Meddler (short story)
Encyclopedia
"Meddler" is a science fiction
short story
by Philip K. Dick
. It was first published in Future Science Fiction
, October, 1954 with illustration by Virgil Finlay
. Dick had submitted many short stories to magazines and made approximately fifteen sales before becoming a client of the Scott Meredith Literary Agency. This was his second SMLA submission, received by SMLA on July 24, 1952. His first SMLA submission was The Builder, received by SMLA on July 23, 1952.
protection for Future, October, 1954 and its contents was created under Registration Number B00000492555. "Meddler" is in the public domain
in the United States
because it was published in the United States between January 1, 1950 and December 31, 1963 but copyright was not renewed with the US Copyright Office within a year period beginning on December 31 of the 27th year of the copyright and running through December 31 of the following year. When renewal registration was not made within the statutory time limit copyright expired at the end of its first term and protection was lost permanently. After the author's death, "Meddler" was falsely included in renewal Registration Number RE0000190631 (1983-11-22) War veteran, and other contributions by Philip K. Dick, as "(In Future, Oct. 1955) Meddler. Pub. 1955-09-27; B00000559886." This created the deceptive appearance that "Meddler" is still under United States copyright protection.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
. It was first published in Future Science Fiction
Future Science Fiction
Future Science Fiction was an American science fiction pulp magazine that was published under a number of different names between 1939 and 1943 and again from 1950 to 1960.- Publication history :...
, October, 1954 with illustration by Virgil Finlay
Virgil Finlay
Virgil Finlay was an American pulp fantasy, science fiction and horror illustrator. While he worked in a range of media, from gouache to oils, Finlay specialized in, and became famous for, detailed pen-and-ink drawings accomplished with abundant stippling, cross-hatching, and scratchboard techniques...
. Dick had submitted many short stories to magazines and made approximately fifteen sales before becoming a client of the Scott Meredith Literary Agency. This was his second SMLA submission, received by SMLA on July 24, 1952. His first SMLA submission was The Builder, received by SMLA on July 23, 1952.
Synopsis
A government Council illegally makes Time Dips into the future with escalation of adverse consequences following each time-dip. The protagonist, Hasten, is sent in a Time Car as a last-ditch attempt to learn how this meddling worked its destructive force and how to correct the problem. Hasten eventually learns his return trip is apparently the ultimate cause.About the story
In the October 1954 issue of Future Science Fiction, Dick wrote about Meddler:
Within the beautiful lies the ugly, you can see in this rather crude story the germ of my whole theme that nothing is what it seems. The story should be read as a trial run on my part; I was just beginning to grasp that obvious form and latent form are not the same thing.
United States
CopyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
protection for Future, October, 1954 and its contents was created under Registration Number B00000492555. "Meddler" is in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
because it was published in the United States between January 1, 1950 and December 31, 1963 but copyright was not renewed with the US Copyright Office within a year period beginning on December 31 of the 27th year of the copyright and running through December 31 of the following year. When renewal registration was not made within the statutory time limit copyright expired at the end of its first term and protection was lost permanently. After the author's death, "Meddler" was falsely included in renewal Registration Number RE0000190631 (1983-11-22) War veteran, and other contributions by Philip K. Dick, as "(In Future, Oct. 1955) Meddler. Pub. 1955-09-27; B00000559886." This created the deceptive appearance that "Meddler" is still under United States copyright protection.