I just received a notice from HarperCollins that the new Bradbury anthology is scheduled for release August 5th. I thought it was scheduled for later in the month on his birthday.

I can't wait. I already have one pre-ordered, so am anxious to see it two or three weeks earlier than I had thought.

Mr. Dark,

That's terrific news! Since family discretionary funds are limited, I've been having to limit my new book reading to whatever I can find at the library. (It's like wearing someone else's clothes. Sure, it'll do, but it's just not the same.) Just might put in a request for funds for this volume.

Pete

Pete, for what it's worth, I believe Ray, as one of the biggest supporters of public libraries I have ever known, would be most pleased with your use of the local library. Ray has said that due to his family's lack of funds, he never had the opportunity to attend college, and spent his post-high school years obtaining his "graduate education" at the Los Angeles Public Library.

Richard,

Good point. And, I have to admit, I find much in the library that I wouldn't be able to find on my own, even if funds were available. But there's something about owning a volume, that you can return to time and again and dip in here and there at your leisure that just makes it that much more special. Now, granted, our attic is growning with the weight of books I'll never get back to. But, still, it's nice to know they're close at hand if I want them without having to get in the car and go look for them in a building a few miles away.

No, I like the library just fine. Just wish all the books there were mine to own rather than borrow. (Yes, yes, I know, once I read them, they ARE mine, aren't they? But you know what I mean, right? As I'm sure Ray does, too.)

Thanks for the reply.

Pete

I'm the Chairperson of our Library Advisory Board, so I have great sympathy and concern for our libraries. When this nation was first founded, one of the first institutions established were the libraries. The founding fathers were great fans of a library as it would secure the free exchange of ideas to both rich and poor.

Be sure your library has this book on order, so you can get it as soon as possible. See if they will let you reserve it, so you don't have to wait.

When reading literature, philosophy or theology; it is difficult for me not to mark as I go. I argue in the margin with points, cross reference, highlight main ideas, underline, etc. I just checked out five books from our library and it will be difficult NOT to damage them as I read!

With Bradbury, I will have to be able to own this one and mark it up as I read. No choice, here!

Not much info, but something, with a couple links, per...
� 100 Most Celebrated Stories �

Looking over the new book cover, (and having a background in publication design), I sure hope no new -reader thinks the author's name is Brad Bury. I would have run the name all on one line, if you are going to reverse the R A Y in another color....., probably along the height of the book instead of the width....

(click on, or type into finder): http://www.harpercollins.com/catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=006054242x

[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 07-22-2003).]

is this a reprint? are these the same stories as in "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" (has a black jacket with warm colors for the title), which also has 100 short stories in it? he he, i got that from my local library! *wink*

Mr. Dark,

I think I've purchased yours or some like-minded individual's Nathaniel Hawthorn collected short stories from a used bookstore. God, this thing is marked up. It bothers me to no end when someone underlines a sentence or a phrase because my eyes go back tens of times trying to find some deep meaning in the passage that I did not notice. Then there is the notes that I read at the top of the page that obviously denote somebody's heightened awareness of the story, or are true genuises in the art of reading. But, hey. What do I know? I thought The Lord of the Flies was about kids fighting on an island. Or The Heart of Darkness about some jungle adventure.

I love the short stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Maybe it WAS mine. Although I don't know that I would ever part with a book unless it were at the point of a gun.

I don't know whether to be flattered by your entry or to get myself into counseling to deal with issues of Obssesive Compulsive Disorder! :-)

Oh, by the way, this new book is not a reprint. It is a new collection.

Here's a note I found in my The Vintage Bradbury:

"Plot very important. Characters mostly flat, some developed well. Themes - Dehumanization, Value of Life."