Stephen King: Maine's Master of the Macabre

For almost as long as there have been campfires, people have sat around them and told scary stories. And, for the last 22 years, no one has done a better job of sitting with us around the communal fire and telling stories that scare the bejeebies out of us than Stephen King.

King's early life gives no indication of the onset of dementia. He was born in Portland, Maine on September 21, 1947. In 1949, after his father deserted them, he and his family moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then to Stratford, Connecticut, finally settling in Durham, Maine.

It appears his damnation/salvation (depending on your opinion of horror/science-fiction/fantasy writers) occurred in 1959 or 1960 when he discovered a box of horror and science-fiction books and comics at an aunt's house. Soon after, for King, all hell broke loose...and he began to write about it when it did.

King graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, married Tabitha Spruce in 1971 and began a teaching career that same year. During his college and teaching years, King became a published author with the sales of short stories to fanzines and men's magazines becoming more and more frequent. And then, along came CARRIE.

CARRIE was King's first published novel, but it nearly suffered an early demise. Unhappy with the first few chapters, King threw them in the trashcan. Luckily, these chapters were rescued by his wife. The book was soon completed and published, and King has not had to look back since then.

King is the most successful and most collected living author. Although he has branched out with regard to writing style, his core strength and popularity has been with the horror novel. The first five novels form the core of any King collection. These five are: 1. CARRIE 2. SALEM'S LOT 3. THE SHINING 4. NIGHT SHIFT 5. THE STAND King has also issued most of his books in limited signed editions that have become very collectible. His ongoing epic THE DARK TOWER has become one of his most popular works.

In the field of horror, King has lived up to the promise of his name for many years now and does not appear to be ready to abdicate yet.

Copyright 1996 - 2001 C. Dickens Fine, Rare and Collectible Books, Atlanta, Georgia