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Poison

Roald Dahl

First published June 1950
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

"The story is set in India during the time of British rule. The main character is Harry Pope and the narrator of the story is Timber Woods. He goes over to his friend Harry Pope's house. Harry is in bed, motionless, sweating, and in a panic. He claims to have a snake (the poisonous krait) on his stomach, underneath the covers. He asks Timber to go get a doctor. He calls Dr. Ganderbai, a local Indian doctor who rushes over as soon as possible. Timber and Ganderbai frantically try to get the snake off of Harry through various methods (which include sedating the snake and giving Harry an antivenin) . As the story progresses, it is revealed that there is in fact no snake on Harry." (Wikpedia)

First published in Collier's, June 1950.

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
June 1950 Cover Collier's, June 3, 1950 Crowell-Collier MAGAZINE 26
1953 Cover Someone Like You Alfred A. Knopf Collection
1954 Someone Like You Secker & Warburg Collection
1961 Cover Someone Like You Michael Joseph Collection
August 1961 Cover Someone Like You Dell Collection 137
1962 M'n liefje, m'n duifje Meulenhoff Collection 107
1963 Cover M'n liefje, m'n duifje Meulenhoff Collection 107
1965 Cover Someone Like You Four Square Books Collection
1965 Cover Someone Like You Dell Collection
March 1968 Cover The Third Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Fontana Anthology 89
July 1969 The Third Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Fontana Anthology 89
November 1969 Cover Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl Michael Joseph Omnibus
1970 Cover Someone Like You Penguin Books Collection 117
January 1971 Cover The Third Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Berkley Medallion Anthology 90
1972 Cover Someone Like You Pocket Books Collection
September 1973 Cover The Third Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Fontana Anthology 89
December 1974 Cover The Third Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Fontana Anthology 89
May 1977 Cover The Third Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories Fontana Anthology 89
September 1979 Cover Tales of the Unexpected Vintage Books Collection 411
1980 Cover More Tales of the Unexpected Penguin Books Collection 7
October 1980 Cover Küßchen, Küßchen! Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft Collection 307
1984 A Question of Blood: Stories of Prejudice Collins Educational Anthology 112
1985 Cover Rakkaani, kyyhkyläiseni / Joku kaltaisesi Suuri Suomalainen Kirjakerho Omnibus 193|13
September 1986 Cover Completely Unexpected Tales Penguin Books Omnibus
1987 Cover A Second Roald Dahl Selection Longman Collection 115
November 1989 Cover Someone Like You: and Other Short Stories Le Livre de Poche Collection 115
August 1990 Cover Tales of the Unexpected Vintage Books Collection
September 1991 The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl Michael Joseph Omnibus 532
October 2006 Cover Collected Stories Alfred A. Knopf Collection 259
December 2009 Cover Someone Like You Penguin Books Collection
December 2009 Cover Someone Like You Penguin Books Collection