What editions are sold at the big name bookstores now?

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bigkingfan91

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2014
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WV
This may sound a bit stupid, but I have good reason for the question.. Before I stopped reading, we had a nice new bookstore in the local mall.. Walden Books.. It may have changed into Borders before it left the mall but I don't remember.. Now this was probably back around the time when books like Cell and From a Buick 8 were new, so it's been years..

When I used to shop there and buy books a lot, they seemed to mainly have one certain re print edition of every SK book, ( I don't remember about the hardcovers ).. I'll try and explain this.. My newest version of Christine is the PB with the orange in the cover, and the skeleton like thing.. Back then, I assumed it was the "newest" re print, along with the other new SK paperbacks that they sold.. Most had certain colors on the covers, like The Stand was red somewhere, maybe the bottom.. Different Seasons was mainly a lot of gray, with the woods & railroad track on the cover.. The Shining had the little boy on the yellow cover, Pet Semetary was the black & green cover with the cat on the front.. All were new books, but re prints obviously. Carrie had the red cover with the girl, or close up on the front, you know the "bloody" cover I guess.. It seems like for nearly all of his works they made these re prints to them which seemed to be the newest versions at that time.. Some of the local food stores even had these editions, which they are long gone by now it seems and replaced with some of his newest works.. Salem's Lot, for example, they always had the new version with the girl on the cover and 2 bite marks..

I haven't been in a new bookstore in years. We don't have one, and would have to travel a good distance to find one, which I hope to do soon. My question is, the new bookstores these days, like Borders, etc.. Which versions do they usually carry? Still these same, "newest" re prints? I still need many of those re prints ( I'm an obsessive collector ) so I'd love to know which versions most new bookstores sell these days. Hopefully still those versions...

I like trying my best to get the original versions, and the re prints by the way, so that's why I ask. I know that might sound odd or obsessive but I like collecting his work along with reading it. Thanks for any help!
 

bigkingfan91

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2014
190
921
32
WV
Wow that's crazy.. I'm from Hickory, NC and they still have a Barnes and Noble. Haven't been in there in years though, hope to get the chance to visit soon. I was completely unaware until recently that many of those book stores have went out of business in many places, and some of them don't even carry as much as I'm used to browsing.. I remember Walden Books having a whole huge shelf dedicated to King, ( all newer editions though, obviously, it being a "new book" bookstore ). The local used bookstore usually has plenty of King, and many are the newer editions but are still in great shape, so that helps. Cheaper too, of course, but it did used to be nice to have those stores like Walden Books to browse through. I wish we had a Half Priced Books bookstore local. I enjoy ordering from there but it would be nice to have the actual store to look through. Nothing beats the suspenseful feeling of looking for "Stephen King" when browsing.
That's crazy to hear though. Walden Books has been out of the mall for years now and I had no clue many of those stores were disappearing across the USA. Wow.
 

bigkingfan91

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2014
190
921
32
WV
..."before I stopped reading"???????.....
I've been a King fan since I was little, 22 now, and I got out of reading for many years probably sometime after Cell was released. I remember that being one of the last new ones I read back then. I just got interested in different things and grew out of reading. A day or so before I joined the forum I saw a King documentary on the BIO channel, and the next day I bought Doctor Sleep. Been reading ever since and I'm glad I picked the passion back up for reading and writing. I guess you could say I went through the high school years and just lost interest, but I don't think i'll be losing interest ever again. :)
 

HollyGolightly

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2013
9,660
74,320
54
Heart of the South
I worked for Borders for many years and cried my eyes out when we closed. It was just my after hours / weekend gig and I can't believe for all those years they paid me to walk around with a cup of coffee and talk to people about books - I was also the story lady - kind of famous in the store for my circle time songs - all the people would come and sing The Wheels on the Bus and do the Hokey Pokey with me.

Anyhow to answer your question - here in my area, only Barnes & Noble remains and they sell new stuff. Whatever new editions are out - when they come out, then the old editions get moved to the bargain area - which is cool, you can snap up a brand new hardcover for $5.99. If I must go into B&N (and it kills me because I was a Borders girl), I don't stray past the bargain section.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
I've been a King fan since I was little, 22 now, and I got out of reading for many years probably sometime after Cell was released. I remember that being one of the last new ones I read back then. I just got interested in different things and grew out of reading. A day or so before I joined the forum I saw a King documentary on the BIO channel, and the next day I bought Doctor Sleep. Been reading ever since and I'm glad I picked the passion back up for reading and writing. I guess you could say I went through the high school years and just lost interest, but I don't think i'll be losing interest ever again. :)
...good save!....:laugh:
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
I worked for Borders for many years and cried my eyes out when we closed. It was just my after hours / weekend gig and I can't believe for all those years they paid me to walk around with a cup of coffee and talk to people about books - I was also the story lady - kind of famous in the store for my circle time songs - all the people would come and sing The Wheels on the Bus and do the Hokey Pokey with me.

Anyhow to answer your question - here in my area, only Barnes & Noble remains and they sell new stuff. Whatever new editions are out - when they come out, then the old editions get moved to the bargain area - which is cool, you can snap up a brand new hardcover for $5.99. If I must go into B&N (and it kills me because I was a Borders girl), I don't stray past the bargain section.
...I Was A Borders Girl....Sunday night at 7 on Lifetime...
 

HollyGolightly

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2013
9,660
74,320
54
Heart of the South
That's because they and Books-A-Million are the only two of the biggies left. Borders bought out Walden years ago, and B&N bought out B. Dalton. Borders as a chain disappeared in 2011, and their online presence redirects to B&N.
I was there through the whole sad sordid affair. A retail management company came in and sold every blasted thing - even the kitchen sinks. Then they also brought in tons of trinket crap to sell. And the books disappeared at daily increasing discounts. It was sad. Borders had been a big part of my life since 1994.