Who Published The Thinner Book And When?

I remember stumbling upon 'Thinner' during a deep dive into Stephen King's bibliography. The book was actually published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman back in 1984. It's wild how King used Bachman as an alter ego to experiment with darker, more raw storytelling without the weight of his famous name. 'Thinner' was part of this secretive phase until King's true identity got exposed. The novel itself is a gnarly piece of work—body horror meets moral reckoning, classic King themes but with an extra layer of grit. The Bachman books have this cult following because they feel like unfiltered King, before fame polished his edges.

What's fascinating is how 'Thinner' came out just before King's pseudonym was blown wide open. By 1985, the jig was up, and King retired the Bachman name (though it resurfaced later for fun). The timing makes 'Thinner' feel like a last hurrah for Bachman's unrestrained voice. The paperback edition dropped in 1985 with a revised cover once the secret got out, and suddenly everyone realized they'd been reading King all along. The whole Bachman era is such a cool footnote in horror lit history—like discovering your favorite band had a secret EP.

Oh man, 'Thinner'! That was one of Richard Bachman's books, right? Turns out Bachman was just Stephen King writing under a fake name. It got published in 1984, and it's this creepy story about a guy cursed to lose weight nonstop. King’s Bachman phase was low-key genius—he wrote these twisted, fast-paced stories without the pressure of his mega-fame. The cover art for the original hardback was unassuming, totally different from King’s usual vibe. Fun fact: a bookstore clerk figured out the pseudonym by comparing writing styles and blew King’s cover. After that, 'Thinner' got reissued with King’s name slapped on it. The whole thing feels like a secret club for horror fans.