The Bachman Books by Stephen King (1985 Hardcover Book Club Edition)

King’s early novels originally published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym: Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man. Also includes King’s introduction, “Why I Was Bachman,” in which he discusses the origins of the pseudonym and his decision to publish under another name.

This is the 1985 hardcover Book Club Edition, issued alongside the trade edition. It is particularly collectible today because it contains Rage, King’s controversial first Bachman novel. King later chose to allow Rage to fall out of print, and subsequent editions of The Bachman Books omit it. As a result, the original four-novel editions have become increasingly sought after by Stephen King collectors.

The hardcover is bound in black boards with gilt lettering to the spine and retains its original black dust jacket with the distinctive orange, gray, and white typography. The book itself is in very good condition, with a solid binding, clean interior, clean boards, and bright spine lettering. Pages show only light age toning.

The original dust jacket is complete but shows moderate wear, including rubbing and scuffing, edge and corner wear, several small closed tears, and chipping/creasing around the spine ends and extremities. The front panel remains bright and presents very well despite the wear. Please see photos for the exact condition.

An increasingly collectible early Stephen King omnibus and an appealing way to own the now-out-of-print Rage alongside three of King’s best-known Bachman novels.