At this point, we are not sure how the press will market the volumes; certainly it will be announced in one of their upcoming catalogs for 2009. I had not thought of a subscription, but that is something I can mention to them. It seems like a good idea. Five volumes seems to us a reasonable figure with which to start, involving us well into the next decade. Bear it in mind that this is a scholarly edition, not just a 'quickie' reprint. Its primary purpose is to serve scholars and students of Bradbury's writings.

As long as Bradbury is living and writing -long may he do so -a complete edition of his stories would be a moving target...we are planning for a collected stories series of volumes, which will include all of his most famous stories as well as lesser known pieces, but, as far as the first volume only is concerned, not absolutely everything. Volume One (1938-1943), will contain a modest selection from his most important fanzine writings. After that, yes, we do plan to publish 'everything' (if we live that long and if the first volume is a success). How many volumes that may eventually end up being I cannot at this point predict.

Here is a list of stories for the first volume:

Fanzine Publications (1938-1941) c. 8,000 words
“It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Hu— (1940) 1,000 words
Pendulum (1941) c. 5,000 words
Gabriel’s Horn (1941) c. 5,000 words
Final Victim (1941) c. 5,000 words
The Piper (1941) c. 5,000 words
The Candle (1942) 4,000 words
Is That You, Herb? (1942) c. 2,000 words
The Wind (1942) 5,000 words
Eat, Drink and Be Wary (1942) 1,000 words
Promotion to Satellite (1942) 4,700 words
Forever and the Earth (1942) 5,500 words
The Crowd (1942) 6,000 words
Chrysalis (1942) 18,000 words
Subterfuge (1942) 3,500 words
And Then—The Silence (1942) 1,800 words
The Lake (1942) 2,400 words
Morgue Ship (1943) 4,300 words
Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1943) 7,000 words
The Monster Maker (1943) 6,000 words
The Scythe (1943) 5,300 words
King of the Gray Spaces (1943) 5,700 words
I, Rocket (1943) 6,500 words
Undersea Guardians (1943) 5,400 words
The Small Assassin (1943) 6,000 words



Prof. Touponce

Professor Touponce: I'm thrilled to see you working on this and think it will be fantastic. Have you approached The Library Of America about a volume devoted to Bradbury--novels, stories, and poems? (Or should I do that?) )

The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies has no plans for such a project with The Library of America at this time, but before you consider such a project involving the reprinting of Bradbury's major novels - which would certainly raise concerns with his publishers with whom he has binding legal contracts - you should talk first with Ray's agent in New York, Michael Congdon.

Prof. Touponce

Nothing wrong with scholarly. I have a copy of Ray Bradury and the Poetics of Reverie in front of me as I type this My favorite chapter being Reverie and the Marvelous.

Of course, nothing would be done without the approval and support of Ray and his publishers. Besides, I see you and Jon as qualified for such a project, and would see it as parallel to your work on the short stories. I am qualified for some things, but I think you and Jon have made yourselves uniquely qualified for such an effort.

quote:

Originally posted by jkt:
I have a copy of Ray Bradury and the Poetics of Reverie in front of me as I type this.

Wow - rare!

There is some incorrect info pertaining to the bookstore. Then I norticed it's a Russian site. Well, something gets lost in translation.

Bill Toupounce: 1940's Bradbury! (even much of the 1950's) The classic period of Ray Bradbury we all LOVE!

quote:

Originally posted by libRArY:
There is some incorrect info pertaining to the bookstore. Then I norticed it's a Russian site. Well, something gets lost in translation.

Yeah, but I found an even less expensive one since.

Norticed is a good word.

Doug, good luck in locating a copy of Poetics of Reverie. I spent many months trying to find one - every one I found on the web turned out not to actually exist (either out of stock, already sold, or some other kind of "phantom").

That's a great list of stories for the first volume of the Collected Stories. It's amazing how early in his career Ray was writing some of his absolute classics - The Wind, The Crowd, The Small Asassin. But then again, he'd been writing regularly for ten years by this point.

Professor Touponce,

Do you know if the limited books will be numbered? Slipcased? Do you know an estimated price per volume?

Also, if it turns out they will offer subscriptions, I would greatly appreciate it if you could post that information here.

Thanks,

Brad

The edition will be 'limited' to 3,000 copies totally, over the life of the book (ten years). First printing is likely to be 2,000 with small reprints after that. No plans for a signed, limited, slip-cased version at this point. Just a standard hardcover edition at around $40.00 a volume.

Prof. Touponce

This is wonderful. I'm so glad you're not doing the fancy $750 dollar thing which only the wealthy Bradbury fans can afford!

For my money, which has now become VERY important in retirement, a ggod move is to acquire a used copy of Twice 22, it contains all of my favorites from The Golden Apples of the Sun and A Medicine For Melancholy, that is 44 of Bradbury's all time best, and many of which were subsequently reprinted in other forms, collections, or single editions at elevated prices, I know I have them all. I had never read this Book Club Edition, though I have owned it for years. Just a real treat to rummage through the stories again, many for the fifth or sixth time and after seeing some of the better known ones dramatised on the stage by Ray's Theatre company. My copy is still unsigned, and intend to keep it that way, who knows, it may be come more valuable in that state, since Ray signs anything put infront of him, thank you Ray for that.

patrask,

One must remember that one is lucky enough to be able to put a book in front of Mr. B, for signing. Most of the world is not that lucky. So the relative number of signed books are limited to us lucky Calfornians or those that can afford the cost of petrol to travel to the promised land.