Bradbury, Ray

That Ghost, That Bride of Time [Regular 30-Line Issue]

[Roy A. Squires], (1976). First Edition. Trade Paperback. Item #204890
ISBN: 281AIB1040479

16 pages. 'Excerpts from a play-in-progress based on the Moby Dick mythology and dedicated to Herman Melville.' Limited to 400 copies. While the signature on the title page looks very convincing, it is, in fact, printed and not hand-signed. *** There are two states of this book, one with 30 lines on page 9 and one with 31 lines (the remaining pages have 31 lines). The change has to do with the enjambment (look it up!) of two lines which makes it hard to determine which is the first or the preferred version, since the effect is simply different and not obviously right or wrong. *** In the publisher's Bulletin newsletter for March 1976, Squires suggests that he made the change, rather than Bradbury. Squires writes, 'Throughout any press-run the printer may be tempted to introduce typographic changes; few printers can be trusted invariably to resist those temptations.' *** It appears that the 31-line version was used for about 250 copies, including the 150 signed subscriber's copies. *** It is impossible to say if Squires set page 9 with 31 lines initially and then changed his mind about the spacing and re-did it with 30 lines or if he discovered that he had set page 9 with only 30 lines and decided to change the spacing to make the page match the others. *** In any case, the unsigned 30- and 31-line copies seem to have roughly equal print runs. First edition (first printing). Fine in wrappers (pamphlet binding) a near fine, unprinted dust jacket. The jacket is tanned a bit from the non-archival envelope the book came in. Envelope very good. Copy 353 of 400. While this is not one of the signed subscriber copies, Bradbury inscribed this copy in the year of publication: 'David--Christmas wishes 1976! from Ray Bradbury.'.

Price: $150.00