The BIG book of NECON

Bob and Mary Booth invented The Northeast Regional Fantasy and Horror Convention (Necon) in 1980 after they ran the 1979 World Fantasy Convention. Attendance at Necon has always been capped at 200 participants, which adds to the convention's close-knit atmosphere—but also creates a high demand for tickets. If you've never been able to attend this incredible summer gathering, The Big Book of Necon will give you a glimpse into what makes that convention so special. And if you're already a Necon regular, this generous volume will bring back a lot of fond memories.

Featuring works from over 50 contributors, The Big Book of Necon provides hours of great horror/dark fantasy reading from some of the most important names in modern horror. Many of the short stories, essays, poems, and artwork originally appeared in the annual program booklet, which is exclusively printed for the attendees each year.

Other highlights include:

• fiction by writers from horror's golden age (Stephen King, Peter Straub, F. Paul Wilson, Alan Ryan, Jack Ketchum), by the genre's newer stars (Christopher Golden, Brian Keene, and many others), and by visitors from the British Isles (Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Tim Lebbon)

• essays by Charles L. Grant and Thomas F. Monteleone, defining the Necon experience for the uninitiated

• artwork by Gahan Wilson, Glenn Chadbourne, Richard Sardina, and Cortney Skinner

As eclectic and entertaining as the convention itself, The Big Book of Necon gathers together horror's finest authors in a rare celebration of what's unique and exciting about the genre. A once-in-a-lifetime event, this massive anthology is certain to be one of the most talked about books of the year!

Table of Contents:

• "Bob Goes to Necon" by Charles Lang (artwork)
• "Introduction" by Bob Booth
• "Live to Write / Write to Live" by Glenn Chadbourne (artwork)
• "Saugies, Valuable Prizes and Hawaiian Shirts" by Douglas E. Winter
• "Necon: What It Is?" by Charles L. Grant
• "The Dark Campers" by Linda Addison
• "View from the Bottom" by Matt Bechtel
• "Four Views of Necon" by Ginjer Buchanan
• "Conning at Roger Williams on a Summer's Evening" by Elizabeth Massie
• "My Favorite Necon Moment" by Thomas F. Monteleone
• "Necon X" by Yvonne Navarro
• "Untitled" by Holly Newstein
• "Camper Activity Page" by Cortney Skinner (artwork)
• "Valuable Prizes" by Gahan Wilson (artwork)
• "Necon" by Hank Wagner
• "Report on Necon '82" by Stanley Wiater
• "Ketchum Kabobs" by Glenn Chadbourne (artwork)
• "Red Paint" by Jill Bauman
• "A Death in the Day Of" by Gary A. Braunbeck
• "The Hustler, Smoking" by Jonathan Carroll
• "Unexpected Attraction" by Matthew Costello
• "End of the Line" by John Coyne
• "Loser" by Les Daniels
• "Kisses from Auntie" by Craig Shaw Gardner
• "Little Brother" by Rick Hautala
• "Sundays" by Jack Ketchum
• "Illustration for the Old Dude's Ticker" by Richard Sardinha (artwork)
• "The Old Dude's Ticker" by Stephen King
• "Freddy and Rita" by G. Wayne Miller
• "Lake" by Kathryn Ptacek
• "The Last Performance of Kobo Daishi" by Alan Ryan
• "On the Last Night of the Festival of the Dead" by Darrell Schweitzer
• "Exercise of Faith" by Lucius Shepard
• "Erotorium" by Stephen Spruill
• "Response from a Surprised but Pleased Recipient" by Peter Straub
• "Nocturne" by Thomas Tessier
• "Night Deposits" by Chet Williamson
• "Demonsong" by F. Paul Wilson
• "Necon Proceedings" by Cortney Skinner (artwork)
• "And We'll Be Jolly Friends For Ever More" by P.D. Cacek
• "Becoming Men" by Douglas Clegg
• "Tryptich" by David Cram
• "Somebody Put Me Together" by Sephera Giron
• "Runaway" by Christopher Golden
• "Undercover" by Nancy Holder
• "I Am an Exit" by Brian Keene
• "Virtually Perfect" by James Moore
• "Necon Bat Camper" by Gahan Wilson (artwork)
• "Burning" by Ramsey Campbell
• "Clearly Dead" by Simon Clark
• "Days of the Wheel" by Peter Crowther
• "Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot" by Neil Gaiman
• "Partial Eclipse" by Graham Joyce
• "Recipe for Disaster" by Tim Lebbon
• "Memories of Lydia, Leaving" by Phil Nutman
• "Camp Necon Skeleton" by Gahan Wilson (artwork)

Trade Hardcover Edition bound in full-cloth and Smyth sewn with full-color dust jacket artwork

Slipcased Hardcover Limited Edition of 350 signed and numbered copies, bound in full-cloth and Smyth sewn, and signed by more than 50 contributors (excluding King) on four pages of signature sheets