"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

Written by Stephen King in 1970, five years before the publication of his first novel, that sentence opens up a world still unknown to many of his readers. It begins a spectacular seven-volume epic fantasy — The Dark Tower — that is sure to become an American classic.

Now, preparing the way for the publication of the saga's concluding volumes, King offers a revised and expanded edition of The Gunslinger, the mesmerizing first book of the series. This hardcover edition, for which King has written a special introduction and Foreword, contains all of the full-color paintings and pen-and-ink drawings created by Michael Whelan for the original limited edition published by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, in 1982.

Eerie, dreamlike, set in a world that is weirdly related to our own, The Gunslinger introduces Roland Deschain of Gilead, of In-World that was, as he pursues his enigmatic antagonist to the mountains that separate the desert from the Western Sea. Roland is a solitary figure, perhaps accursed, who with a strange singlemindedness traverses an exhausted, almost timeless landscape. The people he encounters are left behind, or worse — left dead. At a way station, however, he meets Jake, a boy from a particular time (1977) and a particular place (New York City), and soon the two are joined — khef, ka, and ka-tet. The mountains lie before them. So does the man in black and, somewhere far beyond...the Dark Tower.

"In the interest of fair criticism, The Gunslinger is still a good read....[It] strives (successfully, on some levels) to invest the high fantasy genre with a uniquely American angle. Filled with plenty of strange creatures...and just the right amount of dread, foreshadowing and poetic prose, The Gunslinger is a quirky, interesting start to Roland's journey." The Denver Post

"Brilliant, fresh, and compelling...will leave you panting for more." Booklist

"An impressive work of mythic magnitude. May turn out to be Stephen King's greatest literary achievement." Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Featuring a new Introduction by the author, the first four books of the soon-to-be-completed Dark Tower series are set in a world of extraordinary circumstances and filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters.

Beginning with a short story appearing in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, the publication of Stephen King's epic work of fantasy-what he considers to be a single long novel and his magnum opus-has spanned a quarter of a century.

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is King's most visionary feat of storytelling, a magical mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that may well be his crowning achievement. In November 2003, the fifth installment, Wolves of the Calla, will be published under the imprint of Donald M. Grant, with distribution and major promotion provided by Scribner. Song of Susannah, Book VI, and The Dark Tower, Book VII, will follow under the same arrangement in 2004. With these last three volumes finally on the horizon, readers-countless King readers who have yet to delve into The Dark Tower and a multitude of new and old fantasy fans-can now look forward to reading the series straight through to its stunning conclusion. Viking's elegant reissue of the first four books ensures that for the first time The Dark Tower will be widely available in hardcover editions for this eager readership.

Stephen King has written more than forty books and two hundred short stories. He has won the World Fantasy Award, several Bram Stoker awards, and the O. Henry Award for his story "The Man in the Black Suit."

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is unlike anything you've ever read. Here is Stephen King's most visionary piece of storytelling, a magical mix of fantasy and horror that may well be his crowning achievement.

Join the quest for the elusive Dark Tower.