Ray Bradbury: First Draft Of 'Fahrenheit 451' Cost $9.80 To Write

Before going to San Diego for the 40th Comic-Con International celebration of all that is great about comics, NPR's Nina Gregory had the chance to sit down with one of the superstars of science fiction -- Ray Bradbury.

He told her about the $9.80 he spent -- 10 cents per half hour -- to rent a typewriter in 1951 so that he could hammer out the first draft of Fahrenheit 451:

Bradbury on writing 'Fahrenheit 451' Listen

And, he spoke about missing his old friend, Walter Cronkite, who died on July 17. The CBS News anchor interviewed Bradbury during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. A few years later, they shared what Bradbury says was the best meal of his life:

Ray Bradbury: First Draft Of 'Fahrenheit 451' Cost $9.80 To Write Listen

Here's the report Nina did for Morning Edition about Comic-Con: