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Title: The Shape Under the Sheet: The Stephen King Encyclopedia Signed-Limited Edition by Stephen J. Spignesi, Katherine Flickenger Stephen R. Bissette ISBN: 1-892950-11-1 Publisher: Overlook Connection Press Pub. Date: 1989 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $175.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)

Rating: 2
Summary: Not REALLY an encyclopedia...
Comment: ...more like a doorstop. Now, don't get me wrong, the portion of the book that is a functional encyclopedia is thorough. And I suppose that such a thing is useful for King scholars, or for intensely devoted fans who fancy themselves King scholars. However, the book is made twice as long as it ought to have been by a series of fairly pointless interviews with people like King's secretaries, King's brother Dave, King's childhood friend Chris Chesley, other people who have written books about King, and noted horror writers such as Richard Matheson and Robert R. McCammon. What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, nothing; all of these people, as well as the scads of others whom Spignesi puts in the hot seat for their fifteen minutes, no doubt have many interesting things to say. However, Spignesi has almost nothing of interest to ask. A typical line of questioning goes something like this:

SPIGNESI: "Which one of the movies based on King's books is your favorite?"

INTERVIEWEE: "Well, I don't know, I only saw a couple of them."
SPIGNESI: "My favorite is 'The Dead Zone'. Did you see that one?"
INTERVIEWEE: "Oh, yeah. It was pretty good, I guess."
SPIGNESI: "Yeah, Cronenberg really captured the novel with that one."

Seriously; he asks almost every person he interviews about the movie of "The Dead Zone." I'll grant you that it's a good movie, but Spignesi comes off as being overly obsessed with that particular line of questioning. And, just for the record, the movie really DOESN'T capture the novel; it's good, but not that good.

Most embarassing by far is the interview with author Robert R. McCammon, who scarcely even knows Stephen King personally (that was the case upon the book's publication, at least). McCammon really has very little to say on the subject of King, owning up to not having read all that many of King's novels. Primarily, Spignesi seems to have interviewed McCammon so he could ask him why McCammon's novel "Swan Song" is so similar to King's "The Stand." A truly lousy interview with an author whose work cries out to be considered in a kinder light.

And dare I mention the several poems about Stephen King written by Spignesi and other notorious Kingophiles? They are laughably bad, and would only ever have been published in this sort of vanity project, or by someone who needed very badly to fill up some pages.

In short, this book is only for the hardest of die-hard King fans. And you guys would be better off using whatever money you would have spent on this turkey to instead buy copies of King's books to give out as presents to people who don't read him. Two stars for the thorough encyclopedia (current through about 1990); otherwise, a total dud.

Rating: 5
Summary: A book fit for a King
Comment: I've been a King reader since 1978, when I was 12 years old. In '89, when the Spignesi Encyclopedia on Stephen King came out, I bought it while on holidays in the United States. I was overwhelmed by all the informations contained in the book; and 11 years later, I still consult it regularly. Although it's a little outdated there's stuff in there I haven't seen anywhere else--and believe me, I've looked everywhere. It's full of interviews with credible people who have interesting things to say (not the same old comments we always hear): authors, publishers, friends of Stephen King talking about the man, his books, his life; very detailed synopsis and reviews; great pictures throughout the book; an alphabetical list of places, things, characters from all the King's books (up to 1988); and lots more. One of the good things about the encyclopedia is that you don't have to know all of Stephen King's books; au contraire, it can be a great way to either start or deepen your interest in him. Don't forget, history will remember Stephen King as one of the greatest writers America has produced. Be a part of history by owning a great collectible that will still be a reference in a 100 years from now.

Rating: 5
Summary: EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT STEPHEN KING
Comment: My mind boggles at the amount of work that went into this book. If a character drinks a can of @TAB or uses a @KLEENEX on page 374 of IT or THE STAND, this book painstakingly catalogues that fact. If you're a dictionary or encyclopedia browser AND a Stephen King fan as well, this book is BIG FUN.