The Shining Compendium Box Set Is A Staggeringly Ambitious Examination Of Kubrick’s Horror Classic
Almost 45 years ago, Stanley Kubrick revolutionized the horror genre with his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining, and soon fans will be able to dive deep into the iconic horror film’s decades-spanning influence and infamous production with a new two-book compendium from luxury art book publisher Taschen. Simply titled Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, the compendium spans nearly 1,400 pages and is packed with writings from some of Hollywood’s biggest directors, behind-the-scenes details on the film’s production, and more. It’s set to release on November 26, and preorders are available now for $50 off at Amazon.
$76 (was $125)
This massive 1,396-page, two-volume set is edited by Lee Unkrich, the Oscar-winning director of Pixar films Toy Story 3 and Coco, and co-director of Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo.
The first book in the collection features written reflections on the film and its importance by author J.W. Rinzler with a foreword by acclaimed director Steven Spielberg. You’ll also find insights from cast and crew members based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the cast and crew.
The second book is a photo album featuring hundreds of photographs, concept art, letters, in-depth looks at deleted scenes, and never-before-seen production documents from Kubrick’s personal collection.
Both books are designed by M/M Paris to evoke the look and feel of The Shining’s set design and art direction.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining compendium originally launched in 2023 as an exclusive collector’s box set limited to just 1,000 copies for $2,500–it still sold out quickly with that price. The upcoming retail version has been reformatted to fit into a slimmer (but still enormous) two-volume set with an eye-catching slipcase cover. It carries a list price of $125, but you can preorder it for only $76 at Amazon right now.
With Amazon’s preorder price guarantee, you won’t be charged until your order ships and you’ll automatically get the lowest price the retailer offers ahead of launch. That said, this discount is already substantial for book set like this, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the price go up instead of down.
Here’s a closer look at this new version of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining compendium.
Gallery
Taschen’s new compendium isn’t the first book about Kubrick from the publisher. For a broader look at the filmmaker’s storied career, The Stanley Kubrick Archives is essentially reading. Two hardcover versions of this incredible compendium are available. A compact, budget-friendly edition with 861 pages is discounted to $15 (was $25) at Amazon. The premium version of The Stanley Kubrick Archives is a wide coffee table-style book with 544 pages. It contains the same content, but the images and text are larger. You can buy the high-end edition of The Stanley Kubrick Archives for $58 (was $100) at Amazon.
Fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey should check out Taschen’s 527-page tome chronicling the creation of Kubrick’s beloved adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s novel. Last year, Taschen published a collection of Kubrick’s photography titled Through a Different Lens.
Stanley Kubrick books by Taschen
The Shining Series Book and Blu-ray Deals
The Shining is often cited as one of the best–and most important–horror films ever made. Adapted from King’s novel of the same name, the 1980 film stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrence, a recovering alcoholic and aspiring writer who takes a seasonal job as the winter caretaker for a mountain resort hotel. Jack’s wife Wendy–played by the late Shelley Duvall–and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) accompany him for the season, but what starts as a quiet winter vacation soon devolves into a psychological prison that drives Jack into a violent mental crisis fueled by seemingly supernatural forces within the hotel’s walls. While initial reviews at the time were mixed, The Shining has accrued widespread critical appeal in the years since and remains one of the most influential films in the horror genre. It’s also one of the most infamous movies ever made, with stories of a difficult–even oppressive–production adding to the movie’s mythos.
If you haven’t seen The Shining before–or the Mike Flanagan-directed sequel, Doctor Sleep–you can grab both on 4K Blu-ray for cheap at Amazon. Kubrick’s film has many fans, but Stephen King isn’t one of them. The novelist rather famously hates the adaptation of his novel, which remains one of King’s best books today. His negative opinion of the movie likely contributed to his decision to write the 1997 miniseries that aired on ABC. Clocking in at roughly 4.5 hours across three feature-length episodes, the TV series received mixed reactions from critics and fans. In the years since, appreciation for Kubrick’s film has only grown, while the TV adaptation has largely been forgotten. But earlier this year, Shout Factory revived The Shining TV series with a Blu-ray release. If you love The Shining, it’s definitely worth a watch.
If you haven’t read King’s The Shining and Doctor Sleep novels, we’ve included a list of deals below on hardcover and paperback editions, as well as a box set containing both novels and three other great King books. The Shining, in particular, is a masterful work of horror fiction. King published Doctor Sleep in 2013, over 25 years after The Shining. It had the truly unenviable task of following up a beloved classic. Unsurprisingly, Doctor Sleep isn’t as good as the original, but it’s still a great book and a worthy sequel.
