The Shining
Staff Pick
The Shining
While I love Kubrick's film to pieces, I admit that everything I love about it is present in the novel, with more besides. When I picked up the book, I expected to react to it in the same way as the movie: to find the characters only lightly engaging, and to be urging the Overlook Hotel to get around to the insanity to inject some excitement into the story. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, this time around, I was actually rooting for Jack. In fact, while his loss of sanity was a forgone conclusion, I was hoping the Torrence family as a unit would survive. It made the story all the more tragic and poignant to watch the dissolution of a family of generally good and likable, if flawed, people instead of cardboard cutouts as the novel reached its nightmarish crescendo. The Shining is by no means a perfect book, and I hardly wish to insult as fine a film as its "adaptation." But that's just it: the two are essentially different stories. If you find anything you like in the movie, you would be doing yourself a disservice not to read King's novel.
Jack Torrance sees his stint as winter caretaker of a Colorado hotel as a way back from failure, his wife sees it as a chance to preserve their family, and their five-year-old son sees the evil waiting just for them.
- Condition: NewHPB condition ratings
- New: Item is brand new, unused and unmarked, in flawless condition.
- Fine/Like New (F): No defects, little usage. May show remainder marks. Older books may show minor flaws.
- Very Good (VG): Shows some signs of wear and is no longer fresh. Attractive. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Good (G): Average used book with all pages present. Possible loose bindings, highlighting, cocked spine or torn dust jackets. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Fair (FR): Obviously well-worn, but no text pages missing. May be without endpapers or title page. Markings do not interfere with readability. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Poor (P): All text is legible but may be soiled and have binding defects. Reading copies and binding copies fall into this category. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Format: Paperback
- Sold by: HPB.com
- Seller rating:
- Language: English
- Publisher: Anchor Books
- ISBN-13: 9780345806789
- ISBN: 0345806786
- Publication Year: 2013
- Edition: Reprint
- New: Item is brand new, unused and unmarked, in flawless condition.
- Fine/Like New (F): No defects, little usage. May show remainder marks. Older books may show minor flaws.
- Very Good (VG): Shows some signs of wear and is no longer fresh. Attractive. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Good (G): Average used book with all pages present. Possible loose bindings, highlighting, cocked spine or torn dust jackets. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Fair (FR): Obviously well-worn, but no text pages missing. May be without endpapers or title page. Markings do not interfere with readability. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Poor (P): All text is legible but may be soiled and have binding defects. Reading copies and binding copies fall into this category. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- New: Mint condition or still sealed (SS). Absolutely perfect in every way. New.
- Fine/Like New (EX): No defects, little sign of use, well cared for. Plays perfectly. Close to new. Not necessarily sealed or unused, but close. Could be an unopened promotional or cut item. Sometimes called: mint-minus.
- Very Good (VG): Will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it.
- Good (G): Attractive and well cared for, but no longer fresh. Minor signs of wear, scuffing or scratching, but will play almost perfectly. For vinyl: barely detectable crackles or pops.
- Fair (FR): This item is in okay condition. For vinyl: good is not so good and the record may have low level crackles or pops when playing. CD: one or more tracks may skip.
- Poor (P): Obviously well-worn and handled. Most vinyl collectors will not buy good or below, but some tracks on CD or vinyl will play.
- New: This movie is unopened and brand new.
- Fine/Like New (EX): Near new. No defects, little sign of use. Plays perfectly. Not necessarily sealed or unused, but close. No skipping; no fuzzy or snowy frames in VHS.
- Very Good (VG): Attractive and well cared for but no longer fresh. Minor signs of wear, but will play almost perfectly. For VHS: barely detectable distortion or very few fuzzy or snowy frames.
- Good (G): This item is in okay condition and basically works well. There may be some minor distortion on VHS tape; slight scratching or wear on DVD.
- Fair (FR): Basically plays, but may be obviously well-worn with some scratching or tape distortion.
- Poor (P): Disc or tape is intact, but may be scratched or stretched. There may be skips or distortion or product defects.