Danse Macabre [Signed Limited Edition of 250)

33 West 60 Street, New York : Everest Books , 1981. Beautifully signed by Stephen King at limitation page: "This Special Edition of Danse Macabre is Limited to 250 copies numbered I to 250 and 15 for Private Distribution Lettered A to O, Signed by the Author. No. '174.' 'Stephen King.'" Very stylish and rare early signature. Beautiful jet black fine cloth boards, stylish gilt Stephen King facsimile signature at front, gilt spine titles on red scrolled field, light wear. Dark red matte endpapers. Pages near fine, clean. Classic popular and cult classic photos and images throughout. Deep dark red top-stain. Bind fine, square; hinges intact. Preserved in original red slip-case, moderate corner, edge wear, rub. Includes appendices at back of "The Films" and "The Books" referenced throughout. Also, a detailed eight-page index. Book design by Abe Lerner. Rare near fine signed limited edition in very good slipcase. Manufactured in the United States of America. 400 pages. Insured post. SK presents a cavalcade tour of terrific books, films, and TV which have met his criteria for great terror and horror. He examines the attractions and satisfactions of horror stories, and recounts his own vital encounter with horror. In the fall of 1978, between The Stand and The Dead Zone, SK taught a course at the University of Maine on "Themes in Supernatural Literature." As he writes in the foreword, he was nervous at the prospect of "spending a lot of time in front of a lot of people talking about a subject in which I had previously only felt my way instinctively, like a blind man." The course apparently went well, and as with most teaching experiences, it was as instructive to the teacher - as to the students. Thanks to a suggestion from his former editor at Doubleday, King decided to write Danse Macabre as a personal record of the thoughts about horror that he developed and refined as a result. The outcome is an utterly charming book that reads as if King were sitting right there with you, shooting the breeze. He starts on October 4, 1957, when he was 10 years old, watching a Saturday matinee of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. Just as the saucers were mounting their attack on 'Our Nation's Capital,' the movie was suddenly turned off. The manager of the theater walked out onto the stage and announced, "The Russians have put a space satellite into orbit around the earth. They call it ... Spootnik." That's how the whole book goes: one simple, yet surprisingly pertinent, anecdote or observation after another. King covers the gamut of terror and horror as he'd experienced it at that point in 1978 (a period of about 30 years): folk tales, literature, radio, good movies, junk movies, and the "glass teat". It's colorful, funny, nostalgic, and also strikingly intelligent. - Fiona Webster.. Signed by Author. Limited Edition . Hard Cover. Fine. Illus. by Lerner, Abe (Design). 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall.