Features
: William Morrow, hardback
In this lavishly illustrated labor of love, Jerry Weist -- Sotheby's fantasy and science fiction collectibles expert and longtime Ray Bradbury friend and collector -- gives us a unique "visual biography," a one-of-a-kind celebration of the life, career, and genius of one of America's most beloved literary giants.The works of Ray Bradbury have been read and revered for more than half a century. The winner of countless awards and accolades, including a Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation, he has left a deeper, more enduring imprint on our times than most writers of his or any generation. The source of "The Martian Chronicles," father of "The Illustrated Man," and master brewer of "Dandelion Wine," Bradbury has penned stories, novels, stage plays, and screenplays that have long demonstrated the limitlessness of the human imagination and pure power of the word." Bradbury: An Illustrated Life" features magazine illustrations, movie stills and posters, comic book art, letters, scripts, book jackets, and paintings -- all expertly selected and insightfully explained -- that trace an incomparable artist's journey through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Here also are rare and illuminating gems from some of his renowned compatriots and collaborators, including excerpts from the journal of legendary director Fran ois Truffaut, written during the making of the motion picture version of Bradbury's classic "Fahrenheit 451." From his groundbreaking involvement with EC Comics -- which would ultimately inspire generations of comic book creators and graphic novel artists -- through his many decades of literary success,as well as his award-winning work in films, theater, and television, to the present day, the world of the incomparable Ray Bradbury comes vibrantly alive in words and pictures, in photo and ink, in conceptual art and bold living color. "Bradbury: An Illustrated Life" belongs in the collection of anyone who has ever been moved, astounded, elated, terrified, or inspired by the tales, ideas, dreams, and magnificent visions of America's preeminent storyteller.