The Burning. Mass market paperback - 1972

New York, NY Dell Publishing Company, 1972. Mass Market Paperback First Ed thus, so stated. First Ed thus, so stated. Very Good in Wraps: shows indications of light use: spine lean; just a hint of wear to extremities; mild rubbing to wrapper covers; creases top to bottom near the front hinge; binding secure; text clean. No longer 'As New', but remains clean, sturdy, presentable. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 12mo. 154pp. Mass Market Paperback. James E. Gunn's The Burning (1972) is a fix-up novel containing three previously published but linked novelettes: `Witches Must Burn' (1956), `Trial By Fire' (1969), and `Witch Hunt' (1969). The first two are contiguous while the third section is more loosely related. The Burning (1972) is a profoundly unsettling read. Of course Gunn's dystopic future is much more one of doom and gloom: The universities lie in smoldering ruins, the professors ("eggheads") have been murdered, and the "Lowbrow movement", playing on the fears of the common man has seized power. More than simply a critique of anti-intellectualism, the The Burning contains social themes born from a gamut of Cold War fears -- chief among them, increasing public distrust of the scientific establishment whose research created nuclear weapons. Thus, the intellectuals of Gunn's future (and perhaps, to this day) fail to see the potential ramifications of their inventions and are thus far from reproach. Because the public's security is threatened the universities become scapegoats. In Gunn's view both the people who have violently lashed out in fear against the scientists (and other intellectuals) and the scientists themselves deserve the blame. The way the destructive tides of the resulting Dark Age [queue numerous misconceptions of the Medieval era] can be ameliorated is to bring knowledge to the people by going among the people -- if this practical knowledge is viewed as witchcraft and magic, so be it. The knowledge generated by insular debate amongst academics needs to be translated in some way to the people. The Burning is worth reading for fans of James Gunn and social science fiction of the 50s and 60s.