Two Classic Stephen King Novels Get Standalone Hardcover Editions For The First Time

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Stephen King is a prolific author with around 65 novels, a dozen short story collections, and several nonfiction books to his name. While his paperbacks are hugely popular, his books typically become bestsellers in hardcover first. Dedicated fans who buy his books when they’re first released probably have many hardcover copies. However, even the most devoted readers are likely missing some of his novels in hardcover. Now, Scribner, King’s publisher, is releasing two more: The Running Man and The Long Walk are both available in hardcover for the first time ever.

I’m so excited about these new editions of Stephen King’s books! *The Long Walk* came out in hardcover on October 7th for $29, and *The Running Man* just released in hardcover today, October 14th. It seems like the new movies are the reason for these re-releases, which is awesome. *The Long Walk* is finally getting its first movie adaptation – it’s in theaters now! – and the second adaptation of *The Running Man* comes out November 14th. Usually, King’s books go from hardcover to paperback when the movie comes out, but these two are a little different. They skipped that usual process and went straight to new hardcover editions, which is really cool for collectors like me!

Okay, so I was wondering why those early Stephen King books – the ones he wrote as Richard Bachman – never got the hardcover treatment back in the day. Turns out, it’s because they *were* published under a pen name! Between 1977 and 1982, King put out four novels as Richard Bachman, and since nobody knew who Bachman was, they all came out as paperbacks. We’re talking about *The Long Walk*, *The Running Man*, *Rage*, and *Roadwork*. It wasn’t until after *Thinner* came out in 1984 – and everyone figured out Bachman was actually King – that they started doing hardcovers. *Thinner* was the first standalone hardcover, and then in 1985, they finally collected the original four Bachman books into one big hardcover collection.

This collection is the only way to find hardcover copies of Stephen King’s ‘Rage’ (1977) and ‘Roadwork’ (1981). While ‘The Bachman Books’ as a set is no longer sold, this is because ‘Rage,’ a novel dealing with a school shooting, is no longer being published. ‘The Running Man,’ ‘The Long Walk,’ and ‘Roadwork’ are still available in paperback, but it’s great news that two of the Bachman titles are now being offered in hardcover.

The Long Walk & The Running Man Adaptations

Now’s a good time to preorder The Long Walk on 4K Blu-ray! Amazon has an exclusive limited edition Steelbook available for $26.83 – it’s currently discounted from its original price of $35. While a release date hasn’t been announced yet, this is the only 4K Blu-ray version available, and it’s actually cheaper than the regular Blu-ray. The Steelbook features artwork of Mark Hamill’s character, with a special effect: the design changes when you remove the outer slipcover.

The new movie version of The Running Man, coming out in 2025, will probably be available for pre-order on the same day it hits theaters – November 14th. Fans of the 1987 film will be happy to know it received a beautiful 4K Blu-ray upgrade in 2022. You can find the regular 4K Blu-ray with a slipcover for $20, or a special Limited Edition Steelbook for $40.

The Running Man (1987):

  • 4K Blu-ray — $20 ($26)
  • 4K Steelbook Edition — $40
  • Blu-ray — $15
  • DVD — $10.46

Stephen King as Richard Bachman

In addition to his early novels written under the name Richard Bachman – the four Bachman Books and *Thinner* – Stephen King revisited the Bachman persona in 1996 with *The Regulators*. This novel is set in a similar universe to *Desperation*, and the two books are designed to be read as a pair. It’s best to go in knowing as little as possible, but I suggest reading *Desperation* first.

Stephen King’s latest novel under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, *Blaze*, came out in 2007, but the story was actually written in the 1970s. It was considered for publication early in his career, but his publisher chose *’Salem’s Lot* instead—a decision that proved wise, as *’Salem’s Lot* became a beloved vampire horror novel. *Blaze* is a brief crime story that’s enjoyable, though it doesn’t quite reach the level of King’s more recent crime novels.

Okay, so as a collector, here’s the deal with getting Stephen King’s Bachman books in hardcover. Five out of the six are available, which is awesome! Roadwork is still being printed, but sadly, it hasn’t gotten its own hardcover release yet. Rage is tricky – you can *only* find it in older copies of the complete Bachman Books collection, and those can cost a pretty penny. The good news is, you can usually find hardcovers of Thinner, The Regulators, and Blaze without breaking the bank, even though they aren’t being printed anymore. It takes a little searching, but it’s doable!

Richard Bachman Hardcover Novels

  • The Long Walk (1979)
  • The Running Man (1982)
  • Thinner (1984)
  • The Regulators (1996)
  • Blaze (2007)

Richard Bachman Paperback Novels

You can find affordable trade paperback copies of Stephen King’s Bachman novels on Amazon. Additionally, a UK edition from 2012 collects *The Long Walk*, *Roadwork*, and *The Running Man* in one volume for about $25.

  • The Long Walk — $15.67 ($19)
  • Roadwork — $12.89 ($18)
  • The Running Man — $13.48 ($19)
  • Thinner — $10.56 ($19)
  • The Regulators — $12.19 ($20)
  • Blaze — $10.72 ($19)
  • The Bachman Books (3 Novels) — $25

Hey, if you’re like me and love collecting Stephen King’s books, especially the hardcover editions, I put together an Amazon page with a ton of them. It’s getting harder to find his older stuff in hardcover – a lot of it you can only get from resellers now. But the good news is, even books that came out decades ago are *still* being reprinted with hardcovers, which is awesome!

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2025-10-14 18:43