Stephen King: The Non-Fiction
by Rocky Wood & Justin Brooks
Stephen King: The Non-Fiction is the first significant review of King's
Non-Fiction. Most fans and readers know King has written three non-fiction
books and may have noticed his introductions and Author's Notes to his own
works, but few know of his hundreds of columns, articles, book reviews and
criticism.
In fact the authors review over 560 published works of non-fiction (more
than a dozen are revealed here for the first time) and a further nine
unpublished non-fiction pieces. Full details of these unpublished pieces are
revealed for the first time.
Stephen King: The Non-Fiction fills all the gaps, providing significant
detail on each of the most significant of these Non-Fiction Works; and a
review of every other piece!
Authors Rocky Wood and Justin Brooks spent five years compiling this
outstanding reference work, with the assistance of many of the leading King
researchers, collectors and 'super-collectors'; and access to Restricted
Non-Fiction Works in King's papers at the University of Maine, Orono.
Stephen King: The Non-Fiction reveals for the first time dozens of pieces of
non-fiction and their appearances that were previously unknown to King
researchers.
If you've ever wanted to know more about King's amazing and often
controversial non-fiction, this is the reference work you must have. This is
the ultimate volume to accompany Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished --
and this is the perfect companion in your collection for The Stephen King
Universe and The Road to the Dark Tower.
Among new pieces reviewed in the book are:
o Two previously unknown King pieces from his high school days - sports
reporting in the Lisbon Enterprise (these are not the articles King
describes in On Writing); and a King non-fiction piece from his high school
newspaper The Drum; along with the fascinating story of their rediscovery by
the authors
o A 1967 column supporting the US troops in Vietnam
o Previously unknown pieces from The Maine Campus, such as a review of
the Spring 1969 issue of Ubris (in which King published the first version of
Night Surf, the precursor to The Stand); an amazing movie review; and
letters to the editor (many highly amusing)
o Nine unpublished pieces of non-fiction reviewed in detail, including
pieces held in the Restricted Boxes of King's papers at the University of
Maine - for the first time anywhere the authors describe these works in
detail
o A large number of previously unknown letters to the editor
o Introductions to the work of other authors; and book reviews published
in unusual venues
o Comprehensive reviews of King's non-fiction in the Bangor Daily News
and other Maine newspapers, some of it controversial
o King's early baseball writing, most published in Maine newspapers
o Working from the original sources Wood and Brooks also identified and
corrected numerous errors in the previous reporting of material - incorrect
titles, dates, pagination and even publication information