Edited by
Stanley Wiater and Matthew R.
Bradley and Paul Stuve. Published by Gauntlet Press.
Since his classic story "Born of Man and Woman" appeared in the Summer
1950 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Richard
Matheson has been one of the world's most acclaimed and influential
fantasists. He is the award-winning author and screenwriter responsible for such diverse and unforgettable works as I Am Legend, The Shrinking
Man, A Stir of Echoes, The Beardless Warriors, Hell House, Duel, The
Night Stalker, Trilogy of Terror, What Dreams May Come, Somewhere In
Time, Journal of the Gun Years, four of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe
films, and sixteen episodes of the original Twilight Zone.
The
Richard Matheson Companion is a unique collection of writing by and
about this prolific, multitalented storyteller, edited by Matheson
experts Stanley Wiater, Matthew R. Bradley and Paul Stuve. They have
assembled the work of more than two dozen contributors – much of it
published for the first time – that both celebrates and sheds new light
on Matheson's extraordinary career.
It contains:
- Detailed
discussions of Matheson's work by Harlan Ellison, Ed Gorman, Dean
Koontz, and David Morrell.
- Appreciations by those who have
been influenced or inspired by Matheson over the years, such as Dennis
Etchison, Jack Ketchum, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Lumley, producer Stephen
Simon, F. Paul Wilson, and Gahan Wilson.
- Recollections by
George Clayton Johnson and William F. Nolan, Matheson's fellow members
of the famed Southern California School of Writers (aka the California
Sorcerers or simply "The Group"), about their personal and professional
relationships.
- Extensive and revealing interviews in which
Matheson recounts his career.
- Heartfelt tributes from
Matheson's wife, Ruth, and their children Bettina, Richard Christian,
Chris, and Alison, three of whom are also successful writers.
- Essays by two of Matheson's literary editors, Gauntlet publisher Barry
Hoffman, and artist Harry O. Morris, who has illustrated thirteen of his books, on working with a living legend.
- Photos of Matheson
throughout his life and career, as well as reproductions of magazine and book covers and rare correspondence.
- The most complete
documentation of Matheson's work ever compiled, with comprehensive and
annotated lists of his books, stories, nonfiction, films, television
episodes, published and unproduced scripts, adaptations, awards, and
much more.
- Special Bonus! The Years Stood Still, a
never-before-seen novel Matheson wrote at the age of fourteen, with an
introduction by Richard Christian Matheson.
