Ballantine Books, New York, 1953
First Edition, First Printing, Signed Stunning Fine crisp book with vibrant boards with a beautiful fine/near dust jacket. Boldly signed by Ray Bradbury in dark green felt tip “Ray Bradbury” directly onto the title page. Curry binding D (no priority), the true first edition hardbound issue. Expanded from the novella “The Fireman”, published in 1951. Filmed in 1966 by Francois Truffaut.
The book is in bright, crisp, Fine condition with clean fresh cloth still retaining its original sheen and bright unfaded yellow titles to front and spine. The book has sharp corners, and no edgewear. The binding is tight and square. The end papers are clean with no bookplates, no owner names, no bookstore stamps, and no inscriptions. The internal pages are clean, crisp and flat with no marks, no stains, no handling marks, no writing, no bent pages, no stains, and no foxing. Stunning clean, bright book appearing as unread. Boldly signed by Ray Bradbury in deep green felt tip “Ray Bradbury” directly onto the title page. Please see detailed images.
The original first edition dust jacket is in beautiful condition. The jacket had very slight restoration to the outer spine tips of the spine and presents in fine/near fine condition. The orange lettering of the “451” is only very slightly faded, much, much less than usually observed. The price clipped jacket has no rips, no chips, no edgewear, no stains and no foxing. Please see detailed images.
“While the jet bombers boom overhead and another nuclear war threatens, Americans live a mindless life in a society where everyone is encouraged to lose himself in such distractions as four-wall television, hearing-aid radios, high-speed travel, and group sports. Life is reduced to the paste-pudding norm of a mass audience, for it serves the purpose of the government to keep people from thinking . The gadget are, of course, marvelous and everywhere, while the greatest enemies of the status quo are books, which, when they are occasionally discovered, are burned by firemen who are, in this fireproof age, no longer needed to put out fires, but to set them .” – Hillegas, The Future as Nightmare, pp. 158-9.
A very handsome copy of this title which is quite scarce signed, and currently the best condition and only copy on the market which is flat signed. One of the most important iconic Bradbury landmark titles. Would make a perfect gift for a Bradbury collector.
