Fahrenheit 451
A concise, self-contained dystopian novel and Bradbury's most widely known work.
Author guide
Ray Bradbury Books in Order
Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) was an American writer whose career spanned more than seven decades. His major works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He also published numerous short-story collections, novels, poems, plays, essays, memoirs, children's books, and screenplays.
science fictionfantasyhorrordystopian fictionliterary fictionshort storiespoetryplaysnonfiction
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Martian Chronicles
An accessible linked story cycle that introduces his science-fiction imagination and recurring themes.
The October Country
A strong entry to Bradbury's macabre, fantastic, and atmospheric short fiction.
Read in order
Books by series
shared-setting-cycle · open
Green Town
A shared setting and cycle of novels and stories centered on the fictional Illinois town of Green Town.
- 1 Dandelion Wine
Book 1 · fix-up-novel · 1957
The summer of '28 was a vintage season for a growing boy. A summer of green apple trees, mowed lawns, and new sneakers. Of half-burnt firecrackers, of gathering dandelions, of Grandma's belly-busting dinner. It was a summer of sorrows and…
- 2 Something Wicked This Way Comes
Book 2 · novel · 1962
Few American novels written this century have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury's unparalleled literary classic SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the…
- 3 The Halloween Tree
Book 3 · novel · 1972
"A fast-moving, eerie...tale set on Halloween night. Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he…
- 4 Farewell Summer
Book 4 · novel · 2006
***Sequel to Dandelion Wine In a summer that refuses to end, in the deceiving warmth of earliest October, civil war has come to Green Town, Illinois. It is the age-old conflict: the young against the elderly, for control of the clock that…
- 5 Summer Morning, Summer Night
Book 5 · short-story-collection · 2007 Optional
Green Town, Illinois stands at the very heart of Ray Bradbury Country. A lovingly re-imagined version of the author's native Waukegan, it has served as the setting for such modern classics as Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way…
novel-series · complete
Death Is a Lonely Business
A trilogy of mystery novels featuring an unnamed young writer investigating murders in 1940s Los Angeles.
- 1 Death Is a Lonely Business
Book 1 · novel · 1985
I first came upon this novel purely by accident, I was doing an evening class course at a local technical college, and I went into the college library to check out useful books. I was surprised to see ordinary library books and chuffed to…
- 2 A Graveyard for Lunatics
Book 2 · novel · 1990
- 3 Let's All Kill Constance
Book 3 · novel · 2002
On a dismal evening in the previous century, an unnamed writer in Venice, California, answers a furious pounding at his beachfront bungalow door and again admits Constance Rattigan into his life. An aging, once-glamorous Hollywood star,…
critical-edition-series · ongoing
The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury
A chronological scholarly edition collecting Bradbury's short fiction.
- 1 The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition — Volume 1, 1938–1943
Book 1 · critical-edition · 2011
- 2 The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition — Volume 2, 1943–1944
Book 2 · critical-edition · 2014
- 3 The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition — Volume 3, 1944–1945
Book 3 · critical-edition · 2017
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (12)
- The Martian Chronicles
fix-up-novel · 1950
Soar above the fossil seas and crystal pillars of a dead world in the pages of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. A milestone of American literature, Bradbury’s classic collection of interconnected vignettes about life on the red…
- Fahrenheit 451
novel · 1953
Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of…
- The God in Science Fiction
nonfiction · 1978
- About Norman Corwin
nonfiction · 1979
- Beyond 1984: A Remembrance of Things Future
nonfiction · 1979
- There Is Life on Mars
nonfiction · 1981
- The Art of Playboy
nonfiction · 1985
- Yestermorrow: Obvious Answers to Impossible Futures
nonfiction · 1991
The visionary science fiction author of Fahrenheit 451 shares his imaginative visions of the future in this collection of musings and memoirs. Combining a series of recollections alongside his personal contemplation about the future,…
- Green Shadows, White Whale
fictionalized-memoir · 1992
- From the Dust Returned
fix-up-novel · 2001
Ray Bradbury, America's most beloved storyteller, has spent a lifetime carrying readers to exhilarating and dangerous places, from dark street comers in unfamiliar cities and towns to the edge of the universe. Now, in an extraordinary…
- The Best of Ray Bradbury: The Graphic Novel
graphic-novel · 2003
- Match to Flame: The Fictional Paths to Fahrenheit 451
nonfiction · 2007
Nonfiction (2)
- Rod Steiger: Memoirs of a Friendship
memoir · 1998
- Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars
memoir · 2005
He is an American treasure, a clear-eyed fantasist without peer, and a literary icon who has created wonder for the better part of seven decades. On subjects as diverse as fiction, the future, film, famous personalities, and more, Ray…
Short fiction (23)
- Dark Carnival
short-story-collection · 1947
- The Illustrated Man
short-story-collection · 1951
The Illustrated Man is a 1951 collection of eighteen science fiction short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. A recurring theme throughout the eighteen stories is the conflict of the cold mechanics of technology and the psychology…
- The Golden Apples of the Sun
short-story-collection · 1953
Ray Bradbury is a modern cultural treasure. And here, presented in a new trade edition, are thirty-two of his most famous tales - prime examples of the poignant and mysterious poetry which Bradbury uniquely uncovers in the depths of the…
- The October Country
short-story-collection · 1955
A classic collection of nineteen macabre short stories from the modern master of the fantastic.
- A Medicine for Melancholy
short-story-collection · 1959
Ray Bradbury is a painter who uses words rather than brushes--for he created lasting visual images that, once observed, are impossible to forget. Sinister mushrooms growing in a dank cellar. A family's first glimpse at Martians. A…
- R Is for Rocket
short-story-collection · 1962
- The Machineries of Joy
short-story-collection · 1964
"The Machineries of Joy" is a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury, known for his distinctive blend of science fiction and fantasy. The book features a diverse range of tales, from the whimsical to the haunting, all infused with…
- S Is for Space
short-story-collection · 1966
One of Ray Bradbury’s classic short story collections, available in ebook for the first time.
- I Sing the Body Electric!
short-story-collection · 1969
- Long After Midnight
short-story-collection · 1976
- The Last Circus and the Electrocution
short-story-collection · 1980
- Dinosaur Tales
short-story-collection · 1983
Four short stories and two poems featuring one of the author's great loves: dinosaurs.
- A Memory of Murder
short-story-collection · 1984
- The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone
short-story-collection · 1985
- The Toynbee Convector
short-story-collection · 1988
"The Toynbee Convector" is a science fiction short story. First published in *Playboy* magazine in 1984, the story was subsequently featured in a 1988 short story collection also titled *The Toynbee Convector*. Bradbury presents 23…
- One More for the Road
short-story-collection · 2002
From Ray Bradbury, the recipient of the National Book Foundation's 2000 Medal comes a magical collection of short fiction. Ray Bradbury is one of the most celebrated fiction writers of the 20th century. He is the author of such classics…
- Is That You, Herb?
short-story-collection · 2003
- The Cat's Pajamas: Stories
short-story-collection · 2004
"In The Cat's Pajamas, this "latter-day O. Henry" takes us on a walk through his six-decade career, presenting twenty-two tales - some old, some new, all but two never before published." "A group of senators drinks a bit too much - and…
- The Dragon Who Ate His Tail
short-story-collection · 2007
- We'll Always Have Paris: Stories
short-story-collection · 2009
A new collection of never-before-published stories, in which Bradbury explores the myriad ways to be reborn, the circumstances that can make any man a killer, and returns us to Mars.
- A Pleasure to Burn
short-story-collection · 2010
Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 is an enduring masterwork of twentieth-century American literature—a chilling vision of a dystopian future built on the foundations of ignorance, censorship, and brutal repression. The origins and…
- The Lost Bradbury: Forgotten Tales of Ray Bradbury
short-story-collection · 2010
- Killer, Come Back to Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury
short-story-collection · 2020
Celebrating Ray Bradbury's centennial, a deluxe illustrated commemorative collection of his finest crime stories -- tales as strange and wonderful as his signature fantasy. Time travelers...dark carnivals...living automata...and…
Essays and speeches (1)
- Zen and the Art of Writing
essay-collection · 1973
"Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a land mine. The land mine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces back together. Now, it's your turn. Jump!" Zest. Gusto. Curiosity. These are the qualities…
Children's books (4)
- Switch on the Night
children's-book · 1955
A lonely little boy who is afraid of the dark is introduced to a whole new world by a little girl named Dark.
- With Cat for Comforter
children's-book · 1997
- Dogs Think That Every Day Is Christmas
children's-book · 1997
- Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines: A Fable
children's-book · 1998
In the stories of Ray Bradbury, readers have journeyed beyond the boundaries set by their imaginations, and have reveled in fantastic realms created by "one of the world's outstanding storytellers" (Toronto Globe & Mail). Now this…
Poetry (12)
- When Elephants Last in the Dooryard Bloomed
poetry-collection · 1973
- Where Robot Mice & Robot Men Run Round in Robot Towns
poetry-collection · 1977
One of Ray Bradbury’s classic poetry collections, available in ebook for the first time.
- This Attic Where the Meadow Greens
poetry-collection · 1979
- To Sing Strange Songs
poetry-collection · 1979
- The Ghosts of Forever
poetry-collection · 1980
- The Haunted Computer and the Android Pope
poetry-collection · 1981
A poetry collection from a master of fantasy celebrates the familiar and unusual in verses dealing with subjects from Ty Cobb to dinosaurs and strawberry shortcake to the Vatican
- The Complete Poems of Ray Bradbury
poetry-collection · 1982
- The Love Affair
poetry · 1982
- Long After Ecclesiastes: New Biblical Texts
poetry-collection · 1985
- Witness and Celebrate
poetry · 2000
- A Chapbook for Burnt-Out Priests, Rabbis and Ministers
poetry-collection · 2001
Plays (21)
- The Anthem Sprinters and Other Antics
play-collection · 1963
- A Device Out of Time: A One-Act Play
play · 1965
- The Day It Rained Forever: A Comedy in One Act
play · 1966
- The Pedestrian: A Fantasy in One Act
play · 1966
- Leviathan '99: A Drama for the Stage
play · 1972
- The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit and Other Plays
play-collection · 1972
- Pillar of Fire and Other Plays for Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond Tomorrow
play-collection · 1975
- Kaleidoscope
play · 1975
- Forever and the Earth
play · 1984
- The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
play · 1986
- The Martian Chronicles
play · 1986
- Fahrenheit 451
play · 1986
- Dandelion Wine
play · 1988
- To the Chicago Abyss
play · 1988
- The Veldt
play · 1988
The advanced technology of a house first pleases then increasingly terrifies its occupants.
- Falling Upward
play · 1988
- It Came from Outer Space
screenplay · 2003
- Now and Forever: Somewhere a Band Is Playing & Leviathan '99
novella-and-play-collection · 2007
- Wisdom 2116
play · 2010
- Nemo!
play · 2012
Collaborations (2)
- Mars and the Mind of Man
co-authored-nonfiction · 1971
- Imagining Space: Achievements, Predictions, Possibilities 1950-2050
co-authored-nonfiction · 2001
Frequently asked questions about Ray Bradbury
Who was Ray Bradbury?
Ray Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter whose work crossed science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery fiction. He became one of the most celebrated American writers of the twentieth century.
Sources: nebulas.sfwa.org (opens in a new tab)arts.gov (opens in a new tab)
When and where was Ray Bradbury born, and when did he die?
Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920. He died on June 5, 2012, in Southern California.
Sources: nebulas.sfwa.org (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)
How did Ray Bradbury begin his writing career?
After high school, Bradbury ended his formal education and supported himself by selling newspapers. He began his professional writing career in 1943 and published his first short-story collection in 1947.
Source: arts.gov (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Ray Bradbury's writing?
Bradbury drew on memories of his childhood in Waukegan, early science-fiction fandom, and authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and Sherwood Anderson. Genre mentors including Leigh Brackett, Edmond Hamilton, and Henry Kuttner also helped him develop his distinctive style.
Sources: pulitzer.org (opens in a new tab)loa.org (opens in a new tab)
What awards did Ray Bradbury receive, and what is his legacy?
Among his major honors were the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the National Medal of Arts, and a 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association later named its award for dramatic presentation in his honor.
Sources: arts.gov (opens in a new tab)pulitzer.org (opens in a new tab)nebulas.sfwa.org (opens in a new tab)