Wednesday, September 14, 2011

S is for Space

S IS FOR SPACE is the title of a Ray Bradbury short story collection compiled and published in 1966. Although the author's stories were written for adults and often published in adult venues such as PLAYBOY, he became a favorite of teachers and students in the sixties and this was one of several volumes aimed specifically at the young adult market.

From Wikipedia, here are the stories included in S IS FOR SPACE:

Contents

"Chrysalis"
A science fiction story in which three men anxiously watch their fellow-scientist as he is encased in a mysterious green chrysalis. They eventually come to believe he is undergoing metamorphosis inside the chrysalis.
"Pillar of Fire"
A science fiction/horror short novel. Set in the year 2349, it depicts a Utopian society in which all corpses are incinerated for hygienic reasons. All horror literature has also been burned to produce a healthier mindset. When his grave is disturbed, a vampire infiltrates the utopia and launches a vendetta to restore fear.
"Zero Hour"
A science fiction story, involving a world-wide befriending of children by sinister aliens.
"The Man"
A compelling science fiction parable. A rocket ship lands on an isolated planet, expecting an astounded welcome. However, they find they have been preceded by a much more important Visitor...
"Time in Thy Flight"
A science fiction story. A high-school teacher takes three children on a field-trip in a time machine.
"The Pedestrian"
A science fiction story about a society addicted to television.
"Hail and Farewell"
A fantasy story concerning a middle-aged man who never physically aged past his pre-adolescence.
"Invisible Boy"
A comical story about an old woman who convinces a boy she has turned him invisible.
"Come into My Cellar"
A science fiction story about mushrooms and alien invasions.
"The Million-Year Picnic"
A science fiction story in which a family travels to an unsullied Mars to escape a ravaged Earth.
"The Screaming Woman"
A mystery/suspense story, describing a young girl who tries to procure help in digging up a woman buried in an empty lot.
"The Smile"
A science fiction story describing a world devastated by nuclear war, whose inhabitants systematically destroy artifacts of the past. The story touches on one boy who is enchanted by Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
"Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed"
An atomic war on Earth drives prompts a family to flee to a human colony Mars.
"The Trolley"
An idyllic story about the last trolley-ride in a small town.
"The Flying Machine"
A story set in ancient China, whose Emperor discovers a peasant has invented a flying-machine.
"Icarus Montgolfier Wright"
A story concerning the first man to fly a rocket ship.

2 comments:

  1. Connecting one of your posts to another, two of theses stories were produced for radio in the 1950s.
    "Hail and Farewell" & "Zero Hour" were both featured on the show 'X-minus-1."

    "The Million-Year Picnic" was part of the Martian Chronicles.

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  2. Bradbury often reprinted stories. There is a lot of duplication between "The Martian Chronicles", "S is for Space", and "Rocket is for Rocket"

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