Or All the Seas with Oysters

by Avram Davidson

Supposing you were Dr. Morris Goldpepper, D.D.S., kidnapped and brought to a strange new planet, condemned to fashion sets of false teeth for its toothless inhabitants?

Supposing you owned a bicycle repair shop and the bicycles began to take on a strange new life of their own?

Supposing you found an antique telephone in a curiosity shop, dialed a number and were connected with George Washington?

Can you imagine the results?

Only Avram Davidson can, and he convincingly transports you to a world where past and future intermingle, where weird creatures and events rub shoulders with everyday reality.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Collections, Science Fiction Fantasy

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Avram Davidson was an American Jewish writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche. He won a Hugo Award and three World Fantasy Awards in the science fiction and fantasy genre, a World Fantasy Life Achievement award, and a Queen's Award and an Edgar Award in the mystery genre. Davidson edited The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1962 to 1964. His last novel The Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil was completed by Grania Davis and was a Nebula Award finalist in 1998. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says "he is perhaps sf's most explicitly literary author".

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining collection of eighteen short fictions by Avram Davidson that were first published 1954 - '60. All but three are from F & SF magazine, which Davidson went on to edit from 1962 - '64. Ironically, the best story is the titular one (which won the Hugo Award for the best of 1958), and it appeared in Galaxy magazine. The fantasy outweighs the science fiction, and almost all are amusing or whimsical in nature, many ending with a clever twist, pondering the deeper meaning of jump-rope chants or explaining where socks go when they're lost in dryers. (And coat hangers and safety pins... yikes!) Fans of Ron Goulart and Robert Sheckley will enjoy this collection.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can never find a safety-pin when you need one. You often open a closet, and discover a bunch of coat-hangers you don't recall putting there. And where do all these abandoned bicycles come from?

Well, I suppose the above facts might be completely unconnected. But, on the other hand...

[Tyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of short stories was WAY better than the previous Avram Davidson book I read. I am glad I was willing to try another book by this author. The stories here all involve regular people dealing with the supernatural or fantastic. How could you not love cannibalistic bicycles, dentists who want to save the world from aliens, and jump rope songs as magical spells?

The stories that really shine involve a lot of character development. My favorites include the following:

Or All the Seas With Oysters - Yes, cannibalistic bicycles!
Help! I am Dr. Morris Goldpepper - dentists who want to save the world from aliens
Negra Sum - a magic necklace, beautiful people becoming ugly, and ugly people becoming beautiful
My Boy Friend's Name Is Jello - jump rope songs as magical spells!
Author, Author - trite characters get revenge on the author who created them
The Woman Who Thought She Could Read - you really don't want to see the future

I would recommend this to anyone who likes a little bit of the fantastic in their fiction. This was a perfect read for the bus or during a rainy day.

[Alex Memus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Набор зарисовок в духе заглавного рассказа: они не особо страшные, переполнены лишними деталями и твисты слабенькие. Пожалуй, относительно удачный рассказ там только один: Help! I am Dr. Morris Goldpepper. В нем есть немножко фантастики и щепотка юмора, похоже на смесь Шекли и О'Генри. Ну и еще два рассказа можно было читать без боли: The Sixth Season и Author, Author.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll never look at my bikes the same way again, especially that fancy Bianchi racer I've restored...i better handle it with care, or else...gulp!

[Hikari · Rating 5 out of 5]

got scared at safety pins and hangers

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindwebs Audiobook 47 is the Title story from this book. Mindwebs says it is from “The Hugo Winners Volume 1” edited by Issac Asimov. An excellent inventive story about a pair of mismatched bike shop owners and the peculiar incidents related to a preposterous connection between missing safety pins, wire coat hangers and the French racing bike. The moral of the story seems to be, beware the bikes that march!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early collection of Davidson's stories. They are a mix of science fiction and fantasy, from an era where the two genres were less segregated. Many are quite funny, some are incredibly dark, and all have Davidson's characteristic twist endings. The stories are presented in approximate chronological order, and there is a bit of an arc from conventional mid-century sci-fi to Davidson's more recognizable, and quirky, voice.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 2 out of 5]

OR ALL THE SEAS WITH OYSTERS by Avram Davidson
I don’t really get the title, but anyway.
Carnivorous multi-breeding, multi-receding coat-hangers, paper-clips and a racing bike!

“How was it possible – he wondered then; he still did now – for people deliberately to hurt someone else who hadn’t hurt them? How was it possible?”

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considered by the small cult following of his as a better short story writer and in certain instances of this collection that is certainly the case. Yet given the numerous stories, many of them equal length the overall experience feels hampered since it is painfully obvious which stories are better.

[Lady Brainsample · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would explain all the socks that go missing.
Note: Read short story only.

[George Siehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A varied collection showcasing different topics, styles, and places. Most feature a closing "twist" that adds to the imaginative story telling.

[Jaguar · Rating 4 out of 5]

or all the seas with oysters only

[Ondřej Šefčík · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bizarní růžová obálka, vydání skoro neznámé, ale plne vynikajicich povidek... skrytý klenot!

[Mmmmm Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Fantastic. Read years ago and still thought about frequently

[Brother · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never trust a coat hanger.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

My top 3 favourites were: Or all the Seas with Oysters, Dragon (although he made a mistake with the translation of a fruit, I guess none of his editors knew Mandarin, no pun intended), The Woman who Thought She could Read.
The Sixth Season was a close runner-up but I found there were too many unnecessary dialogues and complicated jargons, I did love the reveal of the ending however.
I must say I came across this book from its mentioning from an anime, "Miss Bernard Said" in its first episode, I was so intrigued by such long and bizarre title that I immediately ordered it online, and it was quite a rare find, the paperback I received was an old book with yellow pages but has never been read, so as a book hoarder I'm very content to be its first reader if not first owner. In all, I give it 3.5 stars.

[Steven Vaughan-Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite uneven collection of science fiction/fantasy short stories. Some, such as the 1858 Hugo short story award winner, Or All the Seas with Oysters, Dagon, and The Montavarde Camera are great, but far too many of the rest were... OK. Davidson has a reputation for being a great stylist and I can see that. Unfortunately, he wasn't always at the top of his game.

[Larry · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few good stories in this anthology, but mostly they didn't click for me.

[Denise Rawling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very mixed bag of subject matter but all done with the wry Davidson touch- most enjoyable

[Aditya Patil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, where is science in it?