Linnl, yes, you're right - "The Fire Balloons" is in the new edition of The Illustrated Man, as expected.

"The Fire Balloons" was of course in the first edition of The Silver Locusts, the British variant of MC.

But you could go madder than The Earth Men, trying to track all the variants of that book. For example, I have an old paperback titled The Silver Locusts - but with the original American TOC, and no Fire Balloons.

quote:

Originally posted by douglasSP:
Linnl, yes, you're right - "The Fire Balloons" is in the new edition of The Illustrated Man, as expected.

Thanks for checking!

I love "The Fire Balloons". Here is a recent article which quotes a seminarian about his feeling for Bradbury's work.

The article is from the ReCollections blog from Wheaton College, Ray Bradbury: Prophet of Joy by Keith Call:

http://recollections.liblog.wh...bury-prophet-of-joy/

I was at the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies a few days ago, and Jon Eller reminded me of the textual variations in different editions of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. Generally speaking, the US paperback editions have always stuck to the first edition contents and dates. The US HARDCOVER editions, however, are the ones that vary in contents, with "Fire Balloons", "Usher II", "Way in the Middle of the Air" and "The Wilderness" all playing the game of now you see me, now you don't.

We checked all the different editions on the shelves (and CRBS has every edition).

quote:

originally posted by philnic:
We checked all the different editions on the shelves (and CRBS has every edition).

Sounds like great fun!

Here is a fine article about The Silver Locusts. http://existentialennui.blogsp...n-chronicles-by.html

Good heavens, Phil, if you were in the states and I was out of town, who was minding the store here?

I had a great Bradbury moment just after leaving Ray's grave on July 2. We were having trouble getting a good radio station and I'd hoped some really cool song would come on but it didn't. So we went to gas the car and I went into the restroom. On the floor was a cricket! I thought, now, I've heard of cockroaches in restrooms (thankfully never seen any), but I have NEVER seen a cricket in one! I started thinking of Ray's story "Cricket on the Hearth," and sorta laughing because it's so great.

I watched this cricket the whole time I was in the restroom, wondering how it was going to get out, and whether I should rescue it--really didn't wanna touch something that had been on a public restroom floor! Just as I started thinking of the part of the story where the guy finally got rid of the cricket, the cricket ran under the door and left! Pretty dang weird, huh?

Last evening...fireworks everywhere. Kids eating cotton candy. Full moon on a hot summer night. My wife says out of nowhere, "Ray Bradbury would love this night! A long ride home through the quiet countryside.

The day ended with pages turning in the Martian Chronicles...

"Happy Fourth of July" Bradbury folks!

quote:

Originally posted by dandelion:
Good heavens, Phil, if you were in the states and I was out of town, who was minding the store here?...

I was in the States for a week, but I was only without internet access for 3 days while I was in Indianapolis. Once I moved on to Detroit, I was webbing away like crazy.

We had a minor dose of spam on here during that time, but nothing that got out of control.

Thanks, Phil. I had just enough internet to check messages and Facebook, not go on message boards.

There is some Malware threat in the news - weird and big enough to warrent the FBI's involvement. Here's a AP article about it:
http://hosted2.ap.org/OREUG/to...4f689312b689451e1e60

The completion of my 60th solar orbit may coincide with the inability to receive best wishes over the internet!

figures

The San Diego fireworks debacle was due to some faulty computer thing but I don't know if it was intentional sabotage.

Had a very funny Ray Bradbury moment today at the store. I met the local orchestra conductor and we discussed how we hoped this year's musical would not need an orchestra. I said my reason was I wanted to spend the time writing a book.

She said, "What on?" and I said, "Ray Bradbury." She said, "What's that?" She was thinking a "Bradbury" was a sort of device like a Blackberry! I said, "Well, if I literally wrote it on Ray Bradbury he'd really be the Illustrated Man because he'd have a book written on him!"

Well, Ray would have thought it was funny!

With the first Curiosity pictures of Mars landscapes being captured, I wonder if this is not an appropriate posting location for each updated news item that comes out of NASA. After all, Mr. Bradbury's stories have already told us what they will eventually find!

With careful review of this image, one can discern a Sand Ship just below the horizon (top, right) http://www.nasa.gov/images/con...16032-43_946-710.jpg

Also, I believe I can hear the music playing now across the still Martian night air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...VumE&feature=related

quote:

Originally posted by fjp451:
After all, Mr. Bradbury's stories have already told us what they will eventually find!

Yeah, but that's the difference. The stories told us, while NASA will tell us only what it wants us to know.

quote:

Originally posted by fjp451:
...With careful review of this image, one can discern a Sand Ship just below the horizon (top, right)...

Hate to correct you, fjp, but upon close analysis that Sand Ship turns out to be... a hotdog stand! (Parkhill's Sand Ship is parked round the back.)

Yes, Phil! I enlarged the image on my screen and was able to better interpret the photo. The initial releases from NASA are always a bit grainy.

And since "Mars is Heaven," this visitor who appears to be entering the front door to the Hot Dog Stand seems totally appropriate!
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-i...Ray-Bradbury-008.jpg