My son Ryan is a college junior who wants to be a science fiction writer, and Ray Bradbury is his favorite writer, a real inspiration to him.

I'd love to get a signed photo to give to Ryan for Christmas. I see stuff on ebay but you never know if it's authentic. I found a website that had a photo and the dealer was part of the UACC . . . and then found the exact same photo and autograph on another dealer's site LOL.

Can anyone on this forum recommend a dealer that you know is trustworthy who might have something like what I'm seeking?

I don't care about value or anything like that. I just want a signed photo that I know is authentic to give him to support his muse.

Any suggestions y'all might have would be greatly appreciated!

quote:

Originally posted by Sibelius:
Can anyone on this forum recommend a dealer that you know is trustworthy who might have something like what I'm seeking?

Do you know in all the years I knew Ray I rarely ever saw him sign a photo. It was books he loved to sign! I would much more recommend getting him a signed book. Besides, I can recommend reputable dealers for books, not so much for photos.

The two online sellers listed below are friends of mine and were friends of Ray for years. Anything they have is authentic.

http://www.phantoms.com

http://www.mysteryandimagination.com

In fact, if you don't want to get a book, this bookplate would make a marvellous gift! An autograph surrounded by loads of original Bradbury art. I can attest to this as being authentic as he drew several of these same drawings in my books over the years!

They'll treat you right. Tell 'em John Sasser sent you!

Thanks for the information!

Getting a book is a good option . . . the reason I was thinking of a photo was that it was something he could hang on his wall by his desk, but I'm open to the book as well.

That bookplate is very slick! I'm going to order one today if they're still in stock.

I just wanted to follow up on this post . . . after reading what was said here, I contacted John Miller with Phantom Book Store. We ended up talking for an hour - what a delightful conversation. John was so excited to hear about my son Ryan and how much Ray had influenced and inspired him. John ended up giving me a terrific deal on several autographed items and then added in some more things on his own. I ended up with signed programs, bookplate, photo and a signed copy of Martian Chronicles and Illustrated Man.

I got so much stuff that I ended up creating a large wall hanging AND a scrapbook of quotes and images from several writers and scientists who had influenced Ryan - Bradbury, Asimov, Twain, Einstein, Feynman, Poe, Lovecraft, Orwell, A.C. Clarke and Heinlein.

If this board will allow it, I'll post two pix of my son with the wall hanging and the book. The goal was to give Ryan something to inspire him and I think I accomplished my goal. Thanks for the lead on John and Phantom Book Store!

Excellent! Good to see this board serving such a practical purpose.