I Just Read Everything That All Of You Had To Say. Such Kind And Considerate People You Are. I've Been Looking For My Friends Who I Knew Were Out There, Somewhere. I Keyworded Ray Bradbury A Couple Of Days Ago And Found Them. I've Come Home.

If Ray Bradbury's Stories Are His Gifts, Then We Are His Legacy.

My Sons Might Never Read A Bradbury Story, But They Will Still Be Influenced By Him Because Of His Influence On Me.

Nice to have another voice join the chorus.

RAINTASTER, Doesn't It Hurt Your Pinkies To Capitalize Every Word All The Time?

WritingReptile, How Kind And Considerate Of You To Be Concerned With My Digital Wellbeing. No It Doesn't Hurt, Humph.

Raintaster is simply making up for certain people here who never capitalize anything hardly ever.

I thoughT therE waS somE kinD oF settinG thaT automaticallY capitalizeD thE firsT letteR oF eacH worD. BY thE waY, "RaintasteR" iS A prettY cooL namE.

Actually, I Haven't Been At This Gig Long Enough To Use My Pinkies. Just Pecking Along With My Right Index Finger, Left One Parked Over The Shift Button.

I didn't know typing was such a complex, variegated artform.

Following Nard's lead, here's another pleasant blast from the past. Maybe we could push the unpleasant ones to the bottom of the page(or off it) if we keep doing this.

[This message has been edited by grasstains (edited 08-19-2004).]

THIS is what a thread should look like on this site!

THIS is why we're here!

Thank you all! And YES to all of the above!

Nard,
your first post on this thread is a sentiment which I have pondered often.

Just a thought on RB's propensity for signing books (his and of others akin to him). There is always an unlimited supply of works available via e-bay, Powell books, Abebooks Add books, etc.

We know he has slowed a bit recently (not much - in view of his appearance schedule we discuss here), yet he must be one of the most prolific signers of books in literary circles. Is this primarily because of his public Hancocking or is it a publication agreement he has established over the years (done in his own home and released, for instance)? Just wondering!

It is always great to pull a signed copy off the shelf, turn to the title page, see his name scrawled in his destinctive style, and then proceed to read for a while.

A few anecdotes regarding signing: when Mr. Dark and I were at Ray's last June, Mr. Dark remarked that he'd received a copy of the "Dark Carnival" reissue, but unsigned (not bought through Gauntlet Press but from Amazon.com.) Ray joked, "Then that one will be more valuable."--the joke being, he signs so MANY items that once they're signed the value goes down by half!

He does occasionally refuse to sign something. Mr. Dark's daughter had a notebook he wouldn't sign, but gladly signed a play program, so I guess signed items have to be somehow "official." He did sign two magazines for a fan which contained stories he considered so bad he never included them in any of his collections--so he is open and gracious as far as signing!

Frank,

How true you speak. Just last evening as I was rearranging our front room prior to a painting project, I was moving his books and I realized that almost every one of them is signed by Ray, a couple that year, another one or two the next year, and the one dating from March of 1967 when he signed it right in front of me along with two others that I foolishly lent out and never got them back.

A thought struck me the other day of how unique Ray is, not having had a college education centering on Literature or Creative Writing, in sentence structure. I believe I counted a sentence in one of the stories that was 50 words long, yet it flowed and carried the thought so well. How many people have that capability to formulate a sentence that long which makes sense and flows so well?

Well anyway....

[This message has been edited by biplane1 (edited 12-15-2004).]

I only hope that Ray's signing hand can hold out and be up to the task of signing all the new releases that are soon to hit the shelves. He is more prolific at this age than any author I know of, a truly remarkable feat and one I am sure that his fans greatly appreciate. I know I value every book in my collection that he has touched with his pen.

biplane1,

Thomas Wolfe could. Faulkner thought he could, and enough people agreed to assure his reputation.

On why he signs so much, I remember reading that when he was a kid he was a real autograph hound and would ride his bike around the studios in Hollywood and get excited about each autograph he could get. Maybe he just remembers how great it felt and is just "paying back" the stars who accomodated him. He is definitely a very, very gracious gentleman.