THE LITTLE MOVEMENT

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Number	Writing Date	Pub. Date	Previous	Next	Notes
5	March 1952	Nov 1952	Beyond Lies The Wub	The Skull	3700 wds

F & SF, Nov 1952

HISTORY:

Records at F & SF state that "The Little Movement" was accepted at the magazine on Feb 15, 1952. But although accepted earlier, Dick was still working on the story on March 5, 1952 and still at it by March 19, 1952 when he wrote again to the editors at F & SF:

"The Little Movement" -- a brand new pretty typed-up version with a few minor changes only, all for the good, I think. It's much smoother.

{...}

(If "Little Movement" comes back with a rejection slip, I'll have a stroke)

Philip K. Dick was proud of this short story and in 1958, six years after the initial correspondence between Dick and Boucher, "The Little Movement" figured again. Boucher was looking for a short story for an anthology he was working on and Dick suggested "The Little Movement (along with "Foster, You’re Dead!" and "Beyond Lies The Wub"):"

What about some of those short fantasies that you printed of mine? Or is this a strictly s-f collection? If I live to be 100 I'll never write anything as good as those, again. Especially LITTLE MOVEMENT. When I read that, I marvel that I could have written it. Ah, the inspiration of youth ...

Boucher took no heed of PKD’s suggestions selecting instead "The Father-Thing" for his anthology, A TREASURY OF GREAT SCIENCE FICTION, Vol. 1, Doubleday, 1959.

"The Little Movement" was published in F & SF in the Nov 1952 issue and, like "Expendable" was selected for PKD’s first major collection, A HANDFUL OF DARKNESS published in Great Britain by Rich & Cowan in 1955. Since then it has appeared in a couple of anthologies.

In this story tiny aliens in the shape of toy soldiers infiltrate a family household with plans to take over the world. Unfortunately for them, though, the toys that are already there don’t take kindly to aliens and Teddo the teddy bear leads the fight to oust them.

"The Little Movement" rates ô ô ô ô

Other Magazine and Anthology Appearances More Cover Pix here:

1955 A HANDFUL OF DARKNESS, Rich & Cowan, hb, ?,1955,?, ? (?)

1982 THE EUREKA YEARS, Bantam, pb,?, 1982 ?, ? (?) {Ed. Annette Pelz McComas}

1984 ROBOTS, ANDROIDS AND MECHANICAL ODDITIES, ?, hb. ?,?,? (?)

1987 THE COLLECTED STORIES OF PKD, Vol. 1

NOTES:

SL-38 21

Dear Mr. Boucher,

    Here is a new page 11 for "He Who Waits." I hope it does. {...}
    As to the title: how about "Protection." Or: "The Protectors." Or: "Protection Agency." etc., etc. I like the last. We seem to have plenty of time to decide, if the first "Dick" is coming out in August. I wonder if perhaps this yarn wouldn't be the best "first." "Roog" is more ordinary; its kind is common. This one (and "Little Movement") is more my own kind of story. I'll leave it to you.

{...} {PKD>Tony Boucher, Mar 5, 1952}

SL-38 22

Dear Sirs,

    {...}

    "The Little Movement" -- a brand new pretty typed-up version with a few minor changes only, all for the good, I think. It's much smoother.

    {...}

    (If "Little Movement" comes back with a rejection slip, I'll have a stroke) {PKD>The Editors of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar 19, 1952}

SL-38 42

Dear Tony,

    It occurs to me that if you're looking for a story of mine to include in the treasury of s-f, in my opinion my story FOSTER, YOU'RE DEAD is about my best. It appeared in the Star S-F Anthology Number Three.
    By the way -- the above mentioned story was picked up by Ogonek, the largest circulation Soviet weekly (1,500,00). They even drew a number of archaic, foul illustrations for it ... so I have more readers in the USSR than in this country. An odd situation. I never got a cent for the reprint; I wrote to Ogonek, asking for a copy of the magazine, but they didn't answer the letter.
    What about some of those short fantasies that you printed of mine? Or is this a strictly s-f collection? If I live to be 100 I'll never write anything as good as those, again. Especially LITTLE MOVEMENT. When I read that, I marvel that I could have written it. Ah, the inspiration of youth ...

Cordially, PKD

    PS. How about "Beyond Lies The Wub?" Planet Stories, July 1952. Never been reprinted, & virtually unknown. Not a half-bad story. {PKD>Tony Boucher, Oct 29, 1958}

Collector’s Notes

Rudy’s Books: "The Little Movement" F & SF, Nov 1952. VG+. $10

Credits    Navigation      philipdick.com     Novels    Short Stories     References

1955		A HANDFUL OF DARKNESS, Rich & Cowan, hb, ?,1955,?, ? (?)
1982		THE EUREKA YEARS, Bantam, pb,?, 1982 ?, ? (?) {Ed. Annette Pelz McComas}
1984		ROBOTS, ANDROIDS AND MECHANICAL ODDITIES, ?, hb. ?,?,? (?)
1987		THE COLLECTED STORIES OF PKD, Vol. 1