Introductions- read or skip them?

[larchi]

Something that burns my basket is people who skip introductions??? o.0 I think they're a great seasoning for a book, start the juices flowing yadda yadda. I have so many favourite tid bits from SK intros, how he came accross the story for From a Buick 8 a personal fave. Just wondering what intos got your juices goin'?

(have to admit though, always been a little scared reading SK intros since he really does not mind giving spoilers away!)

[fljoe0]

I read them but not always at the start of the book. Sometimes I'm in a big hurry to get started on the book and I skip the intro (especially if it's long) and read it later.

[J.T. Adams]

His SS collection intro's always fascinate me.

[GNTLGNT]

None in particular leap out...but youdamnbetcha I read em....amazing litlle McNuggets of factoids are contained threin...

[Haunted]

I used to skip the intros until I got hooked by one of Mr. King's (can't remember which one) and I have read every intro since then. I now feel I would miss out on something important if I did not read the intro!!

[Becks19]

It seems sacrilegious to skip the intro of a book( to me).....Nope, can't do it! It's like leaving a part of the book unread!

[Spideyman]

The introductions are a must read. Have always felt they are part of the book and need to be absorbed.

[fushingfeef]

(have to admit though, always been a little scared reading SK intros since he really does not mind giving spoilers away!)

I can't think of an instance when he spoiled one of his own stories.

I always read introductions but I always skip those director's video introductions on DVDs, especially if I haven't seen the movie yet.

[J.T. Adams]

I hope no one skips these(or afterwards notes) because this is often the true gift He gives to his constant readers.

Putting all these together a long with his non-fiction writings paints quite an intimate portrait of the King.

[blunthead]

Early on in life I would skip intros and prefaces and forewords, probably because what I was reading was an assignment, not a personal choice, and then out of subsequent habit. Now I consider them, in their way, part of the story, like an appetizer is part of the meal. Meanwhile, I've found patience to be not only a good thing to learn but a mandatory one. Like GNT said about the McNuggets.

[CarrieJo]

With King, I read the introductions. With other books I'll start and it just depends if I feel like it's pointless or not (sometimes they can be rather dry). If not, I'll skip it and start the story and go back and finish it later. It doesn't bother me if someone doesn't read them. Who cares, their loss.

[muskrat]

Love em, love em--intros and afterwords. Sometimes King's intros are better than the book. Heh.

BUT...beware of intros to older books, back before the concept of 'spoiler' was invented. Case in point; the other day, I read John Chamberlain's intro to the Modern Library omnibus of James Farrell's Studs Lonigan trilogy, and he totally gives away the ending and several key plot points. Man, that burned my bisquits. I've noticed this happening in many intros to classic books, so if it's an oldie, I skip the intro till later.

[Jojo87]

I always read the introduction it's a must. And if it's afterwords in books. I read them before I even start with the book.

[prufrock21]

Always read the intros, especially to a Stephen King book. (Read the Afterwards, too.)

[JellybeanJay]

The intros and afterwards are sometimes my favorite part of the books :smile2:

[omm poppa mow mow]

Soon as you skip the intro...that's when there's ten questions on the test....so seems like a no-brainer. Best read them.

[91rewoT]

With King's books -I ALWAYS read the introduction and afterwards. In fact, I'm so disappointed when there is no intro that I feel a bit cheated (as if an 800 page book isn't enough!)...I love, love, love some of King's intros in his earlier books. The one that has always stuck in my mind is when he talks about not putting his hand over the edge of the bed!

[king family fan]

I always read the intros and the afterwards. i really enjoy kings word and am certain I would read them with or without the intros.

[MelissaConstantReader]

I always read every part of the book. I'll even stop and check out the order form in the back of the old paperbacks to see which ones were being advertised when it came out. :blush:

[samhain]

I read SK's introductions every single time. I find they just as enjoyable as the story that follows.

[Sundrop]

Always read the intros and afterwords.....every time, all the time ♥

[tmac61]

I like reading SK's intros, because they sometimes offer some insight into his thought process when was writing the book.

[Todash]

With most authors, I skim them, and if they're interesting, I'll read them. They often are.

I always read King's, of course. And I always read Neil Gaiman's. Those two authors could publish their grocery lists, and I'd read them.

[tenngolfer]

I have to say I read about 1/3, glance through 1/3, and skip 1/3. Although I have to include that I read a decent amount of non-fiction career related material, and some of the intros to subjects like Metallurgy, and Organizational Behavior may not really be all that interesting.

[Shoesalesman]

I like reading SK's intros, because they sometimes offer some insight into his thought process when was writing the book.

Me too, for the same reason.

[fredthe3rd]

I remember him giving a bit to much info in the intros to the stories in Everything's Eventual. Classic novels often have an intro by an academic and I always read these after I've read the novel because they almost always spoil something.

Stephen's after words... I usually wait til the next day to read them because I feel they distract from the closure of the novel.

[blunthead]

Always read the intros and afterwords.....every time, all the time ♥Imho, every word in any book should be read, with the exception perhaps of the page with the publication info and some of included reviews quotes.

[kingricefan]

With King I always read the intros, afterwards and whatever else there is printed on the pages. When I was in my teens, I wouldn't bother with any of that stuff, until I started reading SK. By the way- there is a really rather enlightening afterword in the original paperback editions of Firestarter that wasn't in the hardcover version. Very interesting, indeed!

[ZMeister]

They're usually the first thing I look for when I get one of his books. I also enjoy it when he quotes song lyrics and poetry before chapters or sections. I've discovered Yeats, T.S. Eliot and Theodore Roethke from reading those.

[jacobtlong]

I always read introductions whether they are by the author who wrote a particular book or by a different author. I actually prefer introductions by a different author than the one who wrote the book most of the time. But on the whole I just read introductions in general because I've always believed in reading a book from first page to last even if the info contained within the introduction is a bit trite.

But SK's introductions are generally pretty interesting.

I don't really like afterwords, though. At least not until after I've had enough time to digest the contents of the novel or story collection. Which, depending on the book, could be a while.

[AchtungBaby]

Yes, I read them.

[mustangclaire]

I read them too. I especially like the bits in Everythings Eventual, where he explains the reasons for each story. Love that, gives us an insight on how his mind works, and WHY the stories are in there. Brilliant.

[charmed_one3]

I love Stephen's introductions and afterwords! They can be both funny and touching. I enjoyed the notes at the end of Skeleton Crew where he explains how he got the ideas for all of the stories.

[Lily Sawyer]

I love reading intros! And afterwards as well!
They're like Easter eggs on DVDs, put there by the author, no less, and not just a production crew.