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Jack-in-the-Box

Ray Bradbury

First published May 1947
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Edwin lives in a house with his mom and teacher. He watches the trees through the window but is unable to leave the house, as there are monsters out there, like the one that murdered his father.

While this story has no speculative components per se, it does contain some dystopian elements, as we are led to believe the boy is in some kind of isolated dystopia, and strong elements of psychological horror.

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
May 1947 Cover Dark Carnival Arkham House Collection 159
November 1951 Cover Avon Fantasy Reader, #17 Avon Novels, Inc. MAGAZINE 28
1955 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 173
1956 Cover The October Country Hart-Davis Collection 173
April 1956 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
1962 Cover The Small Assassin Ace UK Collection 67
March 1962 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
1964 The Small Assassin Four Square Books Collection 67
September 1964 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
September 1964 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
August 1965 Cover The Small Assassin Four Square Books Collection 67
February 1967 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
July 1968 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
June 1969 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
July 1970 Cover The October Country Alfred A. Knopf Collection 157
December 1970 Cover The Small Assassin New English Library Collection 67
February 1971 The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
July 1971 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
June 1972 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
February 1973 The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
May 1973 Cover The Small Assassin New English Library Collection 67
June 1973 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
January 1974 The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
November 1974 The October Country Alfred A. Knopf Collection 157
September 1975 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 156
February 1976 Cover The Small Assassin Panther Collection 80
1977 Cover Ghostly and Ghastly Beaver Books Anthology 170
1977 Cover Ghostly and Ghastly Beaver Books Anthology 170
June 1978 Cover The October Country Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 156
October 1980 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury Alfred A. Knopf Collection 412
December 1980 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury Alfred A. Knopf Collection 412
1981 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury Granada Collection 412
February 1981 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury Alfred A. Knopf Collection 412
March 1981 Cover The October Country Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 156
December 1982 The October Country Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 156
January 1983 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury, Volume 1 Granada Collection
1984 Cover The Small Assassin Panther / Granada Collection 80
1985 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury, Volume 1 Granada Collection
February 1985 The October Country Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 173
1986 Cover The Small Assassin Grafton Collection 80
1987 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury, Volume 1 Grafton Collection 656
October 1990 The Stories of Ray Bradbury Alfred A. Knopf Collection 412
1993 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 173
October 1996 Cover The October Country Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 173
October 1996 Cover The October Country Ballantine Books Collection 173
September 1997 Cover The October Country Gauntlet Press Collection
1998 Cover The October Country Earthlight Collection 173
September 1999 Cover The October Country Avon Books Collection 190
2001 Cover Dark Carnival Gauntlet Publications Collection 209
2001 Cover Dark Carnival Gauntlet Publications Collection 209
2001 Cover Dark Carnival Gauntlet Publications Collection 209
December 2008 The Ray Bradbury Gift Set PS Publishing Omnibus
December 2008 The Ray Bradbury Gift Set PS Publishing Omnibus
December 2008 Cover Ray Bradbury Stories Volume 1 HarperVoyager Collection
April 2010 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury Alfred A. Knopf Collection
April 2010 Cover The Stories of Ray Bradbury Alfred A. Knopf Collection 500
June 2012 Cover Ray Bradbury Stories Volume 1 Harper Voyager (UK) Collection
2014 Cover The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition: Volume 2: 1943-1944 Kent State University Press Collection 185
June 2018 Cover The October Country Recorded Books Collection |190