Tales from the Island of Serendip 4 4

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'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot (or 'Salem's Lot for short) in Maine, where he lived from the age of five through nine, only to discover that the residents are becoming vampires. King said that, of all his books, 'Salem's Lot was his favorite. "In a way it is my favorite story, mostly because of what it says about small towns. They are kind of a dying organism right now. The story seems sort of down home to me. I have a special cold spot in my heart for it!"

 

Jeffery Deaver noted that King single-handedly made popular fiction grow up. While there were many good best-selling writers before him, King, more than anybody since John D. MacDonald, brought reality to genre novels. He's often remarked that 'Salem's Lot was 'Peyton Place meets Dracula,' and so it was. The rich characterization, the careful and caring social eye, the interplay of story line and character development announced that writers could take worn themes such as vampires and make them fresh again.

 

My friend Straw-Man has the best collection of first editions I know of, including the first edition, second state of Salem's Lot [featuring the Father Cody error on the dust-flap - corrected to 'Father Callahan' on later editions.] Needless to say, it has a hefty dollar value, though I suspect this is far outweighed by its emotional value to the owner.