Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Bradbury lets 'Farenheit 451' join e-book revolution

Rob Sharp
Wednesday 30 November 2011 20:00 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Ray Bradbury, the author of science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, had always forbidden his book from being published electronically, claiming e-books "smell like burned fuel". But now the author, 91, has caved in under pressure from his publisher.

Bradbury, whose novel became a bestseller on publication in 1953, had spoken out against the idea. "I was approached three times during the last year," he told the Los Angeles Times in 2010. "I said to Yahoo: 'Prick up your ears and go to hell.'"

However, faced with the "unavoidable" renegotiation of a publishing contract with Simon & Schuster being wrangled over by his agent, Michael Congdon, the author has changed his mind. "We explained the situation to him. That a new contract wouldn't be possible without e-book rights," said Mr Congdon.

Previously, Bradbury had complained about the spread of modern technology. "We have too many mobile phones," he said. "We have too many machines now."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in