Originally published : 1982.

Series numbering from inside front cover.

Includes a sneak peek at the second novel in the Dark tower series, The drawing of the three.

"In a desolate reality, one that mirrors our own in frightening ways, a lone and haunting figure known only as Roland makes his way across the endless sands in pursuit of a sinister, dark-robed mystery of a man. Roland is the last of his kind, a 'gunslinger' charged with protecting whatever goodness and light remains in his world -- a world that 'moved on' as they say...and the only way he can possibly hope to save everything is to first outwit and confront this man in black... (From back cover).