Yeah... Bill has truly entered the Bradbury arena and if it's anything like the excellent quality of I Sing The Body Electric and Farewell Summer I am truly happy about it! You go Bill wit your bad self!

The following information was posted on the website of Subterranean Press, regarding their forthcoming Bradbury releases:

"Ray Bradbury:

We’ve received the stories (one of them unpublished, as well as a previously unpublished treatment for a screenplay), as well as a copy of a full color painting by Mr. B for his collection of robot stories, provisionally titled Marionettes, Inc. Also on the Bradbury front, Mr. B’s longtime friend and bibliographer Donn Albright dug out material for the mystery omnibus we’ll be publishing next year, including the 64-year-old unpublished tale, 'Where Everything Ends,' that formed the basis for Death is a Lonely Business.

Along with the material for next year’s Bradbury stories, Vincent Chong just turned in the striking cover for Summer Morning, Summer Night, the gathering of 27 Green Town stories slated for a Halloween release."

All of that sounds pretty good. I like the idea of a robot collection, too!

I received Skeletons today. Nice yucky illustrations by Dave McKean.

Recieved mine today too! Its a pretty nice although I'm not real big on chapbooks. But $15 was a LOT cheaper than the limited edition hardcover at $750. But there were only 16 of those.

Today, Saturday, June 21, 2008, I also received my copy of Skeletons. The art on the cover by McKean gives it an instant vintage look.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard:
Vincent Chong just turned in the striking cover for Summer Morning, Summer Night, the gathering of 27 Green Town stories slated for a Halloween release."

And that cover is finally visible. Striking!

I have to agree, that is a very beautiful cover.

While the Subterranean Press cover is very nice, I personally prefer the dust jacket art of the PS Publishing version of SUMMER MORNING, SUMMER NIGHT done by Ray Bradbury himself. Incidentally, Ray told me that his cover drawing of the PS Publishing edition is that of the Waukegan, Illinois home of Ray's grandparents:

http://store.pspublishing.co.uk/acatalog/dandelion_wine..._edition_deluxe.html

OK...I'm gonna say it although I'm probably in the monority here...

Well...as interesting as some of RB's art is, and I AM fond of it...it's NOT his forte.

I would have rather seen Joe Mugnaini's work on the covers of Gauntlet's HALLOWEEN TREE and OCTOBER COUNTRY.

And I would have LOVED to have seen a professional illustrator adorn the cover and interior pages of DARK CARNIVAL...

I don't know. Admittedly I love his artwork, and think that it somehow "goes" with his books in the same manner which Bob Dylan's voice goes with his songs. He's simply the best interpreter of his own work.

Clearly writing is Ray's forte, but that's not to suggest that he can't be a good artist, as well.

I take your point.

Jerry Weist's book "Ray Bradbury: An Illustrated Life" has an interesting section which shows some of Bradbury's original concept art and then a "proper" artist's implementation of it, usually Mugnaini. I think that was the right way to go; Bradbury has good ideas for visual art, but he often doesn't have the techniques.

quote:

...Bradbury has good ideas for visual art, but he often doesn't have the techniques.

Phil,

Yet, I have a Bradbury Doodle proudly framed and displayed in my office.

Doodle a good word.

How do I doodle a good word?