Bradbury, Ray - Fahrenheit 451 - ( Item 138826 )
Published in London by Folio Society. 2011. First Thus. Fine Hardback. No inscriptions or bookplates. Near Fine slipcase. Very slight marks to slipcase. Introduced by Michael Moorcock. Illustrated by Sam Weber. Bound in buckram. Printed and blocked with a design by Sam Weber. Set in Adobe Caslon. Frontispiece and 5 colour illustrations. Book size: 9½ × 5¾. 176 pages. In 1950, Ray Bradbury had a kernel of an idea for a story, and rented a typewriter in the basement of the UCLA library for nine days (it cost him $9.80). Dashing from the basement to the stacks to track down half-remembered quotations and typing at furious speed, in that short time he produced the first draft of an extraordinary novel. Serialised, widely published, adapted for film, theatre and even opera, the book, as Bradbury wrote, 'seems to have a life that goes on recreating itself'. Fahrenheit 451 envisages a dystopian future in which the job of firemen is to seek out books, and burn them. Montag is a fireman who enjoys his job, wearing 'the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame.' He agrees with his boss who tells him how much happier people are now, watching endless television at high volume, than when they read books and thought for themselves. Then one night, Montag meets a young girl with 'unconventional' habits – walking at night, collecting butterflies and tasting rain. Something about the girl forces Montag to look at his world differently: children in cars running down pedestrians for fun, his wife overdosing regularly on sleeping pills, and his neighbour proud that her children would 'just as soon kick as kiss me'. Montag realises that 'we have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing.' Such subversive thoughts will lead Montag to rebel – and rebellion has terrible consequences. Bradbury's bleak admonitory vision is not of a tyrannical government, but of people who did this to themselves. His fictional dystopia began with a wave of political correctness that censored and silenced uncomfortable opinions; then interactive, reality TV swamped critical thought; and finally, each individual's 'right' to the pursuit of happiness removed any sense of responsibility and even emotion itself. Over 60 years on, the fears raised by Fahrenheit 451 have not lessened. Yet at the book's heart is a profound optimism: books are symbolic of humankind's capacity for reflection and understanding, which can save us from our equally powerful capacity for self-destruction. This edition includes a new introduction by science-fiction writer Michael Moorcock and a series of astonishingly life-like illustrations by Sam Weber, which perfectly capture the novel's haunting atmosphere.
Price £ 117.95 (inc UK postage) Other items you may like
Others by the same author
To buy this item online using any major credit or debit card or Paypal, click the appropriate delivery option below
depending on where you are in the world.
Option 1 - Buy item for 118.45 with 1st class post TO A UK ADDRESS ONLY
Option 2 - Buy item for 117.95 with 2nd class post TO A UK ADDRESS ONLY
Option 3 - Buy item for 138.95 with Airmail TO AN ADDRESS IN USA OR CANADA
Option 4 - Buy item for 143.95 with Airmail TO AN ADDRESS IN THE REST OF THE WORLD (including the EU)
Safe and Secure Online Buying
To buy online, please click the appropriate button above. You will be transferred to secure pages hosted by Paypal, the largest online transaction processor in the world. You can pay with any major credit or debit card or by Paypal.
Money Back Guarantee, Secure Packaging and Fast Response
We are a major online trader with excellent feedback from satisfied customers on Ebay (over 25,000 customers). We will refund your costs for items returned within seven days for any reason. If we are at fault we will also refund your return postage. Items are sent in top grade book boxes for protection. Large items or multiple purchases may be boxed. Items will be despatched within a day of receipt of your order, usually on the same day if ordered before noon.
