Stephen King is autographing limited-edition reissues of Misery

If you’re Stephen King’s No. 1 Fan, now’s your chance to get an autographed limited-edition reissue of Misery.

The price is steep, but not quite an arm or a leg.

Suntup Editions announced today it will produce three editions of the 1987 novel, about captured, injured writer Paul Sheldon and his obsessive admirer Annie Wilkes, a mad nurse forcing him to write a tailor-made sequel to his Victorian romance series about a character named Misery Chastain.

All three editions of the reissue include eight full-color illustrations by artist Rick Berry, who has previously illustrated special editions of The Talisman and Black House by King and Peter Straub.

“I remember the first time I picked up a copy of Misery when it was released in 1987,” says Paul Suntup, the publishing company’s owner and founder. “I had just finished reading The Eyes of the Dragon, and I remember how excited I was that a new book by my new favorite author was out. I cannot believe that I now have this opportunity to publish a signed limited edition of Misery. It is a dream come true.”

Publication is scheduled for Aug. 8, but preorders begin on Monday, Feb. 12 at Suntup’s website.

Artist Gift edition of Misery (on the right) is signed only by Berry and includes a dust jacket with Berry’s wrap-around artwork. For those who appreciate fine paper and printing, here are the specs, per Suntup: “It is a smyth-sewn binding with full imperial cloth, foil stamping and is offset printed on Mohawk Superfine Eggshell paper.”

When the Misery presale goes up Monday, the price for that edition will be $110.

The Numbered edition (pictured at left), signed by King and Berry, is limited to 200 copies, the first 185 copies numbered in black. There will be 15 other copies numbered in red that will be reserved for private distribution.

The details: “It is a full Japanese cloth, smyth-sewn binding featuring a blind stamped front cover, and a leather spine label stamped in 22K gold leaf. The edition is printed letterpress on Cranes Lettra Pearl White cotton paper, and housed in a custom clamshell box.”

The price for this one: $525

The Lettered edition (pictured above) has only 26 copies for sale.

Why 26? They are lettered A-Z. (Lettered edition, you see.)

Again, both King and Berry will autograph these, but they’d better not smudge the signatures. “It is printed letterpress on moldmade Arches wove paper with a deckled fore edge, and handbound in full leather,” according to Suntup. “Endpapers are marbled, and made exclusively for this edition. The binding is sewn with a hollow back designed to hold for 300 years.”

That’s an important selling point for all of King’s immortal readers.

The edition also includes an original frontispiece print pulled from a wood engraving by illustrator and designer Barry Moser, who also autographs it.

On the cover of the book, the title will be embossed with six original keys from a Royal typewriter. That’s the same device that Annie forces Paul to use for his command performance writing her new novel, even though the broken old machine he is given keeps throwing letters.

The Lettered edition book is “housed in a custom walnut wood box designed to resemble an original Royal Model 10 packing crate, and features a black suede-lined book bed.”

It sells for $3,950.

Obviously, that means this one is for the extremely high-end collectors — the 1 percent of the No. 1 Fans.