A Pleasure to Burn - by Ray Bradbury (Paperback)

About the Book

All 16 pieces in the collection explore the hazards befalling mankind when society contrives to restrain the imagination. An indispensable companion to Bradbury's most celebrated novel.--"Booklist."

Book Synopsis

Grandmasterof American Letters Ray Bradbury presents the 16 vintage stories and novellasthat informed and prefigured the creation of his dystopian classic, Fahrenheit451. Collecting rare and unknown tales as well as notable early triumphs, A Pleasure to Burn offers an unparalleled window into Bradbury's creativeprocess, and a unique glimpse at the evolution of one of the greatest works of20^th century American literature. Absolutely essential for fans ofBradbury books like Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Illustrated Man, and The Martian Chronicles--and for readersof William Golding, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and other titans ofspeculative fiction--A Pleasure to Burn illuminates the unusual hiddencorners of Bradbury's expansive imagination, revealing a creative force asvivid and powerful as the hottest burning flame.

From the Back Cover

Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 is an enduring masterwork of twentieth-century American literature--a chilling vision of a dystopian future built on the foundations of ignorance, censorship, and brutal repression. The origins and evolution of Bradbury's darkly magnificent tale are explored in A Pleasure to Burn, a collection of sixteen selected shorter works that prefigure the grand master's landmark novel. Classic, thematically interrelated stories alongside many crucial lesser-known ones--including, at the collection's heart, the novellas "Long After Midnight" and "The Fireman"--A Pleasure to Burn is an indispensable companion to the most powerful work of America's preeminent storyteller, a wondrous confirmation of the inimitable Bradbury's brilliance, magic . . . and fire.

Review Quotes

"All 16 pieces in the collection explore the hazards befalling mankind when society contrives to restrain the imagination. An indispensable companion to Bradbury's most celebrated novel." -- Booklist

"An essential addition to the bookshelf of every Bradbury fan, the collection is also accessible to curious readers with a taste for the dark, the strange and the macabre." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)