About the book

Fahrenheit 451, the seminal classic work by Illinois native Ray Bradbury, has been chosen to celebrate our first The BIG READ effort.  The themes of book burning, censorship and the threat to critical thought and inquiry are issues which resonate more than 50 years after its original publication. 

Biography—Born in Waukegan, Illinois in 1920, Ray Bradbury has become one of the most prolific and loved authors of our time.

Also see:
www.raybradbury.com
www.bradburychronicles.com

Fahrenheit 451—a classic since 1953, it addresses the issues of censorship and book burning, the need for intellectual freedom and critical thought.

Also see:
www.archive.org/details/C64Gamevideoarchive161-Fahrenheit451

Fahrenheit 451—Educational Materials
BIG READ educational guides intended for use in the classroom or in book discussions.

Also see:
Science Fiction Museum: Science Fiction in the Classroom
Ray Bradbury Teacher Resource File

Bibliography—Books

• Search for books in Columbia’s collection and in collections in Illinois academic and research libraries: www.lib.colum.edu/research/findBooks.php
  
  
• Search for books around the world: newfirstsearch.oclc.org

Bibliography—Audio: listing of audio recordings related to Ray Bradbury’s work

• www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/audio.htm
• www.archive.org/details/RayBradbury01Overview
• www.archive.org/details/Fahrenheit451Summary
• http://neabigread.com/books/fahrenheit451/radioshow.php

Filmography—list of Ray Bradbury’s films from the International Movie Database

Images—see Ray in action

• www.youtube.com/user/RayBradburyChannel
• www.archive.org/details/RayBradburyStoryOfAWriterByDavidL.Wolper
• http://neabigread.com/books/fahrenheit451/filmguide.php
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgwYsLOkYYw

Quotations—memorable, insightful and thought-provoking

• www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/quotes.htm
• www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Ray_Bradbury

Research

• The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies