Two hundred thirteen pages, and published by Bantam books, this one is a collection of stories mostly published in other places, but it's a fine set. It's also one of the very first science fiction books I ever read. Not just the title, but this exact copy. I used to read only comic books and science books. When I lived in Alaska, I had a classmate named J. Kennebec who talked about science fiction and so I started reading that. I reckon I was in the eighth grade. And I haven't stopped reading sf since.
My favorite stories are "A Miracle of Rare Device," "Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms in Your cellar," and "Tyrannasaurus Rex." "And the Sailor Home from the Sea" is also very good, as well as "Vacation."
I guess I didn't realize way back when I started reading this stuff, that Bradbury is a little different than the typical science fiction author, rather his writing is a little different than their writing. He's telling a story and they're telling a story. But RB is in love with language. Every sentence is crafted with an artisan's care. He doesn't just tell a story, he spins a tale. His writing has ambience, a feel, a taste, a smell. It's hard to believe I didn't notice it back when I was 12.
Oh, well. The stories are good. The writing is very good. They're not all science fiction. But they are all engrossing.
