April 1999 and was only moderately impressed. But in April 1999 I was pretty much all right. Two
months later I was involved in a serious road accident that necessitated a long and painful period of
recuperation. During the early part of this period I read Potters 2 and 3 (Chamber of Secrets,
Prisoner of Azkaban) and found myself a lot more than moderately wowed. In the miserably hot
summer of ’99, the Harry Potters (and the superb detective novels of Dennis Lehane) became a kind
of lifeline for me. During July and August I found myself getting through my unpleasant days by aiming
my expectations at evening, when I would drag my hardware-encumbered leg into the kitchen, eat
fresh fruit and ice cream and read about Harry Potter’s adventures at Hogwarts, a school for young
wizards (motto: “Never tickle a sleeping dragon”).’
There are millions of Harry Potter fans in the world (of every age). King ends referencing this
modern-day phenomenon and half-jokingly referring readers to his own body of work. ‘And if these
millions of readers are awakened to the wonders and rewards of fantasy at 11 or 12...well, when they
get to age 16 or so, there’s this guy named King.’
This article was published in the July 23, 2000 edition of The New York Times Book Review. It
is easy to secure, as most major libraries will have back issues of The New York Times in their
archives.
Potter Gold (July 11, 2003)
This is a review of the fifth book in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix. King loves the series and had reviewed the previous novel in 2000 (see Wild
About Harry directly above).
He begins by giving a brief run-down of the current situation at the infamous Hogwarts School.
He also introduces the structure of the article itself, which is composed of questions and answers
about the series. ‘Volume 5 of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series finds our hero and his friends
cramming for (and agonizing over) their end-of-term exams, known at Hogwarts School as O. W. L.
S. (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Of course Harry has a few other things on his plate—the growing
menace of Voldemort, aka He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and his serious crush on the beautiful Cho
Chang are only two of them—but here, in the spirit of the exam motif, are some questions (and
answers) of my own. The first is the most important...and may, in the end, be the only one that matters
in what is probably the most review proof book to come along since a little bestseller called the
Bible.’
This piece was published in the July 11, 2003 issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine. A
facsimile of King’s handwritten five-page manuscript of this article was posted on the Entertainment
Weekly web site as ‘ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling’ in July 2003.
Issues of EW can be accessed at most significant libraries; and copies can be purchased from
used magazine dealers.
The Turn of the Screwy (December 28, 2003)
This is a review of Alice Thompson’s novel Pharos: A Ghost Story. King explains his
experience with the book: ‘I came to Pharos expecting either a genteel ghost story in the 19th-century
style, or a 21st-century exercise in ambivalence and ambiguity (a great many smart young authors
seem to feel it necessary to do one of these before moving on to the three Ds: drugs, depression, and
divorce). What I got was a gaudy gothic music video of a novella that whirls with weirdness and
doesn’t make a lick of sense. The only thing I’m absolutely sure of after reading the book twice is that
Pharos was a large lighthouse built on an island near Alexandria, Egypt, and destroyed by an
earthquake in the 14th century. I know this interesting factoid thanks to Google; Alice Thompson
doesn’t bother passing it on.’
Toward the end of the article King writes, ‘In what could be a summation of the novel itself, he
[Cameron] muses: “It was a depiction of...life with the meaning taken out: no narrative, no analysis,
no thought. Just excerpts.” Yep, that’s Pharos: mostly excerpts with the meaning taken out. And a few
ghosts on the side.’ Now, these comments and the ones from the introduction may sound negative, at
least at first. However, earlier in the review King says, ‘In a longer book, all these peculiarities—the
lack of explanation for the now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t buried treasure, for example, or the
unanswered question of just whom Grace is haunting (and why)—would drive me crazy. But because
Pharos is as short as it is, and as energetic as it is (it may not make a lick of sense, but Thompson
keeps the pedal to the metal, by God), I sort of liked it. Admired it, even.’
This article was originally published in the December 28, 2003 edition of The Boston Sunday
Globe. The Globe is a large newspaper, although not as important as The New York Times or The
Washington Post. Microfiche copies will be available in some large US libraries; or a copy can be
procured from major Massachusetts libraries, although this could cost up to $15.
Gangster Rap (May 8, 2005)
In King’s first published review in nearly eighteen months he turns to Elmore Leonard’s novel
The Hot Kid. He loves Leonard’s work and has probably read his entire canon (see What Went Down
When Magyk Went Up in this chapter). Opening, King talks of Leonard’s career and his newest
offering: ‘Elmore Leonard’s first published story was “Trail of the Apache.” It appeared in Argosy.
The year was 1951. Harry Truman was president, and your faithful correspondent was still eating the
ends of his crayons. Fifty-four years and 39 novels later, you might think the prolific Mr. Leonard
would be content to phone one in. You certainly wouldn’t expect him to have produced his best novel
at the age of 79, but he seems to have done it. And hell, why not? Robertson Davies came to full
flower as a novelist late in life and won a boatload of literary prizes. It’s perhaps time Leonard was
given the same consideration.’
He closes: ‘ The Hot Kid will no doubt become a movie, probably with some current Hollywood
hot kid like Colin Farrell in the title role, but if I were you, I’d stick with the book...and then maybe
rent Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde. Both works are outlaw classics.’
This article was originally published in the May 8, 2005 edition of The Boston Globe, published
as The Boston Sunday Globe. The Globe is a large newspaper, although not as important as The New
York Times or The Washington Post. Microfiche copies will be available in some large US libraries
or a copy can be procured from major Massachusetts libraries, although this could cost up to $15.
In this chapter we’ve seen King review wildly popular books, such as the Harry Potter series;
well-known books like Red Dragon and Hannibal; genre works, for instance those by Elmore
Leonard and Ray Bradbury; and even the totally obscure works of little-known authors. This, along
with the introductions of works by other authors (covered in a separate chapter) and his pop-culture
contributions in King’s Garbage Truck and The Pop of King, give us a strong insight into King’s
eclectic reading habits and interests, all the while shedding light on influences that may impact his
fiction.
We can certainly expect more such reviews as the years pass, although it is notable that the
number of dedicated book reviews from his pen seem to have declined at the very time he has
invested regularly in The Pop of King column for Entertainment Weekly magazine.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR,
GUEST COLUMNS
If there’s one American belief I hold above all others, it’s that those who would set
themselves up in judgment on matters of what is “right” and what is “best” should be given no
rest; that they should have to defend their behavior most stringently. No book, record, or film
should be banned without a full airing of the issues. As a nation, we’ve been through too many
fights to preserve our rights of free thought to let them go just because some prude with a
highlighter doesn’t approve of them.
—From The Book-Banners: Adventure in Censorship is
Stranger Than Fiction.
This chapter takes a look at the numerous letters and guest columns King has published
throughout his career. In fact, King was writing this material and getting it published years before his
professional writing career even began! The first such piece appeared in a self-published newspaper
King’s brother David produced, with Steve’s assistance, when they were young. Several such pieces
were also published in the campus newspaper, and even TV Guide, during King’s college career. The
last to date was published in The New York Times at the end of 2005.
Contributions such as these letters and opinion pieces are valuable, allowing as they do King’s
public expressions of views ranging from trivial to important topics. They span the breadth of his
career and open doors to aspects of his work that may not be clear at first glance.
Many of the pieces covered here appeared in the Bangor Daily News. Copies of Bangor Daily
News articles may be secured from the microfiche files at the Fogler Library of the University of
Maine at Orono (at no charge, if you actually visit), from the newspaper direct (at a significant fee),
and from visiting the Maine State Library in Augusta.
T.V. News (Summer 1959)
This short piece is the first of King’s non-fiction ever published. He very briefly reviews the
Fall television season, mentioning a few specific programs and their respective genres. It first
appeared in the “Summer Special” 1959 issue of Dave’s Rag 161, a self-published, typed and
mimeographed, community newspaper King’s brother David ran and Stephen assisted with. No
original copies of this issue of the newspaper are known to exist other than, presumably, the one that
was later reproduced (probably owned by David King). However, this piece is quite readily
available as the entire issue of Dave’s Rag was reprinted in Stephen Spignesi’s wonderfully
comprehensive The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia, first published in 1991.162
From The Nitty-Gritty (February 22, 1968)
This is a humorous letter to the editor which presents best (“Super Cool”) and worst (“Super
Out-of-It”) awards for the year 1967. King refers to himself as a representative of a fictitious campus
society called NGUTSCMC (Nitty-Gritty Up-Tight Society for a Campus with More Cools). This is
probably the first mention of King’s made-up group, later mentioned in the April 24, 1969, July 18,
1969 and October 20, 1969 King’s Garbage Truck columns. He presents the awards with more than
a little humor, in common with his later Maine Campus work.
This piece was originally published in the February 22, 1968 issue of The Maine Campus, the
student newspaper for the University of Maine at Orono. Re-discovered in September 2005 by Rocky
Wood, the only way to secure a copy is by taking a trip to the University’s library and making a copy
from the microfilm in their archives.
Untitled (July 13-19, 1968)
‘Drama—any kind of drama—is based upon conflict. And conflict often results in violence,’
King writes in response to those who feel all violence should be eliminated from television
programming. This letter concerns a theme that comes up again and again in King’s non-fiction
writing: violence and censorship in the visual arts.
This letter was published in the July 13-19, 1968 issue of TV Guide magazine. The King
community only came to know of this piece a few years ago. Several original copies of the magazine
are known to be in existence and sometimes surface for sale. King’s unknown status at the time of
publication and the age of the magazine make it a good bet that this one won’t be getting any less rare!
Check with specialist used magazine and King sources.
Lurching Charm (January 16, 1969)
This piece was originally published in the January 16, 1969 issue of The Maine Campus, the
student newspaper for the University of Maine at Orono. It has only recently been revealed to the
King community, in Stephen King: A Primary Bibliography of the World’s Most Popular Author. 163
The only way to secure a copy of this is by taking a trip to the University’s library and making a copy
from the microfilm in their archives.
King’s sometimes outrageous humor again shows itself in this lengthy letter to the editor. It
opens with pseudo-praise of The Maine Campus and throughout King poses mostly outrageous ideas
for improvement of the newspaper. The editors respond by calling ‘Steve King’ ‘NUTS!!’ and ask
him to stop by their office when he has the time. Though this is not confirmed, it is likely that this
meeting led to King contributing the infamous ‘Garbage Truck’ column to the newspaper (see our
Early Columns—King’s Garbage Truck chapter).
King Cat (December 11, 1969)
This is a letter to the editor of The Maine Campus regarding a reprint of one of King’s Garbage
Truck columns in a Maine newspaper. King was upset because a fellow student, William A.
Philbrook, passed on a copy of King’s November 13, 1969 column to a local newspaper, the
Rockland Courier-Gazette and misrepresented him in doing so. That newspaper subsequently
reprinted the column along with a letter from Philbrook commenting on the piece. The title of King’s
letter was in reference to The Black Cat, the column of the Gazette where King’s piece was
reprinted.
This letter appeared in the December 11, 1969 issue of The Maine Campus, the student
newspaper for the University of Maine, Orono. The best way to secure a copy is by taking a trip to the
University’s library and making a copy from the microfilm in their archives.
Cancelled Stamp (February 5, 1970)
In this letter to the editor King complains about the ‘revolting and nauseating’ full-page picture
printed as the cover of the January 15, 1970 issue of The Maine Campus. Once again, the letter and
the editor’s response are extremely sarcastic, as King is actually jokingly referring to a poster of
himself, in which he is crazily pointing a shotgun at the reader as a warning to “Study Dammit!’ This
picture is rather well known among King fans, as it has been reprinted many times.
The letter was originally published in the February 5, 1970 issue of The Maine Campus, the
student newspaper for the University of Maine at Orono. It was rediscovered in September 2005 by
Rocky Wood, and the only realistic way of gaining a copy is by taking a trip to the University’s
library and making a copy from the microfilm in their archives.
Toothy Trauma (January 7, 1971)
This is a letter to the editor of the Campus jokingly warning Chancellor McNeil (Chancellor of
the University of Maine system at that time) to beware of the master vampire, Dracula! King signs the
letter ‘in the cause of common decency.’
It appeared in the January 7, 1971 issue of The Maine Campus, the student newspaper for the
University of Maine at Orono. It has only recently been revealed to the Stephen King community, in
Stephen King: A Primary Bibliography of the World’s Most Popular Author. The only realistic way
of securing a copy is by taking a trip to the University’s library and making a copy from the microfilm
in their archives.
Constant Reader: Gone to the Movies (March 1976)
This is a letter to the editor about why people were turning away from reading books for
pleasure. It was later republished in an article discussing readers turning away from books and
toward other entertainment media.
King’s opinion—‘The audience is shrinking. The final necessity of any writer through all the
years since the craft was refined to an art is that engaging person the novelists of the 18th century
referred to as Constant Reader. I know that fellow well because I am part of his corporate
personality...I am more Constant Reader than I am Constant Writer.’ This quote is very important as it
partly explains why King uses the term ‘Constant Reader’ so often.
The letter originally appeared in The Maine Times newspaper for March 1976 under an
unknown title (no copies have surfaced in the King community). It was later reprinted under an article
headed Constant Reader: Gone to the Movies in the November/December 1976 issue of Coda:
Poets & Writers Newsletter. The chances of tracking down an original of this newsletter are quite
slim, as it took several years for one collector to track down an issue and provide a photocopy for
our research purposes.
Not Guilty (October 24, 1976)
In this guest piece, King discusses why he feels both guilty and not guilty when comparing and
contrasting publishing deals between his then recent novel ‘Salem’s Lot and another recent book,
David Madden’s Bijou. King feels guilty because Madden worked on Bijou for six years and made
$15,000 while he worked on ‘Salem’s Lot for eight months and stands to make $500,000—and he
thinks Madden’s is a better novel! However, King ultimately states that he does not feel guilty,
because ‘Salem’s Lot is more accessible than Bijou: ‘There’s an art to accessibility, too, although it
may be of a more humble sort than that which belongs to the artist who will not hew his peg to fit
accessibility’s hole.’
This article first appeared in the October 24, 1976 issue of The New York Times Book Review
as that week’s The Guest Word column. One can easily secure a copy from the microfilm at almost
any large library. It was later reprinted in the extremely rare horror fanzine Chernobog in the 1980s,
copies of which are almost impossible to track down.
The Student Talks Back (Fall 1977)
This is a letter addressed to a Professor Hamilton, regarding his review of King’s novel
‘Salem’s Lot in the Fall 1976 issue of Maine Alumnus. King tells Hamilton he believes he made a
mistake in reporting that King had essentially jumped on the bandwagon by writing a horror novel:
‘The fact is that I’ve always been interested in the occult and the supernatural.’ This letter also shows
that even early in his career, King had to defend the literary merit of his works: ‘It does rather irritate
me to see you dismiss the supernatural, the occult, the fantastic, and the whole literature of the ghost-
story with such light airiness—maybe it’s your journalistic bent.’ This quote foreshadows problems
King faces to this day regarding the acceptance of his work in certain circles.
Interestingly, he states that ‘Salem’s Lot ‘is, in a lot of ways, my love song about Maine—the
book I used to hope I’d grow up to write someday when I was just a kid hitchhiking around the
Lewiston-Auburn-Lisbon-Brunswick area.’
The letter was originally published in the Fall 1977 issue of Maine Alumnus, the University of
Maine’s alumni magazine. The best method of securing a copy is through the archives of the library at
the University of Maine. These magazines surface for sale on the collector’s market, but only rarely.
Don’t Be Cruel (April 30—May 6, 1983)
This letter is essentially short praise for a Dave Marsh164 article on Elvis Presley titled Elvis:
How He Rocked the World in the April 9, 1983 issue of TV Guide. King also uses the space to recall
some rock and roll memories from his youth: ‘The first record I ever owned was a 78-rpm of “Hound
Dog” backed by “Don’t Be Cruel,” and when I listened to those tunes I felt about 10 feet tall and I
grinned so hard that it felt like the corners of my mouth would meet in the back and the top of my head
would simply topple off.’
It appeared in the April 30-May 6, 1983 issue of TV Guide. Even though it is quite old copies of
this issue can sometimes be obtained through used magazine dealers and King resellers.
Untitled (Spring 1983)
This is a letter to the editor in response to a Dark Horizons magazine writer who claimed
Stephen King was actually Richard Bachman, the author of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork and The
Running Man. King denies the truth in the letter but, as everyone now knows, Bachman actually was
a King pseudonym. He even goes so far as to say that he has personally met the other author:
‘Bachman is indeed a pen-name, for a superannuated hippie-type who lives in New Hampshire. I
know who he is, and tell you with no qualms at all that he is authentically crazy.’ Of course, King
later made statements like this in jest, after the news of Bachman’s true identity was broken.
The letter appeared in the Spring 1983 issue of Dark Horizons magazine. A King collector
brought this rather important piece to our attention in late 2005 during the research for Justin Brooks’
King Bibliography and this book. Copies rarely appear for resale.
Forget Hermon (June 22, 1983)
Forget Hermon is a short letter to the editor regarding King’s home state of Maine and, in
particular, the small town of Hermon, of which he was a former resident. King speaks briefly here of
his personal experiences in the town: ‘In Hermon I was evicted from my home, harried by my
landlord and someone shot my dog. My wife carried the poor mutt out of the back field with one leg
hanging by a string.’ King ends the letter by stating he is sure that there are some good people in
Hermon but it will never be a favorite place of his.
It was first printed in the June 22, 1983 issue of the Bangor Daily News.
A Letter from Stephen King (January 1984)
This is a lengthy letter (almost an article) King wrote to Fantasy Review magazine in response
to Karl Edward Wagner’s column in issue #62 regarding anthologies and reprint publishing. King is
upset here because of the type of marketing used to sell anthologies; namely fantasy and horror
anthologies needing to have at least one ‘brand name author.’ Regarding the prominent use of his own
name on the cover of these anthologies, King writes: ‘I also think it’s damned unfair for the writer in
question to have to carry such a burden...and if anyone in publishing thinks I’m going to carry it,
they’re wrong. I’m not the rain, the snow or some tornado sweeping across the plains, or any
elemental force—I’m just old Steve King from up in Maine, and if anyone out there in Publisherville
is blaming me for ruining their literary pork-belly futures, I’m here to tell them they are so full of shit
they squeak.’
He opines there are plenty of great authors, some who were around before him, who are being
shoved aside so he and other big name authors can be bandied about on the covers of these
anthologies. King concludes with another sharp jab at the concept: ‘I hate that appellation of the Big
Name Author (although I am delighted not to have to worry about where the next house payment is
coming from), but if I have to have it, I’ll try to be responsible and not hurt anyone. That doesn’t
include, however, being shoved forward like a kooch dancer at a county fair. That shit demeans me,
and it also demeans all the men and women in this field who taught me how to see my dreams.’
King collectors may recall that the author of the original article, Karl Edward Wagner has edited
several anthologies that reprinted short stories by King. The letter ran in the January 1984 issue of
Fantasy Review magazine. Copies of this issue can sometimes be obtained through used magazine and
King dealers.
Untitled (1984)
This is a letter in which King writes to humorous film reviewer JoeBob Briggs (a pseudonym of
John Bloom). King shows his own sense of humor by utilizing the exaggerated style of a stereotypical
Maine Yankee. He also writes about his forthcoming film project Cat’s Eye: ‘It ain’t a real smart
piece of work, but it ain’t no indoor bullstuff either, if you know what I mean. You might give it two
or three stars if you ain’t feeling picky that night.’
King later wrote the introduction (This Guy is Really Scary) to Joe Bob Briggs’ book, Joe Bob
Goes to the Drive-in, published in 1987165 (see our chapter, Introducing the Work of Others).
This letter was published in a ‘fanzine,’ The Bewilderbeast (issue No. 5) in 1984. Copies of this
piece are extremely difficult to find. For the most part fanzines have very small print runs and
distribution and this piece was only discovered when a copy showed up on eBay in late 2005.
Attacked by a Wet Poodle? (January 14, 1985)
‘Reading Charles Leerhsen’s piece on “The Talisman” (Books, Dec. 24) was a bit like having a
close encounter with an ugly-tempered poodle dog that bites your ankle and then retreats to a safe
distance, yapping and peeing on itself with excitement.’ This sentence opens a brief letter to the editor
o f Newsweek magazine regarding a review of the first novel King wrote with British author Peter
Straub. He was upset because Leerhsen led the authors to believe that he was doing a piece on the
marketing of the book, and wrote a review instead.
The letter originally appeared in the January 14, 1985 issue of Newsweek magazine. Copies can
be obtained fairly easily from the usual sources for older and used magazines. If one only wants a
photocopy any larger library should have back issues in their holdings.
Ephen Stephen (February 13, 1985)
A lot of uninformed people mistakenly spell Stephen King’s name as Steven. In fact, in some of
the very earliest venues in which his work appeared, the byline reads “Steven King.” This short letter
is about the Bangor Daily News constantly misspelling his first name. ‘My Lord! I’ve been living
here in Bangor for five years now, and I’m still Steven King to your writers and copy editors’, King
notes.
The letter first appeared in the February 13, 1985 issue of the Bangor Daily News.
Postscript on the King/Bachman Connection (March 5, 1985)
This letter is in response to articles in the Bangor Daily News breaking the news of King’s
Richard Bachman pseudonym, particularly claims that King orchestrated the revelation of his pen
name to benefit movie deals. He also uses this space to send a message to fans who were upset over
the secret: ‘The readers who feel betrayed, bitter, or angry about my use of this name are the sort of
people who confuse enjoyment with ownership. These are also the sort of people who have somehow
gotten the idea that books are not real things at all but something disembodied—thought-balloons.
Because they live in a society where access to the printed word is the rule instead of the exception,
they react like spoiled children denied an ice-cream cone when they discover they cannot have what
they want at the exact moment they want it.’
The letter originally appeared in the March 5, 1985 issue of King’s hometown paper, the Bangor
Daily News.
Onward and Upward (April 24, 1985)
This letter to the editor sarcastically thanks the Bangor Daily News for censoring the popular
comic strip Doonesbury. King seems angry here and his biting sarcasm is no surprise given his strong
feelings against censorship and for freedom of speech. He writes: ‘I hope it signals the beginning of a
new News policy and a broadening of editorial responsibility. You might begin by refusing to run
anything at all having to do with sex or sexually related diseases; you could cheer people up and also
calm them down by omitting bad financial news; assure support for our president by refusing to carry
such unpleasant stories as his visit to the SS version of Boot Hill; and these are really just a few of
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