This Stephen King Bachman edition collects four early novels originally published under the Richard Bachman pseudonym - Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man - stories King wrote before and between his rising bestselling years. As the jacket text notes, King describes the Bachman experiment as a way to “turn down the heat a little bit” and explore storytelling at a distance from his growing fame. These works move between psychological tension, dystopian endurance, fatalistic competition, and near-future brutality, unified by King’s early fascination with pressure, identity, and the edges of ordinary American life. This volume also includes his introduction “Why I Was Bachman,” placing the project within his larger literary arc.
 
This 1985 hardcover Plume first edition, fifth printing is in good condition, with the dust jacket showing wear and age toning. The book itself exhibits only mild toning and minimal handling wear. Binding remains solid and interior pages are clean.