Cadillac"; that the "3D audio" version of "The Mist" existed; that there had been a Broadway musical version of "Carrie"(!); that King had several notable unpublished novels (such as "Blaze" and "Sword in the Darkness"); and so forth.

    In the internet age, it is easy to forget -- or to never know in the first place -- just how difficult it could be for fans to learn about their favorite artists. It doesn't make either of us sound old to point that out; it just makes us sound like we accurately remember what the world used to be like before the Internet made information-gathering so much easier. (For the record: it's better WITH the Internet; there was a lot of charm to be had in finding books like Beahm's, but I'll take the way we do it today every time!)

    I read "The Stephen King Companion" again earlier this year, and it's still a highly enjoyable book for King fans who can see it for the historical document it is.

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  3. I had this in high school too, just a couple years earlier. Sadly, I have no idea what happened to my copy! Wish I still had it, b/c I read and reread that thing for ages. Definitely learned a lot about him and horror. A must-have, particularly for fans of his vintage-era work.

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