DARK CARNIVAL

The short-story collection, Dark Carnival (1947) was Ray Bradbury's first published book. It includes many of his early "weird fiction" -- a mixture of horror, suspense and the supernatural.

Most of these stories were later reprinted in The October Country, with the exception of "The Maiden," "The Tombstone," "The Smiling People," "The Traveler," "Reunion," "The Handler," "The Coffin," "Interim," "Let's Play 'Poison'," "The Night," "The Dead Man," and "The Night Sets." 

PUBLISHING INFORMATION:

• First hardcover edition published by Arkham House in 1947.
  The print run for this edition was 3112 copies.
• First British hardcover edition published by Hamish Hamilton in 1948.
  Abridged from the Arkham House edition.
• First paper edition published in England with the title The Small Assassin by ACE in 1962.
  Abridged from the Arkham House edition. Contents differ from first British edition.
  ACE No. H521.
• Paper edition was published in England with the title The Small Assassin by Four Square in 1964.
• Limited edition with supplemental material edited by Donn Albright. Gauntlet Press. 2001. 

CONTENTS:

• The Homecoming
• Skeleton
• The Jar
• The Lake
• The Maiden
• The Tombstone
• The Smiling People
• The Emissary
• The Traveler
• The Small Assassin
• The Crowd
• Reunion
• The Handler
• The Coffin
• Interim
• Jack-In-The-Box
• The Scythe
• Let's Play "Poison"
• Uncle Einar
• The Wind
• The Night
• There Was an Old Woman
• The Dead Man
• The Man Upstairs
• The Night Sets
• Cistern
• The Next in Line