Dark Carnival (preorder)

(preorder—to be published in Summer)

Introduction by Stephen Gallagher.

Dust jacket and interior illustrations by Dave McKean.

Note: We have seven stickers signed by Ray Bradbury. One stickered copy will be sent to a long-time friend of the press. The other six stickers will be placed in random copies of the limited edition.

About the Book:

“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.

The Subterranean Press Edition of Dark Carnival will:

• Feature a unique, 8x8 trim size, as did our edition of Joe Hill’s Full Throttle;
• Be printed in two colors throughout;
• Contain an illustration for each story by Dave McKean;
• A wraparound full-color dust jacket;
• Full-color ensheets (a different image in the front and back)

Lettered Edition: We're not yet ready to begin taking orders for the lettered edition. We'll send out a notice when we are. Copies of the lettered edition will be signed by Dave McKean and Stephen Gallagher, but not Ray Bradbury.

Limited: 750 numbered copies signed by Dave McKean and Stephen Gallagher, housed in a custom slipcase

Table of Contents:

• The Homecoming
• Skeleton
• The Jar
• The Lake
• The Maiden
• The Tombstone
• The Smiling People
• The Emissary
• The Traveler
• The Small Assassin
• The Crowd
• Reunion
• The Handler
• The Coffin
• Interim
• Jack-in-the-Box
• The Scythe
• Let’s Play “Poison”
• Uncle Einar
• The Wind
• The Night
• There Was an Old Woman
• The Dead Man
• The Man Upstairs
• The Night Sets
• The Cistern
• The Next in Line

The Lost Stories

• The Sea Shell
• Bang! You’re Dead!
• The Poems
• The Watchers
• Time Intervening