BRADBURY STORIES: 100 OF HIS MOST CELEBRATED TALES, $29.95, 890 pages.
The literary world might run out of things to say about him before the man himself — Ray Bradbury — runs out of words.
Bradbury is prolific, but it is his genuine mastery of the short story and novel that cemented Bradbury as a leading voice in the American literary chorus. More than half a century after his words horrified and enthralled readers for the first time, he remains a poignant revealer of human nature with his simple style, which affects the reader in complex ways.
William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, has now published "Bradbury Stories " in a hefty but not unwieldy volume. Many of the stories are familiar ("The Illustrated Man," "The Rocket") and a few are less familiar ("The Handler," from his first story collection). All are worth reading.
In the author's own words in his own introduction to his own collection, Bradbury says, "It is hard for me to believe that in one lifetime I have written so many stories," a sentiment that the reader can easily share. How did one man produce the wealth of subjects and emotions and ideas and brilliance that is presented in a single 890-page edition? Living longer and producing quality text for a longer time than almost any writer certainly helps. but it doesn't unlock the secret of how this literary icon has managed to consistently create fresh stories over and over.
This new collection isn't about the process but about enjoying the riches left to the reader. Sure to please longtime devotees as well as those who haven't yet been introduced, this is a volume that belongs in any well-kept personal library.
Even Bradbury's diverse titles can evoke emotions. Those familiar with the tales will smile remembering the rich experience of reading such silly-seeming titles as "Darling Adolf," "Colonel Stonesteel's Genuine Home-made Truly Egyptian Mummy" and "The Wonderful Death Of Dudley Stone."
The uninitiated will likely feel the tug of discovery calling to them after reading a random story or two. Many of these gems are less than 10 pages and can be eaten up in a short time, with digestion taking much longer. In Bradbury's world, small doses of reading can leave one with long sessions of thinking.
E-mail: lc@desnews.com