IT'S A MONSTER: Behold the traycased edition of Centipede Press' KNOWING DARKNESS: ARTISTS INSPIRED BY STEPHEN KING.
Have you seen the traycased edition of Centipede Press’ KNOWING DARKNESS: ARTISTS INSPIRED BY STEPHEN KING? This past December, I geeked about the finished hardcover trade edition of this gorgeously-produced book that includes King-inspired art by Michael Whelan, Bernie Wrightson, Drew Struzan, Phil Hale, Don Maitz, Dave McKean, Rick Berry, J.K. Potter, Mark Ryden, John Jude Palencar, Yours Truly, and many more. It followed in the tradition of the World Fantasy Award-nominated ARTISTS INSPIRED BY H.P. LOVECRAFT, and both are amongst the most beautifully produced art books I’ve ever seen.
With the newly-released traycased edition, Centipede Press has officially blown my mind. I’m not even sure how to describe it. For starters, this thing is massive. What you’re looking at above is the traycase itself (with cover art by Steve Stone). On top of that is a trade hardcover edition of Stephen King’s final book in the DARK TOWER series (book not included; merely presented for scale comparison). Bear in mind, that DARK TOWER book is 850 pages long, and next to most volumes, that would be a significant object. Now look at how tiny it is compared to the scale that Centipede Press has lavished on this art presentation. That tells you just how big the art pages of this book are, and just how monstrous the traycase is. To the right, you see the actual hardcover art book itself, signed by 33 artists (including all of the above), with cover art by J.K. Potter.
SON OF THE BEAST: An additional hardcover book of oversized art prints with back cover art by John Picacio.
In the second photo, you see the felt-lined interior of the tray case, with an additional hardcover book of oversized prints. The back cover artwork of this volume is an original piece of ‘SALEM’S LOT art by Yours Truly, unique to this Centipede Press release. King scholar George Beahm provides a well-crafted retrospective of 34 years of King art, while screenwriter Frank Darabont (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) provides an introduction.
Needless to say, the production values of this set are breathtaking. What matters is the art inside and the same standards continue throughout every page. I still can’t get over how good it all looks. It’ll take a while to absorb. So how much does it cost? This edition retails for $895, which in its own way takes a moment to absorb. However, if there’s ever been an art book worth every penny, this is it. The good news is that it doesn’t take much searching to find retailers offering discounts for the cash-conscious King collector, such as this one. I can’t recommend this book, or its less-expensive trade hardcover counterpart ($295), more highly for Stephen King fans and fans of dark art. It’s a mind-blowing experience.
