At the front of the book "The October Country" is a bit of prose I have always liked very much. The book is a collection of stories but I'm wondering if there is more to the opening prose, which is seen below. Has anyone seen/read more?

Taken from the book: The October Country (1955) by Ray Bradbury.

...that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay. That country composed in the main of cellers, sub-cellers, coal bins closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain...

Far as I know, that's all there is to the quote. But I've always loved that brief passage; very evocative! (Years ago I even put part of the quote into a graphic for a web page...)

Thats a nice graphic. Is the site still active?

It seems a lot of people connect with the "Octoberness" of Ray's stories. I have only recently discovered in myself but I think its always been there. A couple of book reviewers summed it up nicely from the SFFaudio website.

QUOTE - "Sometime each October, a line is crossed; the line between falling leaves and fallen leaves, between shirtsleeves and a jacket, between the relief that summer has ended and the slight dread of the upcoming winter. Most of us don’t really notice the moment of crossing; we look up sometime afterwards and wonder where all the pumpkins came from. Some people, though, are exquisitely aware of this moment; they live in it, they draw it out and savor it, and a special few of them create art about it that allows the rest us to actually experience it. Ray Bradbury did some of his best work while inhabiting it. - Cory"

QUOTE - "As I write this, it’s a cool October night. The trees outside are starting to drop autumn leaves. It’s not difficult, especially after finishing this novel (Something Wicked), to see why October turns my thoughts to Ray Bradbury more than any other author. - Scott D. Danielson"

I know that it's what I particularly connect with, and what drew me into his work in the first place. I re-read The Halloween Tree every year at that time, since that was when my mother first read it to me about 16 years ago. Ben Hur Lampman, an Oregon poet, wrote something that I think also speaks to that feeling. I don't have it available at present (still unpacking after moving), but I believe that it's called "October Blood", and is in the book How Could I Be Forgetting?.

I was able to find Lampman's "Where to Bury A Dog" from the same book and I like the style of writing. I would like to read "October Blood".

quote:

Originally posted by OctoberPerson:
Thats a nice graphic. Is the site still active?

Actually, I just threw that graphic together for my eBay "me" page, where for many years I went by the username (surprise) "octobercountry." (Recently, however, I had to change usernames, so now I'm "theogredownstairs" at that site.)

I always look forward to that moment every autumn, when I can first sense that hint of October in the air. Just such a melancholy feel to the breeze, but an enjoyable feeling nonetheless...