Why Stephen King Asked For This Chilling Book To Be Pulled From Shelves And Never Printed Again

Stephen King is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential authors in modern entertainment, yet he has openly admitted feeling relieved when one of his early novels was removed from store shelves.

If you have watched a television series or movie at any point over the past two decades, there is a strong chance you have seen something either adapted from or inspired by Stephen King’s work, and that lasting presence is no accident.

Now 78 years old, King has built an extraordinary career that includes more than sixty novels, hundreds of short stories, and countless film and television adaptations that continue to reach new audiences.

Despite that success, King made the decision to have one of his early books removed from circulation, even though it had performed well.

In 1977, while publishing under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, King released the novel Rage, which centers on a troubled teenager who brings a gun to school, shoots a teacher, and holds classmates hostage.

As the 1980s and 1990s unfolded, growing concern emerged that the book may have influenced real-life violence, particularly as several individuals involved in school shootings were reported to have read or possessed the novel.

Stephen King had to reflect on how influential his book may have been Jim Spellman/WireImage

Those concerns intensified after a 1997 school shooting in Kentucky involving a student named Michael Carneal, when it was revealed that a copy of the book had been found in his locker.

Speaking at a library conference in Vermont in 1999, King addressed the incident directly and explained: "I can't say for sure that Michael Carneal had read my novel Rage, but news stories following the incident reported that a copy of it had been found in his locker. It seems likely to me that he did."

"Rage had been mentioned in at least one other school shooting… The Carneal incident was enough for me. I asked my publisher to take the damned thing out of print. They concurred."

It has long been suspected that the novel’s main character, who carries out the shooting in the story, may have struck a chord with some real-world perpetrators.

King has since reflected publicly on whether his writing may have played a role in influencing individuals who went on to commit acts of extreme violence.

He even drew a comparison to serial killer Ted Bundy, noting how Bundy himself admitted that consuming graphic material helped fuel his violent fantasies.

Stephen King at a book signing in 1976 Buddy Mays/Corbis via Getty Images

The author later said: "Do I think that Rage may have provoked Carneal, or any other badly adjusted young person, to resort to the gun? It's an important question… The answer is troubling, but it needs to be faced: in some cases, yes. Probably it does."

"One cannot divorce the presence of my book in that kid's locker from what he did."

"That such stories will exist no matter what - that they will be obtainable under the counter if not over it - begs the question. The point is that I don't want to be part of it."

"Once I knew what had happened. I pulled the ejection-seat lever on that particular piece of work. I withdrew Rage, and I did it with relief rather than regret."