What do you think?
Rate this book
The Complete Short Stories: Volume 4
Following The Folio Society’s publication of some of Philip K. Dick’s most celebrated novels, including The Man in the High Castle, Ubik, A Scanner Darkly & Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the author’s estate approached the team with a new idea – an edition of all 118 pieces of short fiction. The result is The Complete Short Stories, a four-volume set celebrating the extraordinary creative output of a singular mind.
Limited to 750 copies, this box set features a dizzying array of elements, from the two-part presentation box and bindings, designed by independent studio La Boca, to the carefully chosen endpapers and eye-popping color scheme. Twenty-four illustrators were commissioned to create one image each for a Philip K. Dick short story chosen specially for them. A work of art on every level, The Complete Short Stories is the definitive edition – an essential set not only for science-fiction aficionados, but for anyone with a passion for illustrative art and 20th century literature.
Limited to 750 hand-numbered copies
Bindings designed by La Boca and bound in Duchesse cloth screen-printed with fluorescent inks
The text of this edition follows that of the five-volume Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick published in the UK by Millennium in 1999–2000, with minor emendations. Jonathan Lethem’s fascinating introduction has been revised by the author from a piece originally published in 2002.
VOLUME 4
Orpheus with Clay Feet • The Days of Perky Pat • Stand-By • What’ll We Do with Ragland Park? • Oh, To Be a Blobel! • The Little Black Box • The War with the Fnools • A Game of Unchance • Precious Artifact • Retreat Syndrome • A Terran Odyssey • Your Appointment Will Be Yesterday • Holy Quarrel • We Can Remember It for You Wholesale • Not By Its Cover • Return Match • Faith of Our Fathers • The Story to End All Stories for Harlan Ellison’s Anthology Dangerous Visions • The Electric Ant • Cadbury, The Beaver Who Lacked • A Little Something for Us Tempunauts • The Pre-Persons • The Eye of the Sibyl • The Day Mr Computer Fell Out of Its Tree • The Exit Door Leads In • Chains of Air, Web of Aether • Strange Memories of Death • I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon • Rautavaara’s Case • The Alien Mind
4 volumes
24 illustrations in total by 24 artists, printed on Arctic Volume Ivory paper
2,560 text pages in total
Set in Mentor with Futura display
Text printed on Abbey Pure FSC certified paper
Title pages and contents printed in two colours
Coloured page edges
Ribbon markers
Four volumes each 9¾" x 6¾"
Presented in a two-part box designed by La Boca
Limited to 750 copies, this box set features a dizzying array of elements, from the two-part presentation box and bindings, designed by independent studio La Boca, to the carefully chosen endpapers and eye-popping color scheme. Twenty-four illustrators were commissioned to create one image each for a Philip K. Dick short story chosen specially for them. A work of art on every level, The Complete Short Stories is the definitive edition – an essential set not only for science-fiction aficionados, but for anyone with a passion for illustrative art and 20th century literature.
Limited to 750 hand-numbered copies
Bindings designed by La Boca and bound in Duchesse cloth screen-printed with fluorescent inks
The text of this edition follows that of the five-volume Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick published in the UK by Millennium in 1999–2000, with minor emendations. Jonathan Lethem’s fascinating introduction has been revised by the author from a piece originally published in 2002.
VOLUME 4
Orpheus with Clay Feet • The Days of Perky Pat • Stand-By • What’ll We Do with Ragland Park? • Oh, To Be a Blobel! • The Little Black Box • The War with the Fnools • A Game of Unchance • Precious Artifact • Retreat Syndrome • A Terran Odyssey • Your Appointment Will Be Yesterday • Holy Quarrel • We Can Remember It for You Wholesale • Not By Its Cover • Return Match • Faith of Our Fathers • The Story to End All Stories for Harlan Ellison’s Anthology Dangerous Visions • The Electric Ant • Cadbury, The Beaver Who Lacked • A Little Something for Us Tempunauts • The Pre-Persons • The Eye of the Sibyl • The Day Mr Computer Fell Out of Its Tree • The Exit Door Leads In • Chains of Air, Web of Aether • Strange Memories of Death • I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon • Rautavaara’s Case • The Alien Mind
4 volumes
24 illustrations in total by 24 artists, printed on Arctic Volume Ivory paper
2,560 text pages in total
Set in Mentor with Futura display
Text printed on Abbey Pure FSC certified paper
Title pages and contents printed in two colours
Coloured page edges
Ribbon markers
Four volumes each 9¾" x 6¾"
Presented in a two-part box designed by La Boca
- GenresScience Fiction
615 pages, Hardcover
Published April 6, 2021
About the author
Philip K. Dick
1,937 books23.2k followersPhilip Kindred Dick was a prolific American science fiction author whose work has had a lasting impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Known for his imaginative narratives and profound philosophical themes, Dick explored the nature of reality, the boundaries of human identity, and the impact of technology and authoritarianism on society. His stories often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging readers to question their perceptions and beliefs.
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick's most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott's iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick's legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His wor
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick's most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott's iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick's legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His wor
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 9, 2022
A Twitter thread with my reviews of each of the short stories in this magnificently designed Folio Society edition.
https://twitter.com/M_A_Frasca/status...
https://twitter.com/M_A_Frasca/status...
Displaying 1 of 1 review