"THIS WAS THE BOOK THAT ESTABLISHED HIS REPUTATION": FIRST EDITION OF THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, SIGNED BY RAY BRADBURY

BRADBURY, Ray. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City: Doubleday, 1950. Octavo, original light green cloth, original dust jacket. $6800.

First edition of this scarce science fiction classic, Bradbury’s second book, inscribed, signed and dated by him on the front free endpaper: "Mark! Ray Bradbury, Jan. 20, 1980."

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).

Text clean, cloth lightly toned along spine. Minor rubs dust jacket spine ends, slight soiling to rear panel, front panel bright and clean. A near-fine signed copy. Scarce.