Bradbury, Ray. SWITCH ON THE NIGHT. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1955. 1st edition. With no mention of edition or printing printed on the copyright page, which indicates that this is the correct 1st edition, 1st printing. This is NOT a book club book. This is NOT an ex-library book.
Buyer beware: There were several later printings of SWITCH ON THE NIGHT that were published in this exact hardcover format and also in similar hardcover formats. This is the real deal: the true 1st edition, 1st printing.
SCROLL DOWN THIS PAGE IMMEDIATELY TO SEE THE CONDITION OF THIS BOOK AND THIS DUST JACKET.
Ray Bradbury needs no introduction. He is absolutely one of the best, most famous, and most collectible science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery writers of all time. He is the author of such great and famous books as DARK CARNIVAL (his 1st book and an early Arkham House publication), THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, DANDELION WINE, A MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY, THE MACHINERIES OF JOY, SWITCH ON THE NIGHT (offered here), THE OCTOBER COUNTRY, I SING THE BODY ELECTRIC, THE GOLDEN APPLES OF THE SUN, FAHRENHEIT 451, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (offered here), R IS FOR ROCKET, S IS FOR SPACE, and many, many more. Some of the above titles are among the most important and collectible books of the 20th century.
From the dust jacket: “ . . . RAY BRADBURY . . . SWITCH ON THE NIGHT . . . Pictures by . . ., ADELEINE GEKIERE . . . This is the story of a little boy like a lot of other little boys — and girls; he didn’t like the night. He loved the sun and the light, nothing but light and sun. And when it grew dark, he kept lights burning all over the house. And he stayed home. He didn’t want to go out and play with the other children at night. There he was, up in his little room, and he was bored. While the other children played and laughed outside, under the trees. What a lonely little boy he was. And how many things he missed. But that he didn’t know. Until one night something miraculous happened — but we will not give the story away. You will have to read it yourself. It is told by Ray Bradbury, the man who knows all about Mars and rockets. He wrote it the week after his first daughter, Susan, was born. Because he didn’t want her to have a problem he had had himself, as a little boy. He wanted to make sure that she would like the night. The pictures are by Madeleine Gekiere, who has tried to make sure you see in the dark — quite a wonderful thing to do . . . “
From the rear flap of the dust jacket: “ . . . RAY BRADBURY, contrary to popular opinion, was not born on Mars, but in an equally improbable place, Waukegan, Illinois, where he began to write fantastic stories when he was twelve years old, on a toy dial-typewriter. As a boy he dreamed of becoming a magician and working wonders and miracles and suspending lovely ladies in mid-air. Now, looking back on his writing career, Bradbury considers that perhaps he has been something of a magician after all, since his short stories and books more often than not are miraculously full of wonders and illusions about the world of the future, and people suspended in rockets on their way to the stars. His books include THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES and THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. His most recent encounter was with a White Whale when he wrote the screenplay of Moby Dick for John Huston, in Ireland, this year . . . “
From the rear flap of the dust jacket: “ . . . MADELEIN GEKIERE was born in Switzerland, and now lives in Manhattan. She is a painter who loves strong brilliant colors — but she also loves the night. She is the author and illustrator of WHO GAVE US . . . ?, which was chosen, by a special art jury appointed by the New York Times, as one of the ten outstandingly illustrated children’s books of 1953 . . . “
Clute, Nicholls THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION (1993): " . . . Ray Bradbury discovered science fiction fandom in 1937, meeting Ray Harryhausen, Forrest J. Ackerman, and Henry Kuttner . . . Bradbury’s style was beginning to jell: poetic, evocative, consciously symbolic, with strong nostalgic elements and a leaning towards the macabre -- his work has always been more fantasy and horror than science fiction . . . He found a new market for this sort stories in the ‘slicks,’ magazines such as Esquire, Saturday Evening Post, McCall’s, and Colliers Weekly. Only a handful of his stories originally appeared in science fiction magazines. This was one of the most significant breakthroughs into the general market made by any genre science-fiction writer . . . Bradbury’s reputation continued to grow. He has appeared in well over 800(!) anthologies. He is regarded by many critics as a major literary talent . . . Ray Bradbury was given the Nebula Grandmaster Award in 1989 for his lifetime achievements . . . “
Clute, Grant THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY (1997): “ . . . In Los Angeles Ray Bradbury became involved in science fiction fandom in 1937. Henry Kuttner, Leigh Brackett, Robert A. Heinlein, Hannes Bok and other members of the California science fiction community became friends and mentors . . . Notwithstanding his stature as a novelist, Ray Bradbury’s greatest renown is for his short stories with their focused imagery and controlled prose . . . Bradbury’s depiction of fantasy is as an inextricable element of daily life, which anticipated the contemporary dark fantasy movement . . . “
Some of the awards and award nominations that Ray Bradbury has been honored with:
1945: “The Big Black and White Game.” Selected for the Best
American Short Stories 1945.
1947: DARK CARNIVAL. Ray Bradbury’s 1st book (a collection
of short stories) is published by Arkham House. DARK
CARNIVAL becomes very valuable for both Ray Bradbury
1st edition collectors and for Arkham House 1st edition
collectors.
1947: “Homecoming.” Selected for the O. Henry Award.
1948: “Powerhouse.” Selected for the O. Henry Award.
1948: “I See You Never.” Selected for the Best American Short
Stories 1948.
1949: Ray Bradbury was selected by the National Fantasy Fan
Federation as Best Author in 1949.
1952: THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. International Fantasy Award nominee
for Best Fiction.
1954: “Sun and Shadow.” Benjamin Franklin Magazine Award winner.
1954: Ray Bradbury was named the winner of the
National Institute of Arts and Letters Award
in Literature.
1954: FAHRENHEIT 451. Commonwealth Club of California Literature
Gold Medal Award winner.
1956: SWITCH ON THE NIGHT. Boys Club of America
Junior Book Award winner for Juvenile Fiction.
1958: “The Day It Rained Forever.” Selected for Best American Short
Stories.
1965: “The Other Foot.” Selected for FIFTY BEST AMERICAN SHORT
STORIES: 1915-1965.
1965: Ray Bradbury is the Mrs. Ann Radcliffe Award winner given
by the Count Dracula Society.
1970: “Mars Is Heaven.” Selected for THE SCIENCE FICTION
HALL OF FAME by the Science Fiction Writers of America.
1971: Ray Bradbury is the Mrs. Ann Radcliffe Award winner given
by the Count Dracula Society.
1977: Ray Bradbury was the winner of the World
Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement
(as one would expect, of course).
1977: LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT. World Fantasy Award nominee
for Best Fantasy Collection/Anthology.
1979: “Gotcha!” Locus Award nominee for Best Short Story.
1979: “Infinite Space: Beyond Apollo. Aviation Space Writers
Association Award winner for Best Television Documentary.
1979: Ray Bradbury was the winner of the Balrog Award for Best
Fantasy Poet.
1980: Ray Bradbury was the winner of the Gandalf
Award for Lifetime Contributions to Fantasy by
being named a Gandalf Award Grand Master.
1981: THE STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY. Locus Award nominee
for Best Single Author Collection.
1984: Ray Bradbury was named a Jules Verne Award winner.
1984: Ray Bradbury was the Valentine Davies Award winner given by
the Writers Guild of America for Cinema Work.
1984: Ray Bradbury is presented a Body of Work Award from PEN.
1985: Ray Bradbury is named an HBO Ace Award winner for a
Dramatic Series.
1989: Ray Bradbury was the winner of the Grand
Master Award given by the Science Fiction
Writers of America (as one would expect,
of course).
1989: Ray Bradbury was named the winner of the Bram
Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement (as one
would expect, of course).
1989: “The Thing at the Top of the Stairs.” Bram Stoker Award nominee
for Best Horror Short Story.
1989: THE TOYNBEE CONVECTOR. Bram Stoker Award nominee
for Best Horror Collection.
1989: THE TOYNBEE CONVECTOR. Locus Award nominee for Best
Collection.
1993: THE HALLOWEEN TREE. Emmy Award
winner for Hanna Barbera Studios’ animated
version.
1994: SWITCH ON THE NIGHT (illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon).
Locus Award nominee for Best Art Book.
1997: QUICKER THAN THE EYE. Locus Award nominee for Best
Collection.
1998: DRIVING BLIND. World Fantasy Award nominee for Best
Horror Collection.
1998: DRIVING BLIND. British Fantasy Society Award nominee for
Best Collection.
2000: Ray Bradbury is the recipient of the National Book
Foundation’s 2000 Medal for Distinguished
Contribution to American Letters.
2002: Ray Bradbury was honored with Star #2193 of the Hollywood
Walk of Fame for his contributions to film.
2002: FROM THE DUST RETURNED. World Fantasy Award nominee
for Best Horror Novel.
2002: FROM THE DUST RETURNED. Bram Stoker Award nominee
for Best Horror Novel.
2002: FROM THE DUST RETURNED. Locus Award nominee for
Best Fantasy Novel.
2003: ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD. Bram Stoker Award
winner for Best Horror Collection.
2004: Ray Bradbury was awarded the National Medal
of Arts.
2004: FAHRENHEIT 451. Hugo Award (Retro) winner
for Best Novel.
2004: BRADBURY STORIES: 100 OF HIS MOST CELEBRATED
TALES. Locus Award nominee for Best Collection.
2007: Ray Bradbury was the French Commandeur Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres Medal winner.
2007: Ray Bradbury received a Special Citation from
The Pulitzer Board “For his distinguished,
prolific, and deeply influential career as an
unmatched author of science fiction and
fantasy.” (!!!)
2010: Ray Bradbury was the Spike TV Scream Awards Comic-Con Award
winner.
2010: Ray Bradbury was the Pulsar Award winner from Sarajevo SF Club
PulSar on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
It is completely obvious that Ray Bradbury was and remains one of the most important and most collectible American authors of the 20th (and 21st) centuries. If you collect science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery 1st editions, then you would want to collect Ray Bradbury 1st editions.
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I grade books and dust jackets: fine, near fine, very good, good, fair, and poor. I describe all faults. If you sell books on EBAY (or anywhere else), it is de rigueur not to list 1st printings of book club books as 1st editions (unless they ARE the 1st edition, which occurs only occasionally); also, a 1st edition, 7th printing, is not a 1st edition. Ex-library books must be noted as such since generally they are of little value to the collector of 1st editions. Condition is also very important to those collectors. Books and dust jackets must be described in detail. In other words, it is incumbent upon the SELLER to know what is and is not a 1st edition. Mistakes can be made (and corrected), of course, but if you DON'T KNOW, don't try to sell a book as a 1st edition.
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CONDITION:
A GOOD+ to VERY GOOD- book in a GOOD only dust jacket. The book is tight and square in its gray paper-boards binding with yellow lettering on the front of the book and on the spine of the book and with an illustration on the front board of the book. There is no writing in the book; no bookplates; no remainder marks. The book has had some slight professional restoration and color touch-up at the head of the spine and at the upper left of the front board. The book has the correct bright pink endpapers. The dust jacket is not price-clipped and shows the correct 1st issue price of $2.50. The dust jacket has undergone some rather extensive restoration and recoloring. The main restoration is at the lower spine panel of the dust jacket and all along both flap folds. The lettering on the spine panel of the dust jacket is smudged. Overall, the dust jacket actually shows fairly well on the front panel and on the rear panel, given the restoration.
Keep in mind that this book was issued as a children’s book and that usually the book shows up in quite worn and torn condition. And the dust jacket for this book is usually not present, so even having a dust jacket at all is very unusual.
This is a mediocre 1st edition copy of SWITCH ON THE NIGHT, but 1st editions of this book are quite scarce.
The great and famous dust jacket artwork is by the excellent artist Madeleine Gekiere. Gekiere is also the illustrator for each page inside the book. All 26 illustrations are present and the dust jacket artwork is virtually perfect in terms of presenting the atmosphere of the story itself.
A MUST FOR THE COLLECTOR OF IMPORTANT MODERN CHILDREN’S BOOKS 1st EDITIONS AND/OR THE COLLECTOR OF RAY BRADBURY 1st EDITIONS!
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Additional photos are available upon request.
I am continuing to list some of my best books (especially science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions) on EBAY not so much as auctions (due to the fact that EBAY charges quite a bit to list items for reserve auctions), but more along the lines of listing my “catalogue” of books that I have for sale. I'm not going to “give” these books away, but my opening bids and Buy-It-Now prices are usually a fair amount below market value. Furthermore, however, for certain scarce books in great condition, I do expect to get close to what they’re worth. Stay with me; I always have a number of important, collectible, cornerstone science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions listed. Many thanks! All items are being offered for sale elsewhere; I reserve the right to end this listing early if this item sells elsewhere.
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Note:
I own the following two books:
Leckie, Anne. ANCILLARY JUSTICE. Subterranean
Press, 2014. 1st limited edition. (#2/500).
Leckie, Anne. ANCILLARY MERCY. Subterranean
Press, 2016. 1st limited edition. (#2/500).
I am looking for:
Leckie, Anne. ANCILLARY SWORD. Subterranean
Press, 2015. 1st limited edition. (#2/500).
I would like to round out this set by acquiring the #2/500
copy of ANCILLARY SWORD. If anyone has this copy
and is willing to sell it on EBAY, I would be highly interested
in obtaining it so that all my copies would have matching
numbers. Many thanks.
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Contact me if you’re looking for a particular title or titles. I have thousands of books for sale that may or may not show up in my EBAY listings.
I am happy to set up flexible PAYMENT and/or HOLD PLANS for any book(s) that you bid on and win.
Shipping: $4.00 for USPS Media Mail shipping. $10.00 for USPS Priority Mail shipping. Buyers who wish to have packages sent to addresses outside of the U.S. are required to pay for the postage necessary to send such packages. Please wait until I send you a PAYPAL invoice if you win one of my auctions and you want something other than USPS Media Mail shipping. If you need to have a book sent to a country outside the United States, you must be willing to pay for the shipping necessary to send the book to you. I am happy to set up flexible payment and layaway plans if these options make it easier for you to participate in bidding and winning. Please e-mail me if you have any questions. See my other auctions on EBAY for excellent science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions (and a few other items). I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions: award winners, cornerstone books, and generally recognized important books in the genre(s). I GUARANTEE THE CONDITION OF THIS BOOK; IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, SEND IT BACK!
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OTIUM SINE LITTERIS MORS EST ET HOMINIS VIVI SEPULTURA.