Why does Bradbury allow the simultaneous existence of two versions of _Chronicles_? I explain to my 7th-grade students that the "updated" dates is a bow to the passage of time (though by the same logic we should rename _1984_). Adding the stories "The Wilderness" and "The Fire Balloons" I can't defend. The removal of "Way in the Middle of the Air" seems to be exactly the kind of PC-driven decision that the author of _451_ would decry, especially since it's an excellent short story (as are his other few stories on race relations). It's presence actually allows me to explain about the seeming intractability of the Southern race problem at the time of the story's publication. Does anyone know Bradbury's thinking on these decisions--and why both versions continue to be printed?

I don't know the answer, but I second the inclusion of "Way in the Middle of the Air." It and "The Other Foot" in "The Illustrated Man" are not merely outdated stories--they still serve not only as good examples of the thinking on race relations in America at the time, but make excellent alternate universe stories. Both make telling comments on human nature.

You might also check out a "Twilight Zone" episode titled "I Am the Night--Color Me Black," which has taken a terrible beating from critics over the years but is actually one of the most effective episodes in many ways.