FICTION

THE SHAPE UNDER THE SHEET: The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia by Stephen J. Spignesi (Popular Culture, Ink, P.O. Box 1839, Ann Arbor, MI 48106: 780 pp.; $110). Stephen King is not only the most popular of contemporary authors, he also inspires a devoted interest on the part of his fans that is bogglingly intense. However, even the most passionate of readers will meet their match in this weighty tome, which, in addition to early candid photos (like the 1960s shot of the author with his mother, above), contains first lines of every King novel and short story, an alphabetical index to every character he created, details about every object he ever mentioned, and what is described as “a lighthearted look at death, torture, and mutilation” in his work. At 18,000 entries strong, this gives new meaning to the word “thorough.”