The Running Man by Richard Bachman aka Stephen King [FIRST EDITION] 1982

The Running Man by Richard Bachman [a.k.a. Stephen King]

FIRST EDITION / SECOND PRINTING [1982] SIGNET / NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY

Rare and highly coveted "Bachman" first edition of this King classic with original cover.   His last published "Bachman book" before the secret was out, all published in limited quantities as mass market paperback exclusives.  

Vintage paperback in very good condition!

Clean, tight and seemingly unread copy with tanning and some light wear to cover;   a few chipped edges; general shelf wear..   

*Stamp to underside of front cover w/ some ink transfer visible on first page.  Otherwise contents read like new.  

The name on the cover was "Richard Bachman," but the imagination inside could only belong to one man--Stephen King.  For years readers of Bachman's novels wrote to him, asking if the author was really Stephen King writing under a pseudonym.  They were right.  

The Running Man is set within a dystopian future in which the poor are seen more by the government as worrisome rodents than actual human beings. The protagonist of The Running Man, Ben Richards, is quick to realize this as he watches his daughter, Cathy, grow more sick by the day and tread closer and closer to death. Desperate for money to pay Cathy’s medical bills, Ben enlists himself in a true reality style game show where the objective is to merely stay alive.