Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work [Paperback]

George Beahm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work is a fan's dream come true. The only book to chronicle what Pepperdine University's Dr. Michael Coilings terms "The Stephen King Phenomenon", this encyclopedic king-sized reference covers every nook and cranny of the prolific author's career -- as a writer, screenwriter, actor, and popular cult figure. Drawing on nearly 25 years of work, Stephen King from A to Z will be the final word on things King, portraying the writer who has sold a quarter-billion copies of his books worldwide, in more than 32 languages, since 1974.

Detailed and exhaustively researched, Stephen King from A to Z contains hundreds of authoritative entries that reveal a wealth of material unavailable from any other single volume. In addition, author George Beahrn has gathered little-known secrets about Stephen King, as well as quotes by and about the writer, factoids, selected photographs, and two dozen essays on topics such as rural Maine, literary awards, and King's movies.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Did you know that the Bangor West All Stars was the Little League team on which King's son Owen played (King being an assistant coach), ultimately winning the Maine State Little League Championship (11-8) in 1989, and that the team's ascent to glory is recounted in great detail in Nightmares & Dreamscapes' "Head Down?" That Cavalier is a cheesecake magazine in which King first sold "Graveyard Shift"? That King believes Hell House by Richard Matheson might be the scariest haunted-house novel ever written? These and hundreds more Stephen King-related entries await the King enthusiast in George Beahm's literary and biographical encyclopedia. Drawing on years of Stephen King expertise (Beahm wrote the Stephen King Companion, The Stephen King Story, and Stephen King: America's Best-Loved Boogeyman), Beahm has larded his encyclopedia with detailed information on King's stories, books, and films, as well as quotes that give King's take on everything from fame to censorship to authors he admires and deplores. There are photographs (75), illuminated letters (26), a couple dozen essays on topics such as Maine, Philtrum Press (King's publisher), and King's movies, and trivia such as the amount of prize money King won in a college English department contest ($69.81) and the name of King's childhood dog (Queenie). The potential quality of life for Stephen King aficionados has just significantly improved. --Stephanie Gold

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836269144
• ISBN-13: 978-0836269147
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,427,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a full-time writer specializing in non-fiction, mostly pop culture topics. On the side, I run a small company that handles producing art prints and also handle the sales of collectibles online through eBay. I live in southeast Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Is The best biography I've read, February 24, 2001

By 

"raptorjg" (Marstons Mills, Ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work (Paperback)

I read this book in 3 days and found it to be the most interetsing and fun biographies I've read. I'm A big fan Stephen king and this book told me the story behind Kings life. George Beahm did a Great job of telling the story. If your a Stephen King fan get this book you won't regret it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stephen King A+++, April 10, 2007

By 

Jilly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work (Paperback)

This book is quite informative. Everything is in alphabetical order & easy to find. I use it as a reference to his books that I have read. I really enjoy this purchase. And would recommend it to others.

8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A note from the author, April 24, 2001

By 

George Beahm (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work (Paperback)

This book is not, as one reader/reviewer put it, a biography; he was undoubtedly confusing THIS book with my biography on King, "Stephen King: America's Best-Loved Boogeyman." This book fills in the holes, so to speak, with detailed information from A to Z about the people, places and things in King's life, not his fiction; there's a difference--the latter is a concordance, and has already been ably compiled by the prolific Stephen J. Spignesi. My book draws on my extensive files on King that I've compiled since 1988, sports an introduction by King critic Dr. Michael Collings, includes a dozen short essays, 75 photos of things King, illustrated letters by artist Stephen Fabian, but most of all it includes hundreds of entries that shed light on King as a writer and a person. From "A" (AFTERMATH, THE; a novel King wrote when he was a teenager) to "Z" (the ZBS Production of "The Mist," a dramatization), this book covers King thoroughly.

The book is available in a trade paperback edition from Andrews McMeel Publishing. It is an oversized book with 250 pages.