"ADULTS ARE THE REAL MONSTERS": FIRST EDITION OF STEPHEN KING'S IT

KING, Stephen. It. (New York): Viking, (1986). Thick octavo, original half black cloth and dark gray paper boards, original dust jacket. $750.

First edition of the quintessential "evil clown" horror novel.

A terrifying tale of unspeakable evil lurking in the sewers of a small town in Maine, It was listed by Publisher's Weekly as the best-selling book of 1986. Incorporating themes of childhood trauma, the loss of innocence and the cyclical nature of abuse, "this book speaks to everybody. It's King's scariest novel" (Guardian), featuring "one of modern horror's greatest monsters… the most infamous villain in King's bibliography… Pennywise combines a killer look and set of powers with one of King's strongest concepts: a fairy-tale troll that hides out not under a bridge, but an entire city—a ghost that haunts not just one house, but all of them" (Rolling Stone). The book was the basis for the 1990 television miniseries starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the 2017 film with Bill Skarsgard in that role. Its ties to the larger Stephen King universe include the location (the town of Derry is also the main setting for Insomnia and Dreamcatcher, and mentioned in numerous King books and stories), references to previous characters and events from other King novels such as The Shining and Dead Zone, later callbacks to IT's events in 11/22/63 and Mr. Mercedes, and—drawing on the lore of the Dark Tower series—the presence of the magical Turtle as well as strongly implied connections between It and the Crimson King. Brooks A33.

Traces of foxing to text block edges; dust jacket with minor toning to flaps. A very nearly fine copy.