1st.EDITION:

ACE, pb, 67800, Apr 1969, 317pp, $0.95, (Leo and Diane Dillon) [-A146] UK 1st.: Gollancz, hb, 00562-9, Feb 1971, 256pp, L1.80 (?) {[-A146]What The Dead Men Say}{Levack: "Bound in maroon paper boards with gold lettering on the spine. '1971' on the title page."}

OTHER ENGLISH EDITIONS:

• SFBC, hb, 2134, Jan 1970, ? $1.69 (Leo & Diane Dillon) {Levack: "Bound in grey paper boards with green lettering on the spine. Ace Books logo on the spine. Top edges stained green. Date code 48K [48th week of 1969] at lower left margin of page 309."}
• UKSFBC, hb, 5041, Feb 1972, ?, ? (?)

• Pan, pb, 23363-7, Nov 1972, 288pp, 35p (?)

• ACE, pb, 67801, 1976, ?, $1.95 (David Schleinkofer)

• Pan, pb, 23363-7, 1977, ?, 70p (?) [-A146]

• Grafton, pb, 06938-0, Oct 1987, 413pp, L3.50 (Chris Foss)

FOREIGN EDITIONS:

• Fanucci, pb, 26, 1976, 322pp, Lit.4500 (Karel Thole) {tr. into Italian as LE VOCI DI DOPO} {ISBN: 88-347-0072-4}
• Moewig, pb, Tb3543, 1981, ?, ? (?){tr. onto German as EINE HANDVOLL DUNKELHEIT}{Contents: Planet For Transients, Prominent Author, The Builder, The Little Movement, The Preserving Machine, The Impossible Planet, The Indefatigable Frog, The Turning Wheel, Progeny, The Cookie Lady, Captive Market, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Upon The Dull Earth, Exhibit Piece, War Game, The Crawlers, War Veteran, Top Stand-by Job, If There Were No Benny Cemoli, Retreat Syndrome, Pay For The Printer, What The Dead Men Say}{This is a combination of A HANDFUL OF DARKNESS and THE PRESERVING MACHINE}
• Fanucci, pb, 2, 1988, 322pp, Lit.15000 (Karel Thole){tr. into Italian as LE VOCI DI DOPO} {ISBN: 88-347-0072-4}

CONTENTS:

Upon The Dull Earth (1954)
The Preserving Machine(1953)
War Game(1959)
Roog(1952)
War Veteran(1955)
Beyond Lies The Wub(1952)
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale(1966)
Captive Market(1955)
If There Were No Benny Cemoli(1953)
Retreat Syndrome(1964)
The Crawlers(1954)
Oh, To Be A Blobel!(1964)
What The Dead Men Say(1964)
Pay For The Printer(1956)

---------------------------------------------------- To the  Short Story page

Ken Lopez, Bookseller catalog

DICK, Philip K. The Preserving Machine. NY: Ace, (1969). First. Paperback original. A collection of stories that has never been released in a trade hardcover in this country, and which contains the story on which the movie Total Recall was based--"We Can Remember it For You Wholesale." Spine-creased. Very good in wrappers. A somewhat uncommon title. $55 {As far as I know, Apr 1999, this is still for sale -- Lord RC}

TTHC    376:    {...}Many of Dick's occasional pieces refer to the sf writer's loneliness, a feeling that they are trapped within their work. In a preface (unused) he wrote for his story collection THE PRESERVING MACHINE (1969), for example, he noted that "As a writer builds up a novel-length piece it slowly begins to imprison him, to take away his freedom; his own characters are taking over and doing what they want to do -- not what he would want them to do."

BGSU Papers

Cover letter acompanying proofs for THE PRESERVING MACHINE  and photocopy of the book jacket artwork. Problems with the typesetter precludes copies for advance reviews but Carr will solicit input of Brunner, Boucher and Ellison by phone. {Terry Carr > PKD, Feb 4, 1968}

BGSU Papers

Reply to Phil's letter concerning copyrights for the stories in THE PRESERVING MACHINE. Offers to consider any new novel Phil might want to write for Carr's Ace Specials at $2500, against 6% - 8% royalties. {Terry Carr > PKD, Nov 6, 1968}

BGSU Papers

Informs Phil that copies of the stories in THE PRESERVING MACHINE are being returned under seperate cover. Renews his offer to consider any new novel for his line of specials. {Terry Carr > PKD, Nov 12, 1968}

BGSU Papers

Dear Terry,

    Thank you for the memo of November 6 in which you thank me for the copyrights on THE PRESERVING MACHINE. I am glad -- god, how I am glad -- that you can finish the matter, because it's items like that that destroy my will and curdle my brain tissue.

    {...}

As to famous persons seeing the proofs of THE PRESERVING MACHINE, in the fashion that I saw John Brunner's proofs for THE JAGGED ORBIT. I think Bob Silverberg would be a good one to send it to, and possibly Harlan (although he might excoriate it), and then Phil Farmer. Also, I have written to Roger Zelazny (with whom I am doing a collaboration for Doubleday) asking him if he has time -- he is very busy -- to read my collection. I should know very soon if he can do this. Maybe you can think up someone else. I'd trust your instincts in this matter far more than I would mine.

Nice to hear from you, and give my love to Carol. I hope you'll keep me informed as to the progress of THE PRESERVING MACHINE. I'd like very much, for example, to see a Xerox copy of the cover, when it's ready, and see the blurbs, too.

    Cordially,

                    Philip K. Dick
707 Hacienda Way, San Rafael, Calif 94903
{PKD > Terry Carr, 11-13-68}
{Thanks to Patrick Clark and the PKD Trust}

BGSU Papers

Asks if Phil wants to write an introduction to THE PRESERVING MACHINE. Remarks that "van Vogt says he wants to read the collection." {Terry Carr > PKD, Dec 19, 1968}

{See:The BGSU Papers.htm for more notes on THE PRESERVING MACHINE}

SL:38 246

{...}

{...} My most recent novel will be out May 9th, published by Doubleday, called, UBIK. It is a very strange one. And a full and successful collection of my stories, ranging from those written in 1951 up to the present, is being brought out by Ace in a week or so; I'm very proud of it (It's called THE PRESERVING MACHINE, and the editor has so carefully combed my 150 odd stories so as to make it appear that I'm a good short story writer, which I am not).
{...}
{PKD>Peter Fitting, Apr 29, 1969}

SL:38 262

A good deal of credit for PRESERVING MACHINE should go to Terry Carr, who rounded up all my stories (about 150), read all of them and then made what I regard as a superior choice as to what ought to go in the volume. He makes me look better than I am (...).
{PKD > John Jakes, June 8, 1969}

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