Impostor


TTHC 389: Manuscript received at SMLA Feb 24, 1953.    

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Adjustment Team   Chronology James P. Crow

 

  • (1953 JUN) ASTOUNDING
(1953 JUN) ASTOUNDING {ill. by Pawelka}

(1953 NOV) ASTOUNDING {UK}
(1955) A HANDFUL OF DARKNESS, Rich & Cowan, hb,
(1955) SCIENCE FICTION TERROR TALES {ed. Conklin} Gnome, hb, $3.50
(1956) BEST SF 2 {Ed.: Crispin} Faber & Faber{UK} 15/-
(1956) THE END OF THE WORLD {Ed.: Wollheim} ACE, pb, S-183, $0.25
(1966) UNTRAVELLED WORLDS {Ed.: Barter, Wilson} MacMillan, pb, 7/6d
(1968) THE METAL SMILE {Ed.: Knight} Belmont, pb, B60-082, $0.60
(1969) DARK STARS {Ed.: Silverberg}  Ballantine, pb, 01796, $0.95
(1973) THE ASTOUNDING-ANALOG READER: VOL.2 {Ed.: Aldiss, Harrison}Doubleday, hb, $7.95
(1977) THE BEST OF PHILIP K. DICK, Ballantine, pb, 25359
(1977) SOULS IN METAL {Ed.: Ashley} St.Martin's, hb, $6.95
(1980) THE ARBOR HOUSE TREASURY OF MODERN SCIENCE FICTION, {Ed.: Silverberg, Greenberg} Arbor House, hb, $19.95
(1980) WIDE-ANGLE LENS {Ed.: Fenner} Morrow,

  • (1984) ROBOTS, ANDROIDS AND MECHANICAL ODDITIES
(1984) ROBOTS, ANDROIDS AND MECHANICAL ODDITIES,

(1984) PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE FICTION {Ed.: Phillips} Prometheus,
(1986) THE GREAT SF STORIES 15 {1953},{Ed.: Asimov, Greenberg} DAW,
(1987)SECOND VARIETY, Grafton?
(1990) WE CAN REMEMBER IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, Citadel Twilight,
(1987) GREAT SCIENCE FICTION OF THE 20TH CENTURY, Crown-Avenal,
(1990) INVASIONS {Ed.: Asimov, Greenberg, Waugh} Roc

pkd.gif (2857 bytes)

"Aliens come in all shapes, sizes and intentions in science fiction, but what if they looked like us? The shape-changer is a particularly frightening and dangerous creature because when he is present it becomes impossible to trust anyone, even friends or members of the family. It is this sense of increased vulnerability that makes Mr. Dick's story so terrifying. It is worth noting that he wrote it at the height of the "MaCarthyist" period in the United States" -- Introduction to "Impostor" in GREAT SF OF THE 20th CENTURY, ed. Silverberg & Greenberg

Levack     101

    Here was my first story on the topic of: Am I a human? Or am I just programmed to believe I am human? When you consider that I wrote this back in 1953, it was, if I may say so, a pretty damn good new idea in sf. Of course, by now I've done it to death. But the theme still preoccupies me. It's an important theme because it forces us to ask: What is a human? And -- what isn't. {PKD}


PKDS-13    16

Vaclav Kriz very kindly sent two items from Czechoslovakia: a copy of PKD's story "Votrelec" ("Impostor"), as it appeared in a 1986 anthology called Strateny Robot, of which 22,000 copies have been printed in hardcover for the Club of Young Readers... and a copy of the 1986 hardcover Temny Obraz (A SCANNER DARKLY), translated by Jan Kamenisty and published by Smena Publishing in a first edition of 50,000 copies!


BGSU?

Dear Sidney,

   Here are the German tax forms back for DO ANDROIDS DREAM. Thank you very much for the sale; I can use it.

    By the way -- as to the pictures of me. I may have forgotten to tell you that the portrait studio won't have them ready until June fifth. I hope the several publishers who've asked for them don't die of convulsions before that date, but there's nothing I can do to hurry the process up.

Thank you again and best wishes.

Cordially

Philip K. Dick

PS. Some time ago you notified me that you had sold something of mine (I believe The Impostor) to the BBC for something like $443. What ever happened to that? Do the mills of the gods grind that slow?

{PKD > Sidney Meredith, SMLA, 5-26-1968}


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