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FIRST PUBLICATION

•   Fantastic Universe, Oct-Nov 1953 {as by ‘Richard Phillips’}

HISTORY:

      The first story to arrive at the SMLA in November 1952 was "Some Kinds Of Life" (originally titled "The Beleagured") which reached the SMLA the same day as that for "Progeny" on Nov 3, 1952. It was published under a pseudonym – ‘Richard Phillips’ – in Fantastic Universe in the Oct-Nov issue in 1953. The reason for the pseudonym seems to be that the same issue of Fantastic Universe also carried the short story "Planet For Transients" by Philip K. Dick. I guess it wasn’t done to have two stories by the same writer in the same magazine at the same time.

    But other than this appearance, "Some Kinds Of Life" lay dormant for 34 years until the second volume of THE COLLECTED STORIES in 1987.

    This again is surprising to me as this story hits pretty hard at rampant consumerism. Perhaps PKD overdoes the ridiculous inevitability of the disaster if things are taken to their ultimate conclusion but in "Some Kinds Of Life" that’s where they end up. This story is something like one of Fred Pohl’s anti-commercialism stories but on a cramped scale.

    "Some Kinds Of Life" rates ô ô ô ô

Other Magazine and Athology Apperances.    More Cover Pix Here:

TTHC 265:

Only one of Dick's stories was published under a pseudonym, "Some Kinds Of Life," in the Fantastic Universe for October 1953, credited to one Richard Phillipps. This, however, only seems to have happened because the same issue of Fantastic Universe carried "Planet For Transients" -- by Philip K. Dick. {...}

Collector’s Notes

    As this issue of Fantastic Universe contains two Philip K. Dick short stories you will certainly be getting a bargain if you can find a copy in VG condition for less than $10.

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