Easton Press Ray Bradbury books
The Martian Chronicles - Masterpieces of Science Fiction (signed) - 1989
Fahrenheit 451 - Masterpieces of Science Fiction (not signed - red leather) - 1991
Fahrenheit 451 - signed modern classic (black leather) - 1998
From The Dust Returned - signed edition limited to 1400 copies - 2001
Ray Bradbury Stories - signed first edition - 2003
Franklin Library Ray Bradbury books
Quicker Than the Eye - signed first edition - 1996
Ray Bradbury biography
Ray Douglas Bradbury, a luminary in the realm of science fiction and fantasy, was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois. Raised in a small town by Leonard Spaulding Bradbury and Esther Marie Moberg, Bradbury's early fascination with storytelling and the fantastical set the stage for a prolific literary career. Bradbury's love for books and speculative fiction began at a young age, fueled by trips to the local library and his voracious reading habits. His formal education was shaped by a passion for storytelling rather than academic pursuits, and he largely considered himself to be a self-educated individual.
In 1938, Bradbury embarked on his writing journey, initially focusing on short stories. His breakthrough came in 1950 with the publication of The Martian Chronicles, a collection of interconnected stories that explored the colonization of Mars. This marked the beginning of a prolific period for Bradbury, during which he produced some of his most celebrated works. Among his iconic creations is Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953, a dystopian novel that envisions a future society where books are banned and "firemen" burn any that are found. This classic work remains a powerful commentary on censorship, intellectual freedom, and the role of literature in society. Bradbury's imaginative storytelling extended beyond novels; he also made significant contributions to the world of short fiction. His short story The Veldt and the compilation The Illustrated Man are emblematic of his ability to blend science fiction with psychological insight.
Over the course of his career, Bradbury penned over 600 short stories, novels, plays, and poems. His works often explored the intersection of technology, human nature, and the consequences of unchecked progress. Bradbury received numerous accolades for his contributions to literature, including a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation and a National Medal of Arts. Beyond his literary achievements, Bradbury became a revered figure in popular culture, with adaptations of his works into films, television shows, and stage productions. His distinctive voice and visionary storytelling captivated generations of readers, making him a beloved and enduring figure in the world of speculative fiction.
Ray Bradbury short stories
Ray Bradbury was a prolific author who wrote numerous short stories, many of which are considered classics. Some of Ray Bradbury's best short stories include: The Martian Chronicles (1950) While technically a collection of interconnected stories, The Martian Chronicles explores the colonization and eventual decline of Mars by humans. The Veldt (1950) This story, part of Bradbury's The Illustrated Man collection, revolves around a futuristic house that caters to the every whim of its inhabitants, leading to unforeseen consequences. A Sound of Thunder (1952) A classic tale of time travel and its potential consequences, this story explores the butterfly effect and the delicate balance of nature. The Fog Horn (1951) Set in a remote lighthouse, this story tells the tale of a lonely sea monster responding to the call of a fog horn, establishing a unique connection between man and creature. The Pedestrian (1951) In a dystopian future where people have become antisocial and isolated, one man takes a solitary walk at night, leading to an encounter with the authorities. There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) This story depicts the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse through the perspective of an automated house that continues its routine despite the absence of its human inhabitants. The Illustrated Man (1951) The titular story introduces a man whose tattoos come to life, each telling a different tale that explores various aspects of human nature and society. All Summer in a Day (1954) Set on Venus, where the sun appears for only a few hours every seven years, this story explores the cruelty of children and the consequences of their actions. The Small Assassin (1946) In this early Bradbury story, a mother becomes increasingly convinced that her newborn baby is trying to harm her. Kaleidoscope (1949) A group of astronauts hurtles through space after their rocket explodes, and the story explores their thoughts and reflections as they face impending doom.
These short stories showcase Bradbury's masterful storytelling, imagination, and his ability to blend elements of science fiction with poignant reflections on human nature and society.
The Ray Bradbury Theater
The Ray Bradbury Theater was a television anthology series that aired for six seasons from 1985 to 1992. The show was based on the short stories of Ray Bradbury, and Bradbury himself often provided introductions to the episodes. Each episode adapted one of Bradbury's stories into a half-hour or one-hour format. The series featured a mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories, reflecting Bradbury's diverse body of work. The series adapted a wide range of Bradbury's short stories, capturing the essence of his literary style and exploring the themes present in his works. Ray Bradbury was actively involved in the production of the series. He wrote several of the screenplays and provided introductions to many episodes, giving viewers insights into the inspiration behind the stories. The show featured various guest stars, including well-known actors such as William Shatner, Jeff Goldblum, Peter O'Toole, Drew Barrymore, and others. The episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theater are standalone stories, allowing viewers to experience different facets of Bradbury's storytelling without the need for a continuous narrative.
The Ray Bradbury Theater contributed to bringing Bradbury's imaginative and thought-provoking stories to a wider audience through the medium of television. It remains a notable adaptation of his work, and fans of Bradbury's writing may appreciate the visual interpretations of his classic tales.
Ray Bradbury passed away on June 5, 2012, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence and inspire writers and readers alike. His ability to blend poetic prose with thought-provoking themes ensures that his works remain timeless explorations of the human condition in the face of the unknown.
Fahrenheit 451
Nearly Seventy years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.
Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
The classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, Fahrenheit 451 stands alongside Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity.
Bradbury’s powerful and poetic prose combines with uncanny insight into the potential of technology to create a novel which, decades on from first publication, still has the power to dazzle and shock.
Dandelion Wine - Green Town Series Book 1
The summer of '28 was a vintage season for a growing boy. A summer of green apple trees, mowed lawns, and new sneakers. Of half-burnt firecrackers, of gathering dandelions, of Grandma's belly-busting dinner. It was a summer of sorrows and marvels and gold-fuzzed bees. A magical, timeless summer in the life of a twelve-year-old boy named Douglas Spaulding remembered forever by the incomparable Ray Bradbury.
Woven into the novel are the following short stories: Illumination, Dandelion Wine, Summer in the Air, Season of Sitting, The Happiness Machine, The Night, The Lawns of Summer, Season of Disbelief, The Last the Very Last, The Green Machine, The Trolley, Statues, The Window, The Swan, The Whole Town's Sleeping, Goodbye Grandma, The Tarot Witch, Hotter Than Summer, Dinner at Dawn, The Magical Kitchen, Green Wine for Dreaming.
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Green Town Series Book 2
One of Ray Bradbury’s best-known and most popular novels, Something Wicked This Way Comes, now featuring a new introduction and material about its longstanding influence on culture and genre.
For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin. Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. A calliope’s shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. Two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes…and the stuff of nightmares.
Few novels have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury’s unparalleled literary masterpiece Something Wicked This Way Comes. Scary and suspenseful, it is a timeless classic in the American canon.
The Martian Chronicles
The strange and wonderful tale of man’s experiences on Mars, filled with intense images and astonishing visions. Now part of the Voyager Classics collection.
The Martian Chronicles tells the story of humanity’s repeated attempts to colonize the red planet. The first men were few. Most succumbed to a disease they called the Great Loneliness when they saw their home planet dwindle to the size of a fist. They felt they had never been born. Those few that survived found no welcome on Mars. The shape-changing Martians thought they were native lunatics and duly locked them up.
But more rockets arrived from Earth, and more, piercing the hallucinations projected by the Martians. People brought their old prejudices with them and their desires and fantasies, tainted dreams. These were soon inhabited by the strange native beings, with their caged flowers and birds of flame.
The Earthmen came by the handful, then the hundreds, then the millions. They swept aside the majestic, dying Martian civilization to build their homes, shopping malls, and cities. Mars began as a place of boundless hopes and dreams, a planet to replace an Earth sinking into waste and war. It became a canvas for mankind’s follies and darkest desires. Ultimately, the Earthmen who came to conquer the red-gold planet awoke to discover themselves conquered by Mars. Lulled by its ancient enchantments, the Earthmen learned, at terrible cost, to overcome their own humanity.
The Martian Chronicles include:
Rocket Summer
Ylla
The Summer Night
The Earth Men
The Taxpayer
The Third Expedition
And the Moon Be Still As Bright
The Settlers
The Green Morning
The Locusts
Night Meeting
The Shore
Interim
The Musicians
Way in the Middle of the Air
The Naming of Names
Usher II
The Old Ones
The Martian
The Luggage Store
The Off Season
The Watchers
The Silent Towns
The Long Years
There Will Come Soft Rains
The Million Year Picnic
From The Dust Returned
Ray Bradbury, America's most beloved storyteller, has spent a lifetime carrying readers to exhilarating and dangerous places, from dark street comers in unfamiliar cities and towns to the edge of the universe. Now, in an extraordinary flight of the imagination a half-century in the making, he takes us to a most wondrous destination: into the heart of an Eternal Family.
They have lived for centuries in a house of legend and mystery in upper Illinois and they are not like other midwesterners. Rarely encountered in daylight hours, their children are curious and wild; their old ones have survived since before the Sphinx first sank its paws deep in Egyptian sands. And some sleep in beds with lids.
Now the house is being readied in anticipation of the gala homecoming that will gather together the farflung branches of this odd and remarkable family. In the past-midnight stillness can be detected the soft fluttering of Uncle Einars wings. From her realm of sleep, Cecy, the fairest and most special daughter, can feel the approach of many a welcome being shapeshifter, telepath, somnambulist, vampire as she flies high in the consciousness of bird and bat.
But in the midst of eager anticipation, a sense of doom pervades. For the world is changing. And death, no stranger, will always shadow this most singular family: Father, arisen from the Earth; Mother, who never sleeps but dreams; A Thousand Times Great Grandmére; Grandfather, who keeps the wildness of youth between his ears.
And the boy who, more than anyone, carries the burden of time on his shoulders: Timothy, the sad and different foundling son who must share it all, remember, and tell... and who, alone out of all of them, must one day age and wither and die.
By turns lyrical, wistful, poignant, and chilling, From the Dust Returned is the long-awaited new novel by the peerless Ray Bradbury a book that will surely be numbered among his most enduring masterworks.
Death is a Lonely Business
Ray
Bradbury, the undisputed Dean of American storytelling, dips his
accomplished pen into the cryptic inkwell of noir and creates a stylish
and slightly fantastical tale of mayhem and murder set among the shadows
and the murky canals of Venice, California, in the early 1950s.
Toiling
away amid the looming palm trees and decaying bungalows, a struggling
young writer (who bears a resemblance to the author) spins fantastic
stories from his fertile imagination upon his clacking typewriter.
Trying not to miss his girlfriend (away studying in Mexico), the
nameless writer steadily crafts his literary effort until strange things
begin happening around him.
Starting with a series of peculiar
phone calls, the writer then finds clumps of seaweed on his doorstep.
But as the incidents escalate, his friends fall victim to a series of
mysterious "accidents" some of them fatal. Aided by Elmo Crumley, a
savvy, street-smart detective, and a reclusive actress of yesteryear
with an intense hunger for life, the wordsmith sets out to find the
connection between the bizarre events, and in doing so, uncovers the
truth about his own creative abilities.
Quicker Than the Eye
The
internationally acclaimed author of The Martian Chronicles, The
Illustrated Man, and Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury is a magician at the
height of his powers, displaying his sorcerer's skill with twenty-one
remarkable stories that run the gamut from total reality to light
fantastic, from high noon to long after midnight. A true master tells
all, revealing the strange secret of growing young and mad; opening a
Witch Door that links two intolerant centuries; joining an ancient
couple in their wild assassination games; celebrating life and dreams in
the unique voice that has favored him across six decades and has
enchanted millions of readers the world over.
Quicker Than the Eye includes:
Unterderseaboat Doktor
Zaharoff/Richter Mark V
Remember Sascha?
Another Fine Mess
The Electrocution
Hopscotch
The Finnegan
That Woman on the Lawn
The Very Gentle Murders
Quicker Than the Eye
Dorian in Excelsis
No News, or What Killed the Dog?
The Witch Door
The Ghost in the Machine
At the End of the Ninth Year
Bug
Once More, Legato
Exchange
Free Dirt
Last Rites
The Other Highway
Make Haste to Live: An Afterword
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