Fact check: Is the author of many scary books like The Shining Stephen King or Steven King?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses conclusively confirm that the author of scary books like The Shining is Stephen King, not Steven King. Multiple authoritative sources establish this fact:

• Stephen King's official website consistently uses "Stephen" throughout, confirming this is the correct spelling of his name ^{[1] [2]}
• Encyclopedia Britannica provides his full name as "Stephen Edwin King," using "Stephen" consistently throughout their biographical entry ^[3]
• Wikipedia also confirms the author's name is Stephen King, with multiple references using "Stephen" as his first name ^[4]
• News outlets including The Independent consistently refer to the author as Stephen King in their coverage ^[5]

The sources demonstrate that Stephen King is indeed the prolific author of horror fiction, including The Shining, and that "Steven King" is simply an incorrect spelling of his name.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important context about name confusion that exists in public discourse:

• There is documented confusion between Stephen King the author and Steve King, the former U.S. Representative from Iowa ^{[6] [7]}
• Stephen King himself has expressed frustration about being confused with the politician Steve King, particularly wanting Iowans to understand they are different people ^[8]
• The confusion appears significant enough that Newsweek has covered Stephen King's statements about being mixed up with the congressman ^[6]

One source acknowledges that while the name "Stephen" can have pronunciation variations, this doesn't change the written spelling of the author's name ^[9].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains a factual error by presenting "Steven King" as a possible alternative spelling of the author's name. This creates false equivalency between the correct spelling (Stephen) and an incorrect one (Steven).

The question format suggests uncertainty where none should exist - Stephen King is the definitively established name of the author, supported by his official website, major encyclopedias, and consistent media coverage across all analyzed sources. Presenting "Steven King" as a viable alternative could perpetuate misspelling of this prominent author's name.