Dark Carnival

“I have always tried to write my own story,” wrote Ray Bradbury more than a quarter-century after the publication of Dark Carnival, his first collection of short fiction. “Give it a label if you wish, call it science fiction or fantasy or the mystery or the western. But, at heart, all good stories are the one kind of story, the story written by an individual from their individual truth.”

Published in 1947 by weird fiction specialist Arkham House, Dark Carnival gathered stories from the early years of Bradbury’s professional life. Many had made their first appearances in the pages of Weird Tales magazine. Still learning and developing his craft, he revised the material for the book’s publication—in the case of The Skeleton, developing a brief vignette into a full-blown and layered narrative. To these selections he added six new pieces written specifically for the lineup.

Then in 1955 a number of the stories were chosen for inclusion in a further collection, The October Country. Appearing there with further and mostly minor revisions, these became the author’s preferred versions. With Bradbury declining to authorise any further printings, Dark Carnival became a scarce and sought-after volume.

This Subterranean Press edition presents all the stories in that first collected form, reuniting the twenty-seven originals and adding five more. Of the passed-over titles, a number remained unseen for decades.

On the evidence here, Bradbury found his voice early. Though the language is rich, it’s also pure and precise. Styled with a purpose, and the tone is confident from the outset.

Here you can experience that early, heady explosion of the young Bradbury’s talent, presented in this new edition with illustrations by the legendary Dave McKean.