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The Stand
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The Stand Paperback - 1980

by Stephen King

About this book

A deadly virus, accidentally released from a government lab, wipes out most of the world's population. The survivors are left to rebuild society, but two factions emerge - one led by a kind-hearted woman named Mother Abagail and the other by a demonic figure known as Randall Flagg. The two sides ultimately face off in a battle between good and evil. The book explores themes of humanity, morality, and the consequences of our actions. 

King's intricate character development and immersive storytelling create a haunting and thought-provoking tale. "The Stand" is a chilling reminder of the fragility of life and the potential for both destruction and redemption in the face of disaster.

Summary

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail -- and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.In 1978 Stephen King published The Stand, the novel that is now considered to be one of his finest works. But as it was first published, The Stand was incomplete, since more than 150,000 words had been cut from the original manuscript.Now Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil has been restored to its entirety. The Stand : The Complete And Uncut Edition includes more than five hundred pages of material previously deleted, along with new material that King added as he reworked the manuscript for a new generation. It gives us new characters and endows familiar ones with new depths. It has a new beginning and a new ending. What emerges is a gripping work with the scope and moral comlexity of a true epic.For hundreds of thousands of fans who read The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift. And those who are reading The Stand for the first time will discover a triumphant and eerily plausible work of the imagination that takes on the issues that will determine our survival.From the Hardcover edition.

First line

Hapscomb's Texaco sat on Number 93 just north of Arnette, a pissant four-street burg about 110 miles from Houston.

First Edition Identification

Doubleday & Company published the First Edition, First Printing hardcover in 1978, Garden City NY. 

PS Publishing published a First UK Limited Edition hardcover in 2019, London. The copy is accompanied by an illustrative slipcover. 


Details

  • Title The Stand
  • Author Stephen King
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Later Printing
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Signet, New York
  • Date January 1, 1980
  • ISBN 9780451127891

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