Fahrenheit 451 's paragraph

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"[T]he book-burning firemen of [Fahrenheit 451] are concerned that culture be made inoffensive, non-threatening, and univer­ sally accessible. Books, they feel, confuse citizens with contradictory values and am­ bivalent portrayals of human behavior."

-Gary K. Wolfe

Selected Bibliography

Fiction

Abraham, Pearl The Romance Reader The daughter of a Hasidic rabbi, who is forbidden to read books in English, is torn between the tradition and safety of her father's world and the secular world she knows only through her beloved romance novels.

Colapinto, John About the Author A wauna-be author with writer's block uses his dead roommate's unpublished novel to make himself famous, but when a woman turns up knowing his secret, he has to decide between submitting to blackmail or committing murder.

Crumey, Andrew Mr. Mee An octogenarian bookseller seeks a 200 year old book that disproves the existence of the universe.

Everett, Percival Erasure When an African-American writer, constantly criticized for writing erudite essays pens a parody of "ghetto fiction," it becomes a runaway bestseller and makes him a millionaire. When it is nominated for a literary award, the author must come to terms with his "literary joke."

Guedj, Denis The Parrot's Theorem When a Parisian bookseller receives a priceless collection of historic math books, he also find a math-saavy parrot who is the repository of groundbreaking work on a theorem.

Hegi, Ursula Stones From the River A librarian in Germany, who has always felt like an outsider in her small town be­ cause she is a dwarf, harbors fugitives from the Nazis and books forbidden by the gov­ ernment in her cellar during World War II.

King, Stephen The Dark Half A famous author who used a pseudonym literally "buries" it and tries to move on, but the alter ego he created in order to write "trash" has come to life and wants revenge.

Mattison, Alice The Book Borrower Two young mothers meet in a park and over the plot of a book that one loans to the other, they form a lifelong friendship.

Peck, Richard The Last Safe Place on Earth In a "perfect" suburb parents hope they can keep bad influences at bay by making sure there are no controversial books in the schools.

Spencer, William Zod Wallop A children's book writer, institutionalized and tormented by grief, fears a story he has written is coming true.

Mystery

Beaton, M.e. Death ofa Scriptwriter When a woman's beloved mystery book is altered for a TV. series, is she angry enough at the changes to murder the scriptwriter?

Dobson, Joanne Cold and Pure and Very Dead When an English professor cites an obscure novel as the greatest book of the 20 th cen­ tury, it quickly becomes a bestseller, but after the reclusive author is found dead in her driveway the professor begins to investigate the truth behind the book's contents.

Estleman, Loren D.A Smile on the Face of the Tiger A 1950's-era pulp fiction writer, who is about to have his work reprinted, has returned his book advance and disappeared.

Goor, BatyaLiterary Murder A famous book critic and professor ofliterature is found murdered... Did an author take a bad review too seriously?

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.,

Hall, James Rough Draft A former cop turned mystery writer fmds that strange code seems to have been added to a copy of one of her books by her parents' killers.

Power, M.S. Nathan Crosby's Fan Mail When Gideon writes a best-selling thriller, he begins to get mail addressed to "Nathan Crosby," the killer in his novel. When bodies begin to turn up killed exactly as the novel describes, Gideon has to help the police fmd "Nathan Crosby."

Thornton, Betsy The High Lonesome Road The driver of the bookmobile in a small Arizona town is found shot to death and clutching a book to her chest.

Truman, Margaret Murder at the Library of Congress "Violence among the scholarly stacks" occurs when Annabel Reed investigates the dis­ appearance of a scholar and the appearance of a rare diary in the National Library.

Westlake, Donald The Hook Are two authors crazy enough to commit murder for the sake of a book deal?

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Ende, Michael The Neverending Story A fantasy in which the lonely life of a young boy who has lost his mother becomes en­ twined with the plot of the book he is reading.

Miller, Walter A Canticle for Liebowitz After a nuclear war, monks struggle to preserve the writings of humanity.

Orwell, George 1984 The central character in this science fiction classic works in the library for the all­ powerful "Ministry of Truth."

Rushdie, Salman Haroun and the Sea ofStories After this author was sentenced to death for a book he wrote, he created this fantasy

about how it feels to have your words and stories taken away.

•,'< Vinge, Vernor A Fire Upon the Deep (:1 In future worlds whole civilizations depend on connectivity to "the

net" and it is up to librarians to interpret layers of indexing to find the meaningful information that lies buried. A Hugo Award winner.

Salamanders are tlte lcoll ofthe Firemel~

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Wilson, Robert The Perseids and Other Stories Short stories set in the fictional bookshop "Finders" where a unique cast of characters

The phoenix rises from tlte flames. finds secondhand books essential to their destinies.

Non-Fiction

002.075 B297 Basbanes, Nicholas A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books True stories about how some book collectors verge on "bibliomania."

028 B655 Bloom, Harold How to Read and Why An instruction for readers in the different literary forms, the pleasure each can bring to the reader, and the challenge in stretching to new reading genres.

028.9 M277 Manguel, Alberto A History ofReading A book about the power of reading including being read to, reading alone, and "forbidden reading."

098.1 K18 Karolides, Nicholas J.l00 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature Censorship and its effect on specific books throughout the ages are explored in 100 entries that include a summary of the book, its censorship history, and suggestions for further reading.

323.445 D751 Downs, R.B. The First Freedom: Liberty and Justice in the World ofBooks and Reading An anthology of writings about book censorship and the principles of intellectual free­ dom by D. H. Lawrence, Aldous Huxley, John Steinbeck, and many others.

BD773 Narrative of the Life ofFrederick Douglass The famous abolitionist relates how is life changed one day in 1845 when he over­ heard his master say that reading is the key to freedom and must be kept from slaves at all costs.

Bradbm-y: By & About

016.813 B798N Nolan, William The Ray Bradbury Companion: A Life and Career History, Photolog, and Comprehensive Checklist of Writings At its publication in 1975, this was a nearly complete list of Bradbury's works up to that time and is still considered a classic reference work on the author.

808.02 B798 Bradbury, Ray Zen in the Art ofWriting Nine essays discuss the joy of writing, the writing process, inspiration, creativity, and the circumstances surrounding the writing of several of his works.

813 B798f Readings on Fahrenheit 451 Includes an examination and criticism of Bradbury's novel, as well as in-depth bio­ graphical information.

813 B798M Mogan, David Ray Bradbury Analyzes Bradbury's short stories and novels and offers insight to his life and career.

V/BRAD/BTIF 05 Bradbury, Ray Bradbury 13 [sound recording] A dramatization of thirteen of Bradbury's stories and an author interview.

Lenhoff, Alan "Maldng Fire Mean more than Fire: How Authors Use Symbols" Writing October 1999, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p.14 Describes how Bradbury uses symbols, especially fire, in his novel Fahrenheit 451 and

,.,', '..Pi'>" explores his depiction of a future American society.

;" -.McGiveron, Rafeeq O. "Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451" Explicator Spring 1996, Vol. 54 Issue 3, p. 177 Explores the use of the imagery of hands, symbolic fire, mirrors, and nature in the novel.

Ray Bradbury

Web Sites

www.raybradbury.com The official site hosted by HarperCollins.

www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury Ray Bradbury Online-a fan hosted site.

www.aclu.org American Civil Liberties Union provides extensive information on civil liberties and the First Amendment.

www.ala.orglbbooks American Library Association Banned Books site.

Memorable Lines from Fahrenheit 451

"Do you ever read any of the books you burn?"-Clarisse McClellen

"Why should I read? What for?"-Mildred

"Give a man a few lines ofverse and he thinks he's the Lord of all Crea­ tion. You think you can walk on water with your books."-Captain Beatty

"Those who don't build must burn. It's old as history and juvenile delin­ quents."-Faber

"We are all bits and pieces of history and literature and international law."-Granger

"Don't judge a book by it's cover."-Unidentified Man in Granger's party

"'Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I shall never be put out.'''-Unidentified Woman who chooses to burn with her books

"The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together for us."-Faber

Ray Bradbury

Born August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, 1L; son of Leonard Spaulding and Esther (Moberg) Bradbury. Married Marguerite Susan McClure, September 27, 1947. Children: Susan Marguerite, Ramona, Bettina, Alexandra. Education: Attended schools in Waukegan, 1L, and Los Angeles, CA. Avocational Interests: Painting in oil and water colors, collecting Mexican artifacts. Memberships: Writers Guild of America, Screen Writers Guild, Science Fantasy Writers of America, Pacific Art Foundation.

Sdvt4:C/ tty;; ~J' O. Henry Prize, 1947, and 1948; gold medal, Commonwealth Club of California, 1954, for Fahrenheit 451; National Institute of Arts and Letters award, 1954, for contribution to American literature; Academy Award nomination for best short film, 1963, for Icarus Montgolfier Wright; Mrs. Ann Radcliffe Award, Count Dracula Society, 1965, 1971; Writers Guild Award, 1974; World Fantasy Award, 1977, for lifetime achievement; D.Litt., Whittier College, 1979; Gandalf Award, 1980; Body of Work Award, PEN, 1985; medal for "Distinguished Contri­ bution to American Letters," National Book Foundation, 2000.

Fahrenheit 451 was filmed by Universal Studios in 1966, and it was adapted as an opera by Georgia Holof and David Mettere and first produced at the Indiana Civic Theater, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in November, 1988.

Sources: Contemporary Authors Online. Gale Group, 2001. DISCovering Authors. Gale Group, 1999. Wolfe, Gary K. "Ray Bradbury," in Concise Dictionary of American Literary

Biography: The Age of Maturity, 1929-1941. Gale, 1989, pp. 16-32.

TORRANCE PUBLIC LIBRARY WWW.L1BRARY.TORRNET.COM

Prepared by the Staffof the Torrance Public Library, 4/02

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