Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King

TIME LINE

This is a chronological list of Stephen King’s books interspersed within the events of his life. For a complete bibliography of his works, including short stories, novels, and screenplays, the best source is his own Web site: stephenking.com.

1947 September 21: Stephen Edwin King is born in Portland, Maine, to Donald and Ruth King, who already had a two-year-old boy, David

1949: Donald walks out one evening for a pack of cigarettes and never comes back

1949–58: Ruth and her two boys move from house to house constantly, including in Chicago; West De Pere, Wisconsin; and Stratford, Connecticut

1958 Summer: The Kings settle in West Durham, Maine, to live with Ruth’s elderly parents

1962 June: Steve graduates from grammar school

1962 September: Steve enrolls at Lisbon High School in Lisbon Falls, Maine

1966 June: Steve graduates from Lisbon High School

1966 September: Steve enters the University of Maine at Orono as a freshman

1967 October: Steve sells his first short story, “The Glass Floor,” to the magazine Startling Mystery Stories

1968: Steve meets Tabitha Spruce, a college student a year younger

1969 February: Steve begins writing a weekly column, “The Garbage Truck,” for the Maine Campus

1970 June: Steve graduates from UMO with a bachelor of science degree in English

1970 June: Naomi Rachel, Steve and Tabitha’s first daughter, is born

1970 October: Short story “Graveyard Shift” is published in Cavalier, marking the beginning of a steady stream of sales of Steve’s short stories to men’s magazines

1971 January 2: Steve and Tabitha marry in Old Town, Maine

1974 April: Carrie published

1975 October: Salem’s Lot published

1976 November: Carrie movie released

1977 January: The Shining published

1977 September: Rage by Richard Bachman published

1978 February: Night Shift published

1978 September: The Stand published

1979 July: The Long Walk by Richard Bachman published

1979 August: The Dead Zone published

1980 May: The Shining movie released

1980 September: Firestarter published

1981 April: Danse Macabre published

1981 April: Roadwork by Richard Bachman published

1981 October: Cujo published

1982 May: Running Man by Richard Bachman published

1982 July: Creepshow book published

1982 August: Different Seasons published

1982 November: Creepshow movie released

1983 April: Christine published

1983 October: The Dead Zone movie released

1983 November: Pet Sematary published

1983 December: Christine movie released

1984 April: Cycle of the Werewolf published

1984 May: Firestarter movie released

1984 November: Thinner by Richard Bachman published

1984 November: Talisman published

1985 February: Richard Bachman revealed

1985 April: Cat’s Eye movie released

1985 June: Skeleton Crew published

1985 July: King directs Maximum Overdrive in Wilmington, North Carolina

1986 July: Maximum Overdrive released

1986 August: Stand by Me released

1986 September: IT published

1987 February: Eyes of the Dragon published

1987 June: Misery published

1987 November: Tommyknockers published

1988 September: The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger published

1988 November: Nightmares in the Sky published

1989 March: The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three published

1989 November: The Dark Half published

1990 May: The Stand Uncut published

1990 September: Four Past Midnight published

1990 October: Graveyard Shift movie released

1991 August: The Dark Tower III: The Wastelands published

1991 October: Needful Things published

1992 May: Gerald’s Game published

1993 January: Dolores Claiborne published

1993 October: Nightmares and Dreamscapes published

1994 April: Insomnia published

1994 May: The Stand TV miniseries debuts on ABC

1994 September: The Shawshank Redemption movie released

1994 October: “The Man in the Black Suit” is published in the New Yorker

1995 July: Rose Madder published

1996: King receives O. Henry Award for “The Man in the Black Suit”

1996: March through August: The Green Mile is published monthly in six installments

1996 October 1: Desperation and The Regulators are published on the same day

1997 November: The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass published

1998 September: Bag of Bones published

1999 February: Storm of the Century TV miniseries debuts on ABC

1999 April: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon published

1999 June 19: King is seriously injured when he’s hit by a van while walking

1999 September: Hearts in Atlantis published

1999 December 10: The Green Mile movie released; Steve and Tabby show up at the premiere

2000 March: Riding the Bullet e-book released

2000 July: The Plant e-book released

2000 October: On Writing published

2001 March: Dreamcatcher published

2001 September: Black House, written with Peter Straub, published

2002 March: Everything’s Eventual published

2002 September: From a Buick 8 published

2003 June: The Dark Tower books I–IV reissued

2003 November: The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla published

2003 November 19: King receives National Book Foundation award

2003 November 23: King hospitalized with pneumonia

2004 March: Kingdom Hospital miniseries debuts on ABC

2004 April 7: King finishes writing The Dark Tower series

2004 June: The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah published

2004 September 21: The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower published, King’s fifty-seventh birthday

2004 October 27: The Boston Red Sox win the World Series

2004 December: Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season published, written with Stewart O’Nan

2005 October: The Colorado Kid published

2006 January: Cell published

2006 October: Lisey’s Story published

2007 February–August: The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born comic books published

2007 June: Blaze, a Richard Bachman book, published

2007 October: Best American Short Stories 2007 published, King as editor

2007 November: The Mist movie released

2008 January: Duma Key published

2008 November: Just After Sunset: Stories published