“FROM A MARTIAN NAMED RAY BRADBURY”: FIRST EDITION OF THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, INSCRIBED BY BRADBURY

BRADBURY, Ray. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City: Doubleday, 1950. Octavo, original light green cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box. $6800.

First edition of this scarce science fiction classic, inscribed in green ink: “David—From a Martian named—Ray Bradbury, 1972.”

Bradbury's first novel and second book, "which could be regarded as an episodic novel, made Bradbury's reputation… Its closely interwoven stories, linked by recurrent images and themes, tell of the repeated attempts by humans to colonize Mars… All the Bradbury themes that were later to be repeated find their earliest shapes here" (Clute & Nicholls, 151). "This was the book that established Bradbury's reputation… He put far more emphasis on style and mood than he did on technical detail or scientific plausibility… His reward was a stunning popular and critical success" (Pringle, Science Fiction 100 3).

Book with interior fine, light toning to original cloth spine. Bright dust jacket lovely and about-fine. A beautiful inscribed copy. Scarce.