by George Beahm
Danse Macabre wins a Hugo Award.
SK wins Best Fiction Writer of the Year Award from Us magazine.
Firestarter wins an award from the New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age.
Published
The Running Man, by Richard Bachman (New American Library, mass market paperback, May).
The Dark Tower [1]: The Gunslinger (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, limited and trade hardback edition, June 10). This edition launched Grant’s small press into the limelight. Both Grant and King agree Michael Whelan was their primary choice for illustrator, who accepted the commission.
Stephen King’s Creepshow (with Bernie Wrightson, July), SK’s first graphic album (i.e., comic book format).
Different Seasons (Viking Press, trade hardcover edition August), SK’s strongest novella collection; includes three stories adapted for major movies: “The Body” (the basis for Rob Reiner’s film Stand by Me) “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (the basis for Frank Darabont’s film The Shawshank Redemption), and “Apt Pupil.”
The Plant [1] (Philtrum Press, limited edition, December). The first Philtrum Press publication sent out as a Christmas gift to family and friends in lieu of an impersonal Christmas card.
“Before the Play,” in a double issue of Whispers 17/18, cut from The Shining; its epilogue was rewritten and incorporated in the last chapter, 58, “Epilogue/Summer.”
Published on King
Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King, an anthology of nonfiction, the first of several SK-related books published by a specialty press, Underwood-Miller.
Stephen King, by Douglas E. Winter, the first single-author, SK-related book from a specialty press, Starmont House; a trial cut for his groundbreaking book, Stephen King: The Art of Darkness (1984).
Visual Adaptation
Creepshow (November 10)
1983
SK buys WZON radio in Bangor under the auspices of the Zone Corporation (April).
Published
Christine (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, limited edition; Viking Press, trade hardback edition, April).
Pet Sematary (Doubleday, trade hardback edition, April), which went into King’s trunk because it was too bleak to publish. SK tells Douglas E. Winter in an interview, “Tabby had finished reading it in tears, and I thought it was a nasty book. Maybe I don’t have the guts for that end of the business of horror fiction—for the final truths.” (A contractual matter forced King’s hand and, eventually, its publication in 1983.)
Cycle of the Werewolf, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson (Land of Enchantment, limited edition, November), originally intended as a calendar with text by King and art by Wrightson, who originated the idea.
The Plant [2] (Philtrum Press, limited edition, December).
Visual Adaptations
Cujo, directed by Lewis Teague (August 12)
The Dead Zone, directed by David Cronenberg (October 21)
Christine, directed by John Carpenter (December 9)
1984
SK approaches American Express’s ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather, with the idea of appearing in a commercial. “It’s just such a compliment,” he told People magazine (August 27). “Certainly it’s not going to do much for my literary reputation, although many would say that I don’t have a literary reputation to worry about.” The tagline: “Do you know me?” SK later rues his decision because, more than anything else, it made him a celebrity, instantly recognizable by name and on sight by the man on the street. (SK was paid $10,000 plus residuals to appear in the ad.)
Published
The Talisman, with Peter Straub (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, limited edition; Viking, G. P. Putnam, trade hardback edition, November 8). King’s first professional collaboration. (It would be followed by The Black House, again with Straub, in 2001. A third and final book is scheduled to be written in 2015.)
Thinner (original title: Gypsy Pie), by Richard Bachman (New American Library, trade hardback, November). It was heavily promoted by its publisher in an attempt to “break through” Bachman in the book trade: His previous four books were published as mass market paperbacks.
The Eyes of the Dragon (Philtrum Press, limited edition, December), written to please King’s daughter, Naomi, who didn’t read horror. It was illustrated by Kenneth R. Linkhaüser (pen name for Kenny Ray Linkous). (The 1987 trade hardback edition from Viking reflected requested editorial changes.)
Published on King
Stephen King: The Art of Darkness (New American Library, trade hardback, November), by Douglas E. Winter. The first major study about SK.
Visual Adaptations
Children of the Corn, directed by Fritz Kirsch (March 9)
Firestarter, directed by Mark Lester (May 11)
1985
Stephen’s substance abuse includes drugs. Tabitha stages an intervention at their house and delivers an ultimatum: Quit taking drugs or leave the house, because family and friends didn’t want to see him slowly kill himself in front of them. He chooses … wisely.
SK temporarily moves to Wilmington, North Carolina, to direct Maximum Overdrive, based on his screenplay, which in turn is based on his short story.
The hometown newspaper (the Bangor Daily News) runs a story by Joan H. Smith revealing SK’s pen name of Richard Bachman (February 9).
SK admits he is Richard Bachman, after denials became useless when a reader discovered a copyright form for Rage with King’s name on it—a clerical error by his literary agent. (The other three novels were registered to his literary agent, Kirby McCauley.)
Recognition
Starlog magazine lists SK as one of the “100 most important people in science fiction/fantasy.”
Published
Castle Rock, an official SK publication, publishes its first issue (January).
Cycle of the Werewolf (Signet trade paperback, April), later published in a movie tie-in edition titled Silver Bullet (October).
Skeleton Crew (Scream Press limited edition; G. P. Putnam, trade hardback edition, June), SK’s strongest story collection to date. Originally titled after the Bob Seger song, “Night Moves,” it was changed at Rick Hautala’s urging. The lead story is “The Mist.”
The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels, by Richard Bachman (New American Library, trade hardback, October), an omnibus that collects the first four Bachman novels: Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man. (King’s original introduction, “Why I Was Bachman,” was revised for the trade paperback and mass market paperback editions.)
The Plant [3] (Philtrum Press, limited edition, December).
“Dolan’s Cadillac” begins serialization in Castle Rock (February to June; in May, Castle Rock goes to a tabloid format).
“Heroes for Hope: Starring the X-Men,” in a comic book from Marvel Comics Group (December 1); King’s story is illustrated by Bernie Wrightson.
Published on King
Stephen King as Richard Bachman, by Michael R. Collings. From Starmont House, this was Collings’s first of many excellent books on King.
Visual Adaptations
Cat’s Eye, directed by Lewis Teague (April 12)
Silver Bullet, directed by Daniel Attias (October 11)
Two Mini-Features from … Stephen King’s Night Shift Collection (a VHS compilation): “The Bogeyman,” and “The Woman in the Room,” directed by Frank Darabont, who went on to helm several King films
“The Word Processor of the Gods” (TV)
1986
SK moves the office staff out of his home on West Broadway and into a former Maine National Guard building near the Bangor International Airport.
Recognition
Skeleton Crew wins a Locus Award.
SK is the subject of a Time magazine cover story (October 6), which terms him the “Downeast Disney.”
Published
It (Viking Press, trade hardback, September), originally titled Derry.
Visual Adaptations
Stand by Me, directed by Rob Rei
ner (August 8)
Maximum Overdrive, directed by Stephen King (July 25)
1987
Stephanie Leonard, in Castle Rock, writes that SK is going to take a sabbatical. “We’ve heard him say he’ll take five years.” Fans are stunned, and the reaction is immediate: It makes the news, and SK quickly recants. Leonard later publishes an update: “Stephen is not really retiring. He is hoping to cut back on work so he can spend more time with his family. There will not be any more fivebook years anytime soon. He plans to continue writing but publishing less.”
Recognition
It wins a British Fantasy Society Award.
Misery wins a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association.
SK gives a commencement address to the 169th graduating class at the University of Maine at Orono (May 9), noting that, including this one, he’s only given six such addresses (out of the 134 invitations, as of 1998).
Published
The Eyes of the Dragon (Viking Press, trade edition, February), illustrated by David Palladini. Editor Deborah Brodie asked SK for a textual addition to have Ben, Peter’s best friend, appear earlier in the book instead of halfway through; SK obliges and writes a new scene involving a three-legged sack race to establish their relationship.
The Dark Tower [2]: The Drawing of the Three (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, limited edition and trade edition, May). Original title, The Dark Tower [2]: Roland Draws Three.
Misery (Viking Press, trade hardback edition, June). Originally planned as a Richard Bachman novella titled “The Annie Wilkes Edition.”
The Tommyknockers (G. P. Putnam, trade hardback edition, November), considered by SK as one of his lesser novels.
Visual Adaptations
Creepshow 2, directed by Michael Gornick (May 1)
“Sorry, Right Number,” directed by Brian Berkowitz, based on a Stephen King teleplay (TV, May 1)
Return to ’Salem’s Lot, directed by Larry Cohen (September 11)
The Running Man, directed by George Pan Cosmos (November 13)
1988
Carrie, the Broadway play, opens—and closes—to bad reviews. (The 2012 off-Broadway remake fares somewhat better, though it doesn’t carry the day, either.)
Published
Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques, by f-stop Fitzgerald, with a short essay by SK (Viking Press, October 7). This is more the photographer’s book than SK’s, since it’s principally a book of his photos. Thinking SK’s name would sell the book, the publisher printed far too many, which backfired because there simply wasn’t enough original SK content.
My Pretty Pony (Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum, limited edition, September 26). Illustrated by Barbara Kruger, this was sixth in its Artists and Writers Series.
“Letters from Hell” (Lord John Press, limited edition broadside).
Published on King
Landscape of Fear: Stephen King’s American Gothic (Bowling Green State University), by Tony Magistrale, professor at the University of Vermont. This is the first of many excellent books on SK by Magistrale.
1989
Acts as assistant coach of West Bangor’s Little League team, on which his son Owen is playing. (They win the Maine State Tournament in 1989.) (“Head Down,” SK’s reportage, appeared in The New Yorker on April 16, 1990.)
Horrorfest, the first convention celebrating King, is held at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (May 12–14).
Published
Dolan’s Cadillac (Lord John Press, limited edition). This was the first SK book published by Lord John Press.
The Dark Half (Viking Press, trade edition, November). Its original title is Machine’s Way, and it was originally conceived as a collaboration between King and Bachman.
My Pretty Pony (Alfred A. Knopf, trade hardback edition, $50; 15,000 copies, September).
Published on King
The Stephen King Companion (Andrews and McMeel, 1989), by George Beahm. The second edition of this book was published in 1995. This is the first major pop culture companion book on SK.
Visual Adaptation
Pet Sematary, directed by Mary Lambert (April)
1990
SK receives an estimated five hundred letters a week, 80 percent requesting a response.
Recognition
Four Past Midnight wins a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction publishes a special Stephen King issue (limited edition and trade edition, December) with a fantasy portrait of him on the cover, a bibliography, an appreciation by A. J. Budrys, and two stories: “A Moving Finger” and “The Bear” (from The Dark Tower [3]: The Waste Lands).
Published
SK’s first publication in The New Yorker, a non-fiction piece titled “Head Down” (April 16). A magazine celebrated for its literary excellence, SK’s appearance herein surprises some readers.
The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition (Doubleday, limited edition and trade hardback edition, May). An additional 150,000 words were added to the text; the timeline was also updated, from the eighties to the nineties.
Four Past Midnight (Viking Press, trade hardback edition, September).
Visual Adaptations
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, directed by John Harrison (May 4)
Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift, directed by Ralph S. Singleton (October 26)
It (TV miniseries), directed by Tommy Lee Wallace (November 18)
Misery, directed by Rob Reiner (November 30)
1991
A disturbed man keen on breaking into the Kings’ home in Bangor comes in through the kitchen window at 6:00 a.m., confronting Tabitha, who is home alone, in her nightclothes. He’s holding a wired cigar box, says it’s a bomb, and claims Stephen stole the idea of Misery from his aunt. Tabitha gets to a neighbor’s house, and the police are called. He’s found in the attic. The bomb is a fake. In the wake of his intrusion, the Kings take normal security precautions afterward, realizing that their illusion of normalcy as just another family on West Broadway is irrevocably shattered.
Published
The Dark Tower [3]: The Waste Lands (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, limited edition and trade hardback edition, August).
Needful Things: The Last Castle Rock Story (Viking Press, trade hardback edition, October).
Published on King
The Shape Under the Sheet: The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia (Popular Culture Ink, 1991), by Stephen J. Spignesi, a prolific pop culture writer. A concordance (80 percent) with interviews, profiles, articles, and other features, this was the first major reference book on SK.
Visual Adaptations
The Dark Half, directed by George A. Romero (April 23)
Sometimes They Come Back (TV), directed by Tom McLoughlin (May 7)
The Golden Years (TV miniseries), various directors (July 16)
1992
The Kings finance the Shawn Trevor Mansfield Complex in Bangor as a gift to the city, at a cost of $1.5 million. It’s dubbed the Field of Screams after the famous Kevin Costner baseball movie
Fields of Dreams.
SK performs with fellow band members at the first Rock Bottom Remainders concert in Anaheim, California, for booksellers attending their annual convention (American Booksellers Association).
Recognition
Cujo wins a British Fantasy Society Award.
SK receives World Horror Grandmaster Award from the World Horror Convention.
Published
Gerald’s Game (Viking Press, trade edition, May). Originally planned as a trilogy, “The Path of the Eclipse,” with this as book 1, Dolores Claiborne as book 2, and an untitled and unwritten novel as book 3.
Visual Adaptations
Sleepwalkers, directed by Mick Garris (April 10)
BMG video releases VHS cassette of the first Rock Bottom Remainders concert in Anaheim, California.
1993
The Kings, through the Stephen and Tabitha Kin
g Foundation, donate $2 million to worthy charities.
Published
Nightmares and Dreamscapes (Viking Press, trade hardback, October).
Dolores Claiborne (Viking Press, trade hardback, November).
Film Adaptations
The Dark Half, directed by George A. Romero (April 23)
The Tommyknockers (TV), directed by John Power (May 9)
Needful Things, directed by Fraser Clarke Heston (August 27)
1994
Recognition
Insomnia wins a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association.
Published
Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude (one chapter by SK; Viking Press, trade hardback).
Insomnia: A Novel (Mark V. Ziesing Books, limited edition and trade hardback edition; Viking Press, trade hardback edition, September 15).
“The Man in the Black Suit,” The New Yorker (October 31). The short story is later published in Prize Stories 1996: The O. Henry Awards (March 1, 1996). The literati, upright and sniffing the air, note the wind is changing.
Visual Adaptations
The Stand (TV), directed by Mick Garris (May 8)
The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont (September 23)
1995
Recognition
“Lunch at the Gotham Café” wins a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association.
“The Man in the Black Suit” wins a World Fantasy Award.
Published
Rose Madder (Hodder and Stoughton, United Kingdom, limited edition; Viking Press, trade hardback edition, June).
Visual Adaptations
The Mangler, directed by Tobe Hooper (March 3)
Dolores Claiborne, directed by Taylor Hackford (March 24)
The Langoliers, directed by Tom Holland (TV, May 14)
1996
Recognition
The Green Mile wins a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association.
University of Maine at Orono holds a conference, Reading Stephen King (October 11–12).
“The Man in the Black Suit” wins the coveted O. Henry Award.
Publications
The Green Mile (Signet, mass market paperback), King’s first serialized novel, is issued in mass market paperback editions:
The Green Mile [1]: The Two Dead Girls (March)