''The Bachman Books'' is a collection of short
novels by
Stephen King published under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Richard Bachman
Richard Bachman is a pen name (as well as fictional character) of American horror fiction author Stephen King. King portrays Bachman in the third season of the FX television series '' Sons of Anarchy''.
Origin
At the beginning of King's car ...
between 1977 and 1982. It made ''
The New York Times Best Seller List
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
'' upon its release in 1985.
History
The book was released in 1985 after the publication of the first
hardcover Bachman novel ''
Thinner'' in order to introduce Bachman to fans who did not know about King's work under this pseudonym (little of which was still in circulation at the time). This omnibus also collected these early novels in
hardcover for the first time, as they were all originally published in
paperback
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...
. It opens with an introduction by King called "Why I Was Bachman", explaining how and why he took on the persona of Richard Bachman, as well as how it was found out by the public. Another version with a new introduction "The Importance of Being Bachman" was published in 1996 to coincide with the release of a new Bachman novel ''
The Regulators''.
Contents
Novels collected in ''The Bachman Books'':
*''
Rage'' (1977)
*''
The Long Walk
''The Long Walk'' is a dystopian horror novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 1979, under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus '' The Bachman Books'', and has seen several reprints s ...
'' (1979)
*''
Roadwork'' (1981)
*''
The Running Man'' (1982)
Editions
The US editions of this collection and the novel ''Rage'' were allowed to go out of print by the author and publisher because of the
Heath High School shooting
The Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, United States, on December 1, 1997. 14-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of students, killing three and injuring five.
Shooting
On Decemb ...
. The remaining three novels are still in print and are published as separate books.
''The Bachman Books'' is still in print in the United Kingdom although it no longer contains ''Rage''. In a footnote to the preface of the more recent Bachman novel ''
Blaze'' (dated 30 January 2007) King wrote of ''Rage'': "Now out of print, and a good thing."
References
1985 American novels
Novels by Richard Bachman
American speculative fiction novels
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