Viking 1987 - Stephen King "Misery" Slipcased First Edition, First Printing

“I am your number one fan.” ― Stephen King, Misery

New York. Viking Press 1987. Stephen King "Misery" First Edition. First Printing. A rare first printing with original dust-jacket that has not been price clipped. A first edition hardcover book for the Stephen King collector. Includes a matching custom slipcase. Just about Fine. Appears unread book with square and tight spine.

9/10/26  Collector's Note: The slipcase is currently on a 2-week back order and will ship separately. 

Why It Is Collectible

A true first printing of Stephen King’s Misery in this condition is prized because it represents a pivotal, highly praised psychological thriller from the peak of King's career

The "True" First Edition Status: Published by The Viking Press in 1987, a true first printing features specific points: gray boards with a black cloth spine, red foil-stamped lettering, red endpapers, and an unclipped dust jacket showing the original $18.95 price on the front flap. Copies missing these traits (like Book Club editions) are worth much less.

Cultural Impact and Adaptation: Misery won the 1987 Bram Stoker Award and inspired the iconic 1990 film adaptation for which Kathy Bates won an Academy Award, cementing Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon in pop culture history.

Condition Rarity: In the collecting world, "Fine" means the book and its dust jacket are pristine, crisp, and free of major fading, tears, or shelf wear. Because 1980s trade print runs were massive, many copies were read heavily, meaning unblemished, mint-state survival copies are much harder to find today.

Contains all the First Edition , First Printing issue points:

• "First published in 1987..." on the copyright page with no mention of later printing.
• $18.95 on dust jacket flap
• Dust jacket code 06182587
• ISBN # 0-670-81364-8
  

From Publishers Weekly

King's new novel, about a writer held hostage by his self-proclaimed "number-one fan," is unadulteratedly terrifying. Paul Sheldon, a writer of historical romances, is in a car accident; rescued by nurse Annie Wilkes, he slowly realizes that salvation can be worse than death. Sheldon has killed off Misery Chastain, the popular protagonist of his Misery series and Annie, who has a murderous past, wants her back.

Keeping the paralyzed Sheldon prisoner, she forces him to revive the character in a continuation of the series, and she reads each page as it comes out of the typewriter; there is a joyously Dickensian novel within a novel here, and it appears in faded typescript. Studded among the frightening moments are sparkling reflections on the writer and his audience, on the difficulties, joys and responsibilities of being a storyteller, on the nature of the muse, on the differences between "serious" and "popular" writing. Sheldon is a revealingly autobiographical figure; Annie is not merely a monster but is subtly and often touchingly portrayed, allowing hostage and keeper a believable, if twisted, relationship.

The best parts of this novel demand that we take King seriously as a writer with a deeply felt understanding of human psychology. 

More about Misery

After an automobile accident, novelist Paul Sheldon meets his biggest fan. Annie Wilkes is his nurse-and captor. Now, she wants Paul to write his greatest work-just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an ax. And if they don't work, she can get really nasty...

About the author

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published 63 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.

King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. In 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.[6] He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire bibliography, such as the 2004 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. In 2015, he was awarded with a National Medal of Arts from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts for his contributions to literature. He has been described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high standing in pop culture.