So, now it’s time for everyone that didn’t get the limited edition Salem’s Lot: Illustrated Edition to get this book for the collection. It’s Doubleday that releases this trade hardback edition and I for one am really grateful that they do.

Besides that the look of the book is totally different from the limited this is essentially the same book. You get the illustrations by Jerry N. Uelsmann, you get One For The Road, you get Jerusalem’s Lot, you get all the deleted scenes BUT you also get a brand new introduction by King that isn’t even in the limited edition. How about that? A trade edition that has something that the limited doesn’t. That has to be a first.

The neat thing about this book is all the deleted scenes. Yes, the book itself is a very good one but these scenes makes it even better. It gives you a look into what King wanted to do with it when he wrote the book back in 1975.

It would have been better if they had put the scenes back in the story instead of having them at the end though. It would have given them more of a connection to the story, now they are just listed at the end of the book. The problem with that though is that it wouldn’t have been as easy to see what parts where new…but then again, they could have printed the new once in red or something like that.

The fact that this is only the second time a book by King has been re-released with added scenes makes it pretty unique. The other book is off course The Stand and I hope this is a trend that will go on. It would be nice to get other books released with deleted scenes as well.

The illustrations by Uelsmann don’t really have anything to do with the story but they do give the story a nice feeling. They are very much in sync with the story, perfect for setting the mood.

Salem’s Lot: Illustrated Edition is definitely a book that should be in every King collection…even if you already have the limited. Don’t forget that there is a new introduction that you need to read.

If you want to comment or discuss this review, please mail me.