Exciting news! BRADBURY BEYOND APOLLO by Professor Jonathan Eller, the third book in the trilogy of works that began with BECOMING RAY BRADBURY and RAY BRADBURY UNBOUND, is scheduled for publication in August of 2020 by the University of Illinois Press. The publisher's list price for the book is $34.95. For more information about the book, you can click on the link below:
Ray Bradbury's centennial year of 2020 is turning into an exciting year for books by and about him. It has been announced that Hard Case Crime is going to publish a hardcover edition of all of Ray's crime stories in a volume called KILLER, COME BACK TO ME: THE CRIME STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY. From reading the synopsis about the book, it sounds like it will not only contain the stories previously published in the Dell paperback A MEMORY OF MURDER, but will contain additional crime stories from Ray's other collections as well. While Ray never thought much of most of the stories in A MEMORY OF MURDER, I personally enjoyed them very much and always longed for a hardcover edition to replace that fragile paperback. The new hardcover edition is priced at $39.99, and is scheduled to be released on August 18, 2020. Here is additional information about its forthcoming publication:
THE EARLIEST BRADBURY, a hardcover collection of Ray's writing for fan magazines of the 1930's and 1940's before he turned professional, is now available for pre-order. The initial print run is a mere 100 copies. The price for the 160+ page book is $110.00 ($95 plus $15 shipping), with delivery expected in July of 2020. A link to ordering information is below. (And many thanks to douglasSP for posting information about the book on the Board!)
With respect to THE EARLIEST BRADBURY, I thought I would add that the publisher has indicated that while Ray Bradbury's own fanzine FUTURIA FANTASIA is discussed in the new book, it is not reproduced. The publisher notes that the definitive facsimile of Ray's own fanzine was already published in 2007 by Graham Publishing. (And for those who don't already own it and who have an interest in Ray's early writing as a fan, Graham Publishing's book, FUTURIA FANTASIA, is well worth seeking out.)
Suntup Press, which specializes in deluxe limited editions of well known literary works, announced in or around March of this year a deluxe, limited edition of FAHRENHEIT 451, which is scheduled for publication this summer. Unfortunately, all three editions of the book quickly sold out. However, I thought it worth mentioning on the Board, in case anyone should want to try to seek out a copy on the secondary market after the book's publication. Information about the book can accessed by clicking on the link below.
Books by and about Ray Bradbury continue to be published in 2020, his centennial year. From Routledge Press comes a book studying his group of Elliot family stories: EXPLORING THE HORROR OF SUPERNATURAL FICTION: RAY BRADBURY'S ELLIOT FAMILY, edited by Miranda Corcoran and Steve Gronert Ellerhoff. Of course, Ray's Elliot family stories eventually became the basis for his novel, FROM THE DUST RETURNED. Unfortunately, the hardcover edition of this academic press publication is priced at a steep $155. For more information about this new book, you can click on the link below:
The publishers of THE EARLIEST BRADBURY have now included a 34-page sample of the contents of the book, and it looks great! Just click on the link below, scroll down to the cover of the book that appears in about the middle of the page, and then click on the arrow on the right side. Also, the book is scheduled for publication in July of 2020, and the publisher notes that the price will increase by $30 after the publication date. In short, if you want the book, you can save yourself some money by buying it now.
Richard, thanks for these updates. I'll definitely be adding THE EARLIEST BRADBURY to my collection. What a crazy time for his centennial. This year would have provided great source material for Ray if he was still with us writing!
Coming soon from the publisher Cemetery Dance is SEASONS OF TERROR, a collection of four stories, including one by Ray Bradbury, representing each of the four seasons. Ray's entry is his classic, "The Screaming Woman", representing spring. Other stories include "The Man in the Woods", representing summer, by the great Shirley Jackson, author of "The Lottery" as well as THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE; "The Raft", representing fall, by Stephen King (gee, I wonder who that guy is); and "The Man from London", representing winter, by Robert McCammon. The book is initially going to be a signed, limited edition and the link below provides additional information about that version of the book.
First Fandom Experience, publisher of THE EARLIEST BRADBURY, has posted an interesting article on how the book came into being. I received my copy a few days ago, and it is a beautiful book. It will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in Ray's earliest writings, on his journey to becoming one of the world's most beloved authors
The countdown is on for two new books scheduled for release in a matter of days, coinciding with the Ray Bradbury centennial celebration. The new hardcover collection of Ray's short story crime fiction, KILLER, COME BACK TO ME: THE CRIME STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY, which will be published by Hard Case Crime, has a scheduled publication date of Tuesday, August 18, 2020. And BRADBURY BEYOND APOLLO, the concluding volume of Professor Jonathan Eller's trilogy on the life and work of Ray Bradbury, is scheduled to be published by the University of Illinois Press a few days later on Ray's 100th birthday, August 22, 2020.
I have received my copy of KILLER, COME BACK TO ME: THE CRIME STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY. It's a fine collection and a beautifully produced book. My only quibble: the omission of "A Careful Man Dies" which, for me at least, was the second-best story (after "The Small Assassin") in A MEMORY OF MURDER, the previous paperback collection of Bradbury crime stories.
I have just finished RAY AND ME: MY FIFTY YEAR LOVE AFFAIR WITH RAY BRADBURY, by Bob Jacobs, who many years ago released the very fine LP of Bradbury-themed songs, "Dark Carnival". Mr. Jacobs, now a retired college professor, has a written a book interweaving his autobiography with his extremely close friendship with Ray Bradbury that spanned many decades. The book was self-published and is for sale on Amazon, as noted by Board member Randy Hauck's first post above. The Kindle version is far less expensive, but I opted for the more pricy (and hefty) trade paperback since I far prefer reading books on paper. Mr. Jacobs' book was very enjoyable, with perhaps the best part being numerous personal letters and photos illustrating the book that you won't find anywhere else.
First Fandom Experience, publisher of THE EARLIEST BRADBURY, has put a great video on its website, discussing Ray Bradbury's very funny article which was published in the Spring, 1940 issue of the fanzine SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, called "Are You Ad Conditioned?" In his article, Ray made fun of the often strange ads which appeared throughout pulp magazines in their heyday. And you will come to realize just where Ray got the inspiration for his very creepy short story, "Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms in Your Cellar!" The link below will take you to that video. And, incidentally, as I have mentioned above, THE EARLIEST BRADBURY is a fine (and very beautiful) book, filled with Ray's earliest writing which generally can otherwise only be found in copies of very scarce (and expensive) fan magazines of the late 1930's and early 1940's.
