Books

New York: Ballantine Books, [1955]. First edition. A fine copy in a nearly fine dust jacket with mild darkening to the spine panel and some fade to the orange ink of the title lettering, tiny closed tear to the upper front panel. A nice copy. (31427). Octavo, illustrations by Joe Mugnaini, original red cloth, lettered in black. Currey binding B1, probable first state of the trade binding with publisher's logo inverted at base of spine. This title reprints the contents of DARK CARNIVAL (1947), most with revisions and it also includes four stories collected here for the first time; "The Dwarf," "The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse," "Touched With Fire," and "The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone." [Reference: See Barron: Horror Literature 3-34. Bleiler: The Guide to Supernatural Fiction #259].

'The October Country' is a 1955 collection of nineteen macabre short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. It reprints fifteen of the twenty-seven stories of his 1947 collection Dark Carnival, and adds four more of his stories. Each story is accompanied by a macabre illustration by Joseph Mugnaini. The stories in this collection touch on the themes of the autumn season, dealing with the fantastical, the weird, and the melancholic, conjuring the essence of October and its mix of anticipation and apprehension.

The true first edition of 'The October Country' published by Ballantine Books can be identified by looking for the absence of additional print run information on the copyright page and the correct date (1955).