Complete Short Stories: Volume 1

First in a two volume collection of short stories by the acclaimed author of Empire of the Sun, Crash and Super-Cannes. The new edition is introduced by Adam Thirwell. With eighteen novels over four decades from The Drowned World in 1962 to his final novel Kingdom Come in 2006 J.G. Ballard is known as one of Britains most celebrated and original novelists. However, during his long career he was also a prolific writer of short stories; in fact, many people consider that he is at his best in the short-story format. These highly influential stories have appeared in magazines such as New Worlds, Amazing Stories and Interzone, and in several separate collections, including The Terminal Beach, The Venus Hunters, Vermilion Sands, Low-Flying Aircraft and Myths of the Near Future. Set out in the original order of publication and frequently the point of conception for ideas he further developed in his novels, these stories provide an unprecedented opportunity to see the imagination of one of Britains greatest writers at work. This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballards works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Robert Macfarlane, Iain Sinclair, James Lever and Ali Smith) and brand-new cover designs from the artist Stanley Donwood. His story 'The Garden of Time', featured here in this volume, has inspired the 2024 Met Gala theme.