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Back for Christmas

John Collier

First published October 1939
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Synopsis

Dr. Carpenter has been invited to lecture in America; his wife is making arrangements for the trip, the way she arranges everything in their lives. Before his departure Dr. Carpenter carries out a plan to murder his wife and hide her in the hole in the cellar that he'd told her was a new wine bin. Will he get away with it?

Notes

A non-genre murder story.

Publications (49)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
October 1939 The New Yorker; Oct 7, 1939 MAGAZINE
August 1941 The Pocket Book of Mystery Stories Pocket Books Anthology
1943 The Touch of Nutmeg and More Unlikely Stories The Press of the Readers Club Collection 55
1944 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Modern Library Anthology 253
1945 Green Thoughts and Other Strange Tales Editions for the Armed Services Collection
1947 The Golden Argosy: A Collection of the Most Celebrated Short Stories in the English Language The Dial Press Anthology 91
1947 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Hammond, Hammond & Co. Anthology 210
1947 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Modern Library Anthology 253
June 1948 The Unexpected Bantam Books Anthology 26
November 1951 Fancies and Goodnights Doubleday Collection 157
April 1953 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection 217
1955 The Golden Argosy: A Collection of the Most Celebrated Short Stories in the English Language The Dial Press Anthology 91
1956 The Golden Argosy Bantam Books Anthology
1957 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Hammond, Hammond & Co. Anthology 210
December 1957 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection 161
1958 Pictures in the Fire Rupert Hart-Davis Collection 96
1963 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection
1965 Of Demons and Darkness Corgi Books / Transworld Publishers Collection
1965 Fancies and Goodnights (selections) Time-Life Books Collection 165
1965 13 Ways to Kill a Man Dodd, Mead & Co. Anthology 225
1969 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection 182
1971 The Sixth Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Fontana Anthology 26
1971 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Hammond, Hammond & Co. Anthology 210
1972 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Hammond, Hammond & Co. Anthology 210
November 1972 The John Collier Reader Alfred A. Knopf Collection 322
September 1975 The Best of John Collier Pocket Books Collection
1977 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Book Club Associates Anthology 210
1978 The Sixth Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Fontana Anthology
1980 Fancies and Goodnights (selections) Time-Life Books Collection 165
March 1981 Fancies and Goodnights Doubleday / SFBC Collection 171
1982 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Hutchinson Anthology 210
1982 Murder for Christmas Mysterious Press Anthology
1983 Uncanny Tales of Unearthly and Unexpected Horrors Lodestar Books / Dutton Anthology 120
1984 Murder Most Foul Octopus Books Anthology 59
1987 Murder Most Foul Gallery Books / W. H. Smith Anthology 59
1988 Murder Most Foul Gallery Books / W. H. Smith Anthology 59
October 1989 Chillers for Christmas Michael O'Mara Books Anthology 164
October 1990 Chillers for Christmas Headline Anthology 164
November 1990 Chillers for Christmas Gallery Books / W. H. Smith Anthology 164
September 1993 The Television Late Night Horror Omnibus Orion Anthology 90
1994 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Modern Library Anthology 243
July 1994 The Television Late Night Horror Omnibus: Great Tales from TV Anthology Series Artus Books Anthology 90
September 1994 The Armchair Horror Collection: Great Tales from TV Anthology Series Orion Anthology 104
October 1994 Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Bracken Books Anthology 111
October 1994 Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Modern Library Anthology 243
1996 Tales of Terror and the Supernatural: A Classic Collection Leopard Anthology 111
2003 The Television Late Night Horror Omnibus Bounty Books Anthology 90
May 2003 Fancies and Goodnights New York Review of Books Collection 182
October 2021 American Christmas Stories The Library of America Anthology