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The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford
"I have something to show you," Doc Labyrinth said. From his coat pocket he gravely drew forth a matchbox. He held the matchbox tightly, his eyes fixed on it. "You're about to see the most momentous thing in all modern science. The world will shake and shudder." "Let me see," I said. It was late, past midnight. Outside my house rain was falling on the deserted streets. I watched Doc Labyrinth as he carefully pushed the matchbox open with his thumb, just a crack. I leaned over to see.
404 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1954
55 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
2,006 books22.5k 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 work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
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 work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 5, 2019
First published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (January 1954), “The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford” was written simultaneously with “The Preserving Machine,” the other Doc Labyrinth story, but, whereas “Machine” was eerie and philosophical, a small early Dick masterpiece, “Oxford” is at best whimsical and slight, a pleasant but forgettable story.
It tells how one wet brown oxford shoe, mistakenly placed to dry in Doc’s new invention the “animator” (which looks a lot like a small oven), is brought to life. The conduct of the elusive, love starved shoe constitutes the heart of the tale.
I doubt this story makes it onto anybody’s list of essentials, but it does possess a certain charm.
July 16, 2017
On a Shoestring
The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford is a whimsical story Dick first published in 1954, in “The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction”. Like in The Preserving Machine, we have a first person narrator and Professor Rupert Labyrinth, a scientist who makes strange inventions. This time, the story revolves around a machine that brings inanimate objects to life, on the basis of the Principle of Sufficient Irritation, i.e. the assumption, which is proven right in the story, that inanimate objects come to life if you irritate them for a while.
Well, I must admit that there is a grain of truth in this Principle in that most people probably never feel so much alive as when they are indignant at or angry with somebody or something. Just think of all the social justice warriors out there. And so, I think Dick’s idea of Sufficient Irritation a clever and tongue-in-cheek idea. The story itself, though, is not on a par with The Preserving Machine. The narrator’s inadvertently bringing one of his shoes to life and the ensuing events are apt to amuse but as a whole, the story will hardly linger in your memory for a long while.
The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford is a whimsical story Dick first published in 1954, in “The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction”. Like in The Preserving Machine, we have a first person narrator and Professor Rupert Labyrinth, a scientist who makes strange inventions. This time, the story revolves around a machine that brings inanimate objects to life, on the basis of the Principle of Sufficient Irritation, i.e. the assumption, which is proven right in the story, that inanimate objects come to life if you irritate them for a while.
Well, I must admit that there is a grain of truth in this Principle in that most people probably never feel so much alive as when they are indignant at or angry with somebody or something. Just think of all the social justice warriors out there. And so, I think Dick’s idea of Sufficient Irritation a clever and tongue-in-cheek idea. The story itself, though, is not on a par with The Preserving Machine. The narrator’s inadvertently bringing one of his shoes to life and the ensuing events are apt to amuse but as a whole, the story will hardly linger in your memory for a long while.
April 26, 2018
I'm going through all 121 short stories of PKD. This one was a simple attempt at humor. But, just didn't resonate with me.
February 13, 2021
Humourous and animatedly. A tickle scary too.
July 10, 2022
Cute story
December 27, 2023
la vida efimera y feliz del zapato marron
meh
meh
May 21, 2009
A silly story, gave me a good laugh.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews