The Book of Counted Sorrows

The Book of Counted Sorrows was originally a nonexistent book "quoted" in many of Dean Koontz's books. Koontz subsequently wrote a book of poetry by the same title.^[1]

Nonexistent book

For many years Koontz fans everywhere searched for this elusive book. Many librarians were frustrated in their attempts to locate it,^[1] because it did not exist. This was confirmed by a librarian from Cedar Rapids Public Library who corresponded with Koontz regarding this mysterious book. Koontz himself stated that he received up to 3,000 letters per year inquiring about it.^[1]

In a letter dated August 10, 1992, Koontz stated:

Actually, there is no such book. I made it up. The way you made up footnote sources for fabricated facts in high-school English reports. Oh, come on, yes, you did. Sometimes, when I need a bit of verse to convey some of the underlying themes of a section of a novel, I can't find anything applicable, so I write my own and attribute it to this imaginary tome. I figured readers would eventually realize THE BOOK OF COUNTED SORROWS was my own invention, and I never expected that one day librarians and booksellers would be writing from all over the country, asking for help in tracking down this rare and mysterious volume!^[2]

Koontz went on to say that he would publish such a book in a few years, when he had enough verses to fill a volume. He included a history of the poems in the beginning of the book, followed by the poems, some having never been in any of his books.^[1] According to Shannon Presley of Harvest Books, "Koontz himself wrote the poems, attributed to a Stephen Crane...you can find the collected poems at http://user.xmission.com/~emailbox/koontz/sorrows.htm#Sole_Survivor".

Second nonexistent book

In the beginning of a very few books (such as Odd Thomas), Koontz quotes from The Book of Counted Joys.

Actual book

In 2001, The Book of Counted Sorrows was published in an e-book format offered exclusively through Barnes & Noble;^[3] It was the first book published in Barnes & Noble's launch of its first-ever list of books from its newly formed electronic-publishing division, Barnes & Noble Digital, and "quickly became Barnesandnoble.com's best-selling e-books of the year."^[4] Barnes & Noble Digital's premier 2001 edition is no longer available.

Later that year, Charnel House published two limited editions of the book: a 1250-copy numbered edition and a 26-copy lettered edition.^[5] Both editions quickly sold out from the publisher. In the summer of 2009, Dogged Press issued a 3000-copy hardcover edition.

Sources

Greenberg, Martin H.; Gorman, Ed; Munster, Bill, eds. (1994). The Dean Koontz Companion. New York: Berkeley Books. 

References

Illustrated by Theresa De Perez^[1]

1. ↑ Charnel House Press Kit