The Hypodermic Hound, a.k.a. The Hound, for 'Fahrenheit 451', 1982.

Joseph Anthony Mugnaini

This impression has two small color lithographs, printed as proofs, on the verso. One, or both, might be by Millard Sheets who also worked with master printer Lynton Kistler.

This composition is from a portfolio of ten color lithographs created by Mugnaini, with interpretive captions authored by Ray Bradbury. Corresponding text printed on inside cover: "In a world where books are burned, send the Hound forth, with hypodermic muzzle, to hunt, find, anesthetize, destroy those who dare to read."

The edition of 150 was produced for the portfolio "Ten Views of the Moon" for Ray Bradbury. One of the greatest science fiction writers of the 20th century, Bradbury authored such classics as "The Martian Chronicles," "The Illustrated Man," "Fahrenheit 451," and "Something Wicked This Way Comes."The writer and the artist met in Los Angeles in 1952 and Mugnaini went on to illustrate many of Bradbury's works, including "Fahrenheit 451."

In 1967, Ballantine Books published a special school edition of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" that eliminated two minor incidents and words such as 'hell', 'damn' and 'abortion'. Ironically, the censorship of this book about censorship and expurgation was unknown to Bradbury. He eventually found out and demanded that the full text be reinstated. Some editions now have a 'coda' penned by Bradbury: 'I will not go gently onto a shelf, degutted, to become a non-book.' The Hypodermic Hound on display is by the artist Joseph Mugnaini.This image was included in this second printing.