Hello all, I'm still a newer SK fan at this point, gradually making my way through the back catalogue. While shopping to build my stockpile of King books, some of the newer printed editions started coming out, with some really nice cover art and pleasing matte finish. I had older copies of the Dark Tower series that I bought when they were newer, but didn't get around to until I started actually getting into SK's work.
So here's the thing. I really like a lot of the forewards that I've read so far. The standouts include the one for Night Shift, and two different forewards to The Gunslinger. While flipping through the newer editions of the Dark Tower books, with covers that look great and more appealing than the editions I already have, I was shocked to discover that the new edition of The Gunslinger didn't have the forewards (I don't remember off the top of my head if it was one or both that were dropped). I was a bit shocked by this, because having read those forewards, I really felt they had a lot of value. So while I like the new cover art for The Gunslinger, I'm not giving up my older copy because I want the forewards included in that copy.
It got me thinking about the SK books that I have bought of the newer editions, with the nice cover art and matte texture. I have no idea if there were forewards in Firestarter, The Dead Zone, Christine, It, and others that have been dropped for these newer printings. I'm happy to have the books themselves, as that is arguably the really important thing. But I feel that value is lost by removing those interesting forewards. The foreward to Night Shift helped me understand why SK's writing was working so well for me, drawing me in. Since On Writing was the first SK book I read, and got me started with a deeper dive, the forewards have kind of been supplimentary to what I learned about King in On Writing. I now view them as an important part of the overall body of SK's work.
Does anyone have any thoughts, critiques, commiserations, or reassurances on this subject?
So here's the thing. I really like a lot of the forewards that I've read so far. The standouts include the one for Night Shift, and two different forewards to The Gunslinger. While flipping through the newer editions of the Dark Tower books, with covers that look great and more appealing than the editions I already have, I was shocked to discover that the new edition of The Gunslinger didn't have the forewards (I don't remember off the top of my head if it was one or both that were dropped). I was a bit shocked by this, because having read those forewards, I really felt they had a lot of value. So while I like the new cover art for The Gunslinger, I'm not giving up my older copy because I want the forewards included in that copy.
It got me thinking about the SK books that I have bought of the newer editions, with the nice cover art and matte texture. I have no idea if there were forewards in Firestarter, The Dead Zone, Christine, It, and others that have been dropped for these newer printings. I'm happy to have the books themselves, as that is arguably the really important thing. But I feel that value is lost by removing those interesting forewards. The foreward to Night Shift helped me understand why SK's writing was working so well for me, drawing me in. Since On Writing was the first SK book I read, and got me started with a deeper dive, the forewards have kind of been supplimentary to what I learned about King in On Writing. I now view them as an important part of the overall body of SK's work.
Does anyone have any thoughts, critiques, commiserations, or reassurances on this subject?