Notes
In the introduction to this story in I Got References Kersh writes that the story is based on the life of the arms dealer Basil Zaharoff. He claims that it was rejected for publication for being too far-fetched so in frustration he "piled fantasy on fantasy" and "turned the ending into a delirium" and the result was promptly accepted for publication.
Publications (17)
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Courier, Summer 1938 | Norman Kark Publications | MAGAZINE | |
| October 1939 | I Got References | Michael Joseph | Collection | 242 |
| October 1939 | I Got References | S. J. R. Saunders | Collection | |
| October 1944 | The Horrible Dummy and Other Stories | William Heinemann | Collection | 20 |
| April 1947 | I Got References | William Heinemann | Collection | |
| September 1958 | London Mystery Selection, September 1958 | Norman Kark Publications | MAGAZINE | 95 |
| 1972 | The Seventh Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories | Fontana | Anthology | 24 |
| May 1979 | The Seventh Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories | Fontana | Anthology | |
| September 1981 | 65 Great Tales of Horror | Octopus Books | Anthology | 339 |
| 1982 | 65 Great Tales of Horror | Octopus Books | Anthology | 339 |
| 1984 | The Penguin Book of Horror Stories | Penguin Books | Anthology | 443 |
| 1985 | The Penguin Book of Horror Stories | Penguin Books | Anthology | 443 |
| October 1985 | The Penguin Book of Horror Stories | Viking UK | Anthology | |
| October 1987 | The Penguin Book of Horror Stories | Penguin Books | Anthology | 443 |
| 1991 | The Penguin Book of Horror Stories | Bloomsbury | Anthology | |
| November 2006 | The World, the Flesh, & the Devil: Fantastical Writings Volume 1 | Ash-Tree Press | Collection | 32 |
| October 2013 | The Horrible Dummy and Other Stories | Faber and Faber | Collection | 20 |