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The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford and Other Classic Stories (The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick, Vol. 1) (Vol 1) Paperback – January 1, 1990
- Print length432 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCitadel
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1990
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100806511532
- ISBN-13978-0806511535
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Product details
- Publisher : Citadel (January 1, 1990)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0806511532
- ISBN-13 : 978-0806511535
- Item Weight : 1.2 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #960,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,346 in Science Fiction Anthologies (Books)
- #10,281 in Short Stories Anthologies
- #49,887 in American Literature (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Over a writing career that spanned three decades, Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) published 36 science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned toward deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film; notably: Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2007 the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.
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Fans of Dick will see early brushstrokes that were later transformed into masterpieces. There are a few post-apocalyptic stories here; this is a genre that Dick would revisit throughout the 1950s, as mounting hysteria, foreign and domestic, seemed to make war inevitable. There are also scheming insects (and even a murderous bath towel), vengeful teddy bears, sentient shoes, and world-weary computers. One of Dick's best qualities is that he can make the reader feel empathy for just about anyone-a dog barking for what seems to his owners like no reason, a teary-eyed Martian swine, or a hyper-evolved hamster. So reading this collection might, for some, be a bit of a workout. Unlike a novel, where the reader sees through the eyes of one or maybe two characters for 200+ pages, here you're walking in someone-or something-else's shoes every few pages. At times, it's almost intoxicating.
On to the stories: I'll just mention a few of my favorites, though they've all got positive qualities.
Stability, which is the first story Dick wrote, would be of interest just because of its priority, but it's worth a read strictly on its own merits. Dick creates a world where innovation is frozen, a la Rand's Anthem, inviting the reader to root for a young man with an invention. But, there is a very unexpected twist...
Roog, the first story Dick saw published, is a dog's eye view of the world that deserves a second read after reading Dick's note on the story in the appendix.
Beyond Lies the Wub is an incredible piece of short fiction that really makes you think. I read the story three times, and each time took something different away. Not to give anything away, but you'll definitely think twice before you eat your next steak.
The Infinites is a story that everyone who hated the infamous Star Trek: Voyager episode "Threshold" should read. Not to give anything away, but "Threshold" is one of several Trek stories based upon the erroneous idea that evolution is a teleological process, with an endpoint already mapped out in our genes. Here, Dick takes this idea, turns it on its head, and does something with it.
Variable Man combines a few Dickian favorites: omniscient computers, a constant war terror, and a wily, inarticulate everyman protagonist. Some elements of the plot are visible miles off, but the ending isn't.
Paycheck is a longish story with a typical Dickian hero and several elements that would later make it into We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, which was in turn the basis for Paul Verhoeven's excellent Total Recall. I think that it deserves a movie treatment of its own.
Colony takes paranoia to an absurdly high level. As Dick says in his note, it's one thing to think that your boss is plotting against you, and quite another to think that your boss's phone is plotting against you.
Nanny is a biting indictment of planned obsolescence. It was a true story in 1952, and an even truer one now.
All told, this is a great introduction to the writing of one of the acknowledged masters, and certainly belongs in the library of every PKD fan.
1. He constantly asks the (most important) question, "What is the nature of reality"?
2. He repeatedly states and offers evidence that the answer to the question "What does it mean to be human?" is the ability to feel empathy.
3. His plots involve such "ordinary" people, and have excellent character development - so you quickly get to understand them. Meanwhile, the story involves some bizarre science fiction device , idea, or condition, that he makes a part of this very normal human's world. You're quickly drawn in by the master.
PKD spent a significant amount of time thinking and writing about philosophy. In a way, reading his stories is an entertaining way of doing a survey of his take on the world's philosophical history without having to read (and understand) endless tomes of the great philosophers. You can see how this changes in PKD as you read different books in the Collected Stories series.
Philip makes it abundantly clear that he hates much of the stupidity that mankind inflicts on itself. War is a commonly expressed example of this. Of course, with the science fiction plot theme, he can easily spread examples of this through time, through the galaxy, and beyond (even to gods, other sentient races, etc).
As is tragically true so often with deep thinkers, Philip's life was far from carefree...As a consequence, and the fact that he's obviously a man bent on searching for TRUTH, his writing often has a dark underlying feeling. Comedy is sprinkled through the stories, but it too has a dark quality. Even the moments of greatest joy provide a somewhat bittersweet feeling, due to the background of the plot worlds. But again - reading PKD is not a dose of happy-pills, it is about TRUTH, whether pretty or not.
No matter who you are, these stories will make you think and I suspect learn a thing or two. They cover such a variety of plots that almost everyone is bound to be pleased by some, alarmed or saddened by others, and to feel a surge of empathy for some situations and realize that (bizarre as the situation may be) - this too is human.
I think it would be truly impossible for any thinking person to read and reflect on the 118 stories in the 5 volume series and come away completely unchanged. And for the vast majority of us (to borrow a PKD novel title) "Cosmic Puppets" with empathic capabilities, I'm betting the change will be for the better...






