The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition [Coffin Signed Limited]

New York: Doubleday, 1990. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Near fine. One of King's best books, and the rare example of a longer, uncut version that may actually be better than the original (most books would be improved if they were shorter-following Elmore Leonard's dictum, "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip").

This signed, numbered limited edition is also one of the most sought-after King limited editions, in large part due to its clever design. Only the large print run, 1250 copies, keeps this from being ridiculously expensive (instead of just a regular level of expensive).

The book, a darkly religious novel, is bound in black leather, not unlike a Bible. It is laid into a black wooden box, giving it the colloquial name, "the coffin edition"-which also suits a book with a body count north of 5 billion souls. Each copy is signed by King and the illustrator, Bernie Wrightson, on the limitation page.

xxviii, 1241 pages. First edition (first printing). A fine hardcover copy; glassine jacket lightly tanned (less than usual) with minimal wear to the corners. The wooden box is fine, with almost no scuffing. This copy has been stored flat for the last 30-plus years so the page-block of this book has not sagged (another condition issue with this book). This is copy 93 of 1250.