斯蒂芬·金1947年出生于美国缅因州一贫困家庭。在州立大学学习英国文学。毕业后因工资菲薄而走上写作之路。70年代中期声名渐起，被《纽约时报》誉为“现代恐怖小说大师”。自80年代至90年代以来，历年的美国畅销书排行榜，他的小说总是名列榜首，久居不下。他是当今世界上读者最多、声名最大的美国小说家。他的每一部作品，都成为好莱坞制片商的抢手货。1979年，在他32岁时，成为全世界作家中首屈一指的亿万富翁。今天，他的每部作品的版税，均逾千万美金之巨。 金的作品，超越于传统的恐怖小说。他不靠具体的意象来获得恐怖效果，而是通过对事件气氛的营造来震慑读者。金用他那魔鬼般的手指一拨，所有紧绷的心弦都为之轰响，在一阵惊悸又一阵心跳中，带你进入颤栗的深渊。 “对我来说，最佳的效果是读者在阅读我的小说时因心脏病发作而死去。

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Arguably the greatest horror novel ever written by the greatest horror novelist, this is a true Modern Classic that was first published in 1978, and then re-published in 1990, complete and unabridged, with 150,000 words cut from the first edition restored, and now accompanied by unusual and imaginative line art. The total copies for both editions, in hardcover and paperback, exceeds 4 million worldwide.

The Stand is a truly terrifying reading experience, and became a four-part mini-series that memorably brought to life the cast of characters and layers of story from the novel. It is an apocalyptic vision of the world, when a deadly virus runs amok around the globe. But that lethal virus is almost benign compared to the satanic force gathering minions from those still alive to destroy humanity and create a world populated by evil.

Stephen King is a brilliant storyteller who has the uncanny gift of putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, giving readers an experience that chills and thrills on every page. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.