Also try John Collier's stories, pre-date Ray's: "Fancies and Goodnights" is great. He also wrote "Green Thoguhts" which I think was the inspiration for "Little shop of Horrors".

Wow, I am really glad I found this board. More people like me

I am 16 years old and I started reading RB about 4 years ago. We had to do a book report and we were allowed to choose from an extensive list of books. I chose The Hound of the Baskervilles, and then asked my teacher if it was a good book. I remember it clear as day when my teacher said: "Here, this is a good book," thrusting a dusty copy of Martian Chronicles into my hands. "And I bet that you'll be the only one reading it too."
"Cool," I said, only half interested.

That book changed my life. When I read "The Earth Men" I remember being stunned at the whirlwind of emotions going through my 7th grade head. Since then, I've read every work by RB I could dig up in the used book store, and I even bought a few new. Martian Chronicles definitely raised my maturity level and changed the types of books that I chose from then on. In fact, it changed my outlook on life. My favorite story by Ray is definitely F451, but I love his short stories as well (All Summer in a Day, The Scythe, The City, Marionettes, Inc., The Veldt, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit...I could go on forever.).

Oh and by the way, I never did go back and read Hound of the Baskervilles, and I laughed when somebody else said that they read Bradbury instead of that as well. I will read Hound eventually, I owe it that much

Halloween is almost here Thanks for sharing your stories.

I'm 30 now...
I've been reading RB for well over 20 yrs. I started to read early when I found my dad's stash of sci-fi books in the garage in a box. I still have most of those books. One was Illustrated Man and he used to get mad I stole his books from him. LOL

Did anyone ever hear "Bradbury 13" back when they used to play it on NPR back in the 80s? It had to be around 85 to 86 or so. I still have maybe a half a copy of their radio version of Kaleidoscope on 8 track. Yes 8 track! I had the weird fortune to inherit my older brother's stereo which by chance had a recorder in 8track form. LOL So I figured out how to use it and used to record all the Bradbury stuff as I could get it. They also had "the screaming woman" another favorite story of mine. They had the "happiness machine" and my all time fave "A sound of thunder" which if I ever get a copy of that radio show again I will treasure it always! It was fantastic! They had some excellent casting for that radio program. I wish I could find the shows on cd.

Oh... I just thought of something.
I'm always finding these old paperbacks for practically nothing of RB's books.
If anyone's looking for anything particular of RB's let me know. I will search on the weekends when I'm off.

~L~

I don't remember what was the first story written by Bradbury which I have read... It was in school, on the lesson and I was 10 years old. But I didn't like this story at all! I had began to like this writer when I was 11 And now i am only 12 and read not many of his books.

Just finished Fairenheit 451, only book I can recall reading of Bradbury's but it will defintely not be the last. I somehow managerd to miss the movie which was fortunate for me so I could enjoy the book. I have 100's of book to read that I own but for some reason I picked 451 up last week at B&N, just can't stay away from the bookstore I guess. I knew it was a classic and I started reading more classics, like Solaris. Very thought provoking novel which I'm sure will help me in my politcal theory class I start next week. Anyone have some suggestions of other Bradbury's novels to read and why? I would appreciate the insight thanks.......Saarak

Something Wicked This Way Comes.I only just read the book last friday,and loved it.As a boy I dearly loved the read,but could rarely afford to buy books and lived in a rural area of southern Louisiana and was near no libraries (home schooled),so now that I'm a man,I've been tracking down all those books I missed out on growing up.Just last week I picked up numerous Bradbury books at a yardsale for practially nothing.I have "The Machineries of Joy","Something Wicked This Way Comes","Fahrenheit 451","Dandelion Wine","The Martian Chronicles",and "From the Dust Returned".I'll be visiting used book stores tomorrow in search of "Dark Carnival" and "The Illustrated Man".Wish me luck!

Okay, jimnightshadejr, Good Luck! It's always a pleasure to hear about people who are just discovering Bradbury. I wish I could remember more clearly what my thoughts and feelings were upon reading Mr Bradbury's works for the first time.

You should have no trouble finding a copy of "The Illustrated Man," but "Dark Carnival," hmmmm... If you ever see a copy of that laying around a yardsale or used bookshop, priced at a dollar or two, buy it immediately! The original printing of "Dark Carnival" from the 1940's is very hard to come by at a cheap price--it regularly sells for over $500. And while this book has been re-printed once, the reprint is currently selling in the $150-$175 range. I've been hoping to come across a cheap used copy (through some miracle) for years, but I'm finally resigned to the fact that it probably won't happen....

I paid $150.00 for my copy of Dark Carnival (autographed by Bradbury and Cline). I also just received a copy of Nolen's Ray Bradbury Companion, for which I laid out $127.00!

Others, like Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Martian Chronicles, etc., are all being currently published in very nice and affordable hardback editions.

I can't recall what book it was I bought. Really nice hardback too from England I think and by RB. I'll have to look in my collection. I just know I spent like $5 bucks on it from some collectible used bookstore in the late 80s and kept thinking it looked like it was worth more.

When I find out what it was, I'll let you guys/gals know.

~L~ Who has quite a stash of RB paperbacks

If you visit www.powells.com they have one copy of Dark Carnival at $150.00. I guess that's the going rate for it from reading the posts here. They good news, if someone should want to buy it foem the aforementioned site, the bookstore will ship anywhere worldwide and if you spend $50.00 or more, there is no shipping cost

The term Cold War was all too real to me as a kid in 1959. I had vivid nightmares of Russian bombers high over the Oklahoma prairies, and I a part of a ragtag collection of refugees walking on counrty roads away from Tulsa. Then I read "There Will Come Soft Rains", an unassigned story in a high school anthology. I can still remember the feeling as my imagination ran with it. It was not encouraging! However, it is one of only a couple of stories I remember from highschool. I was hooked from then on. Until a house fire I had a first printing of a paperback of "The Martian Chronicles". Almost falling apart.

Max

I read Something Wicked This Way Comes last summer, and i found it to be utterly beautiful. Last night i finished And the Rock Cried Out,while on the train, here in Chicago. I wanted to hug the guy that was sitting next to, because the story was so beautiful and so terrifying. Bradburys mind amazes me.

I think my first Bradbury experience was probaly when I saw I Sing the Body Electric on the Twilight Zone when I was about 7ish. I remember Dandelion Wine from school, but vaguely. I think the one that stuck with me first was Mars is Heaven - that was so weird to me and I was in the 8th grade. Then when I was a sophomore, our teacher gave us these very badly mimeographed copies of A Laurel & Hardy Love Affair, probably copied from an issue of Playboy, lol. I fell in love with it and now I am 30 and tell people about that story all the time and get choked up every time. I have some audio Bradbury stuff that I would share if you are interested...

All Summer in a Day for me.