Dean Koontz "The Book Of Counted Sorrows" Signed Lettered Edition J of only 26, Leather Bound Collector's Edition, Tray-cased [Very Fine]

Personally signed by Dean Koontz on the special limitation page. Lettered "J" of only 26 produced.

New York, Charnel House 2003. Dean Koontz "The Book Of Counted Sorrows". This is lettered J of only 26 produced in this edition, which quickly sold out from the publisher. This luxurious edition is bound in full black Morocco (goat-skin leather), with an Art Deco geometric design in three colors of leather inlaid to front and one color to back cover of book. It is housed in a publisher's tray-case made from silk and glass. No dust-jacket as issued. Very Fine without any flaws. Mint condition as normally shipped by the publisher. Photos of actual item.

Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with 14 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks reaching the number-one position. Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer" , "K.R. Dwyer" , "Leigh Nichols", and "Brian Coffey". He has published over 105 novels, a number of novellas and collections of short stories, and has sold over 450 million copies of his work.

ABOUT

The Book of Counted Sorrows was originally a nonexistent book "quoted" in many of Dean Koontz's books. Koontz subsequently wrote a book of poetry by the same title.

Non-existent book

For many years Koontz fans everywhere searched for this elusive book. Many librarians were frustrated in their attempts to locate it, because it did not exist. This was confirmed by a librarian from Cedar Rapids Public Library who corresponded with Koontz regarding this mysterious book.[citation needed] Koontz himself stated that he received up to 3,000 letters per year inquiring about it.

In a letter dated August 10, 1992, Koontz stated:

"Actually, there is no such book. I made it up. The way you made up footnote sources for fabricated facts in high-school English reports. Oh, come on, yes, you did. Sometimes, when I need a bit of verse to convey some of the underlying themes of a section of a novel, I can't find anything applicable, so I write my own and attribute it to this imaginary tome. I figured readers would eventually realize THE BOOK OF COUNTED SORROWS was my own invention, and I never expected that one day librarians and booksellers would be writing from all over the country, asking for help in tracking down this rare and mysterious volume!"

Koontz went on to say that he would publish such a book in a few years, when he had enough verses to fill a volume. He included a history of the poems in the beginning of the book, followed by the poems, some having never been in any of his books. According to Shannon Presley of Harvest Books, "Koontz himself wrote the poems, attributed to a Stephen Crane..

Second non-existent book

In the beginning of a very few books (such as Odd Thomas), Koontz quotes from The Book of Counted Joys.[citation needed]

Actual book

In 2001, The Book of Counted Sorrows was published in an e-book format offered exclusively through Barnes & Noble; It was the first book published in Barnes & Noble's launch of its first-ever list of books from its newly formed electronic-publishing division, Barnes & Noble Digital, and "quickly became Barnesandnoble.com's best-selling e-books of the year." Barnes & Noble Digital's premier 2001 edition is no longer available.

Later that year, Charnel House published two limited editions of the book: a 1250-copy numbered edition and a 26-copy lettered edition. Both editions quickly sold out from the publisher. In the summer of 2009, Dogged Press issued a 3000-copy hardcover edition.

Wikipedia