Someone Like You (short story collection)

Someone Like You is a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl. It was published in 1953 by Alfred Knopf.

Someone Like You

Dust-jacket from the first edition
Author	Roald Dahl
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Mystery, horror, science fiction
Publisher	Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date	1953
Media type	Print (hardback)
Pages	359 pp

Contents

• "Dip in the Pool"
• "Galloping Foxley"
• "Lamb to the Slaughter"
• "Man from the South"
• "Mr. Feasey"
• "Mr. Hoddy"
• "My Lady Love, My Dove"
• "Neck"
• "Nunc Dimittis"
• "Poison"
• "Rummins"
• "Skin"
• "Taste"
• "The Great Automatic Grammatizator"
• "The Ratcatcher"
• "The Soldier"
• "The Sound Machine"
• "The Wish"

Reception

Groff Conklin called Someone Like You "certainly the most distinguished book of short stories of 1953 ... all superb".[1] Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas praised the collection's "subtly devastating murder stories [as well as] two biting science-fantasties, plus a few unclassifiable gems" and concluded the volume "belong[ed] on your shelves somewhere in the Beerbohm/Collier/Saki section".[2]

Van Morrison's song Someone like you is named after this collection.[3]

Awards

• Edgar Award, 1954[2]

References

1. Conklin, Groff (May 1954). "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 129–133.
2. "Recommended Reading," F&SF, August 1954, p.79.
3. Van Morrison interview with Marty Whelan 4th Nov 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBbNsPbqbKU

Further reading

• Tuck, Donald H. (1974). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. p. 125. ISBN 0-911682-20-1.