New podcast episode: Ray Bradbury's "Ghost Writer" Friends...

My latest Bradbury 100 podcast episode is a follow-up to the last episode, where I presented Ray's 1947 short story "Rocket Summer" from Planet Stories magazine. In that same issue, Ray contributed a humorous writer bio of himself, in which he claims that all his stories are written for him by a posse of talented professionals including Robert Heinlein!

That magazine slipped into the public domain in 1975, because the copyright wasn't renewed (following the 28-year-renewal rules in operation at that time). So, I'm bringing you the full article today!

After you hear Ray's parody bio, I'll tell you about the various writer-friends he mentions. Have you read any of these writers? Let me know in the comments below! 

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 41 - Ray Bradbury and his "Ghost Writer" Friends...

 

 

 

 

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New podcast episode: Rocket Summer!

What better way to melt away the winter blues than with Ray Bradbury's "Rocket Summer"? But this episode of my Bradbury 100 podcast isn't about the familiar opening chapter of The Martian Chronicles. No, here I'm looking at Bradbury's first use of the title "Rocket Summer".

It's a rare 1947 short story, published just once in Planet Stories, and never again reprinted. You won't find it in any of Ray's books.

The 1947 "Rocket Summer"also has the odd status of being in the public domain, thanks to an oversight: it should have had its copyright renewed in 1975 (following the 28-year-renewal system in use at that time in the US). But the renewal didn't happen.

 

 

Because the story is in the public domain, I can here present the entire story to you (if you can tolerate my storytelling voice...). Scroll down to listen, or find it using your podcast app.

 

 

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 40 - Rocket Summer!

 

 

 

 

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

 

 

Main platforms:

 
Apple Podcasts  - Google Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

 

 

 

Other platforms: 

Amazon Music - Audible - Bullhorn - Castbox - Deezer - Listen Notes - Player FM - Pocket Casts - Podbean - Podcast Addict - Podcast Index - Podcast Republic - Podchaser - Podfriend - Podlink - Podtail - Stitcher - TuneIn

Free Pulps Online

Thanks to a tip-off on the excellent Marooned: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror books on Mars blog, I have been viewing some complete issues of old science fiction pulps magazines on the Internet Archive. These are magazines which have (allegedly) gone into the public domain due to non-renewal of US copyright in the past.

Of the magazines currently online (put there by one Gerard Arhus), there are two which contain Bradbury stories. Planet Stories volume 4 number 6 (spring 1950) contains the first publication of Ray Bradbury's story "Forever and the Earth". Planet Stories volume 4 number 8 (fall 1950) contains Bradbury's "Death Wish", perhaps better known under the variant title "Blue Bottle".

The full list of pulps uploaded by Arhus can be found here. My top tip is to use the "read online" option, as this is quicker than waiting for the PDF versions to download.

It's quite fascinating to see these stories in their original context. In a sense, it's an "accidental" context: Bradbury didn't write these stories to order, and didn't write them for this particular magazine; instead, he would write his stories for himself and then send them out to a range of publications. But it's worth bearing in mind that the garish covers and hokey stories by other writers that surrounded his stories were part of what created the label of "Ray Bradbury is a science fiction writer", a label which he fought many years to shake off. And a fight which continues today!