I have always dreamed one day there would be a wonderful edition of Ray's COMPLETE WORKS, you know, a big many-volumes collection including definitely ALL of his stories, poems, plays, prologues, afterwords, novels, etc etc. Am I the only one who dreams of such a wonderful collection?

Not that I don't have most of his published works, but you'll have to agree with me that there's lots of stuff that hasn't been anthologised, lots of prologues etc that are only in certain impossible-to-get limitewd editions... It's so frustrating...

(NB: I live in Argentina... Maybe I wouldn't feel so frustrated if I lived in the US...)

It's been thought of a lot...especially in recent years...once you get passed the copyrights, money, etc etc...that is...

There really is SO much...that there are libraries that house collections of Bradbury. There is a post here with Bowling Green, Ohio...somewheres in months past...that has a list of stuff just in THAT library...

Probably a place like Easton Press, or some other (who have already published special editions of Ray's works)...that would be possible contenders to do such a mammoth project...

The term "Complete Works of RB" seems to understate the actual volume of pages we are talking about here. Consider, a mere 3 books at arm's reach right now: Stories of RB and RB Stories (2 s.s. major collections) & an Omnibus of 451, IM, DW, GAoS, & MC: Total just shy of 2700 pages!

Then add a few readily available titles, such as Zen in Writing, Green Shadows, SWTWC, Yestermorrow, Lonely Business, Kill Constance, Dinosaurs Tales, ..... What? 2000 more pgs.!

Now, other titles not mentioned above, hunt down and apply articles, uncollected but available s.s.'s, plays, poetry, et al. Would "Encyclopedia" apply in this context if arranged by genre?

I remember an exchange on this very topic quite awhile ago. It does pose an interesting concept. One, as NK states, would require a tremendous undertaking by a very industrious and major literary player.

It would probably require monthly payments to afford such an addition to one's personal library!

[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 02-02-2004).]

I like reading Ray's short stories in the original collections. Not a fan of the potbellied "complete" books. I have one on Jack London that has type so tiny that I broke an eye.

I don't like the "tiny-type" editions, either; but would love to see a multi-volume authoritative edition that would include commentary, full date-line and publcation history, and reconciliations between some of the variances in stories.

That would be cool!

I like the hardcover re-issues of several of his books that have come out recently. They're put out by Avon and most have new introductions, etc. Very nice and affordable editions. I know they've done: Something Wicked This Way Comes, The October Country, The Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine, and The Illustrated Man. Have they done any others?



[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 02-02-2004).]

I thought of the term "Encyclopedia" too. I guess if Ray lives two decades more or so (for which I pray) he'll become the next Isaac A.!!

However, I only mentioned the possibility of having a "Complete Works" collection because I know it IS something feasible. There's a similar case with a famous Argentinian writer, Julio Cort�zar, who wrote hundreds of short stories but was very prolific too. A Spanish publishing house has recently started publishing his complete works. The first of nine volumes ("Short Stories 1") has 1200 pages, and costs 58 euros. It has a Prologue by JL Borges. Other volumes will be, for example, Novels, Plays, Interviews, Critical Works... They will come out every five or six months. Of course it was a very hard job, trying to put all of Cort�zar's writings together (e.g. some of his books are filled with drawings or pictures taken by him, he wrote many limited-edition comics...). But it HAS been done, and I'm sure it will be an amazing collection.

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Mr. Dark: I believe the Avon books you mentioned are the only five that have been published.



[This message has been edited by Mulder (edited 02-03-2004).]

That would be cool, Mr Dark! Now, if I could afford them is another thing. And I have to agree with you on the Avon books. I have a few of the hardbacks and fewer softcovers but both have the slickest covers in existance. Do they put some type of Avon lotion on them or something?

ought not:
Nowadays, the 'coating' would be called UV Coating, or lamination, giving it that ultra glossy look. I am not exactly sure what the old coatings were, but you used to be able to peel some of them like some sort of old sunburn, or a plastic lamination on a window.

So Bradbury has, ultimately a '40 volume' set of his works. Why not? It's just, is there enough buyers out there to justify the cost of production...