The Dragon (short story)

"The Dragon" is a short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, originally published in 1948 in the magazine Esquire. A limited edition (352 copies, signed and numbered or lettered) of the story was published by Footsteps Press in 1988. It appears in A Medicine for Melancholy (1959), R is for Rocket (1962), Classic Stories 1 (1990), and Bradbury Stories (2003).

"The Dragon"
Short story by Ray Bradbury
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy
Publication
Published in	Esquire
Publication type	Periodical
Media type	Print (Magazine)
Publication date	August 1955

The Dragon

dust-jacket from the first edition
Author	Ray Bradbury
Illustrator	Ken Snyder
Cover artist	Ken Snyder
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy short story
Publisher	Footsteps Press
Publication date	1988
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	15 pp

Plot

The story concerns two knights who have a mission to slay a dragon. They describe the dragon as huge, fire-breathing, and horrific, having only one eye. They charge the dragon but fail, presumably dying in the attempt.

The "dragon" is then revealed to be a steam train, and its single eye is the train's headlight. The operators discuss the encounter but continue on without attempting to find the knights.

Sources

• Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 264.
• Brown, Charles N.; William G. Contento. "The Locus Index to Science Fiction (1984-1998)". Retrieved 2007-12-12.

External links

• The Dragon title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database