Back to the well

Stephen King has put out Extra Special Edition of Salem's Lot. It's more or less the book equivalent of Pavement's re-release of Slanted and Enchanted. There isn't much reason to buy either unless you are a long time fan with lots more money than back in the day. OK, there's more reason to pick up the SE, since you may not have Watery Domestic or some of the B-sides. With the Salem's Lot, you get some short stories you have likely read already if you are a fan. And come on if you are willing to drop $35 on a book you can get for $7 in the same store, you're a fan. There are also some deleted scenes that are apparently more violent than in the original. This is probably the best of the Stephen King's but I don't know that I need to read it again.

I like the concept of adding content after the hardcover release. You see this in paperbacks all the time, particularly in non-fiction where events may reduce the value of the book's thesis. The authors of the Ice Limit published a web only epilogue after readers complained the book ended a bit too abruptly. I disagree, it may be my favorite of the Preston-Child books, but it was fun to get a little extra.