# Need help identifying Ray Bradbury story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900 "2004-08-21T22:45:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/21 "2004-08-24T04:01:31Z")
I did some research. The only story by Bradbury that sounds like it fits in any way from before 1951 is “Doodad” from the Sept. 1943 Astounding. I don’t have that one, and I can’t find it in any of the Bradbury collections I have. If the anthology was from the 1940s, then the story must be The Weapon Shop, which is indeed in Adventures in Time and Space. I agree though, looking through it, that it does not sound like the one. “The Widget…” also is a plausible choice, but is much later. I have a bunch of Conklin and August Derleth anthologies from around that time, and they have few Bradbury stories, none that fit. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/22 "2004-08-24T11:33:33Z")
The [Widget], The [Wadget], and Boff by Theodore Sturgeon has a scene where a man stares in the window of a junk shop and sees some guns, but he doesn’t go into the store. jastu, tell your girlfriend that the story isn’t by Bradbury and doesn’t appear in any anthologies of the 1940’s. If she can give us any further clues we might have something to go on. Otherwise, I think we’re at a dead end. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Owes\_Bess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c37758/32.png) [@Alan\_Owes\_Bess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Owes_Bess)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/23 "2004-08-24T13:25:04Z")
From #12 **jastu** and using the words: bradbury doodad. I got lots of referrals to John Campbell’s Astounding Magazine of September 1943 which has a story listed as “Doodad”. Unfortunately, absolutely no descriptions or story texts seem to be available in English. The story was last anthologised in 1997 “the Wizards of Odd” [LINK](http://www.sfsite.com/12b/odd23.htm) I also found one site providing a brief story description: > [@](#): > > Ray Bradbury > Dingsbums > Doodad > 1943 > > Der Reporter Crowell hat sich mit mächtigen Männern angelegt und wird jetzt verfolgt. Ein unwichtiger Job führt in in einen kuriosen Laden mit der Aufschrift „Dingsbumse, Dingsdas, Wieheisstsdochgleichs, Zeugse, Duweisstschons, Pipifaxe, Apparate, Dingens“. Einigermassen irritiert über den dargebotenen, undefinierbaren Krempel kauft er ein „Dingens“. Als er in seiner Wohnung auf seiner Verfolger trifft und der ihn um die Eche bringen will, zeigt sich dieses „Dingens“ als überaus hilfreich und effektiv. [LINK IN GERMAN](http://www.buchkritik.at/kritik.asp?IDX=1125) I also found another site in a country using the Cyrillic alphabet [http://lib.luksian.com/textsfnf/trans\_b/](http://lib.luksian.com/textsfnf/trans_b/) or [http://lib.luksian.com/textsfnf/trans\_b/118/](http://lib.luksian.com/textsfnf/trans_b/118/) The second link gives the full text in Russian, I think. If you have a PC version of Babelfish installed on your PC (assuming such exists) you should come up with a hilarious English version of Doodad. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/24 "2004-08-24T17:18:58Z")
“Doodad” also appeared in two earlier U.S. anthologies - or perhaps two editions of the same anthology: Strange Signposts, ed. Roger Elwood & Sam Moskowitz, Holt, Rinehart & Winston 1966 Alien Earth and Other Stories, ed. Roger Elwood & Sam Moskowitz, MacFadden 1969 I’ll ask a friend who probably has the 1943 Astounding if the story line fits. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/25 "2004-08-24T19:13:37Z")
Try posting to the “Resources” message board at the official [Ray Bradbury website](http://raybradbury.com/). ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/26 "2004-08-24T20:17:47Z")
I think **Voyager** may have found it with Doodad, though I will pass all the information on to Brenda. Thank you again to all of you who have taken your valuable time to search for this story, it has been very much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/27 "2004-08-24T20:26:44Z")
I think **Voyager** may have found it with Doodad, though I will pass all the information on to Brenda. Thank you again to all of you who have taken your valuable time to search for this story, it has been very much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/28 "2004-08-24T22:06:03Z")
My friend looked in Astounding and wrote: > [@](#): > > Yep, that’s the one. I just checked. The only difference is that the object is not a gun per se, but a killer robot that looks like a combination kitchen appliance/musical instrument. Even Bradbury had to start somewhere. :smack: Now all you have to do is ask Brenda how the heck she ever saw a story this obscure! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900/29 "2004-08-24T22:20:53Z")
> [@jastu](#): > > I think **Voyager** may have found it with Doodad, though I will pass all the information on to Brenda. > > Thank you again to all of you who have taken your valuable time to search for this story, it has been very much appreciated. I’m glad we found it. I _love_ my Day, Metcalfe, and NESFA indices. I bought them back when I was a poor undergrad and grad student, but I’ve never regretted it. Now, to figure out what anthology she saw it in. Definitely not an Elwood one. I’ll check my MLA Story Index, pitiful as it is, and my private card file. I know it doesn’t matter any more, but I’m curious. I suspect this was the only Bradbury story Campbell ever bought, so it couldn’t have been that bad. I don’t think he ever sold anything to Unknown. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-ray-bradbury-story/260900.md?page=1)