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The Chaser

John Collier

First published December 1940
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Synopsis

"Alan Austen seeks a love potion to cause the girl of his dreams, who is presently completely indifferent to his advances, to want him passionately, completely. The love potion is extraordinarily inexpensive—one dollar. The 'salesman' suggests that after the love potion has taken hold, she will become possessive, and, after many years, Alan will be willing to pay big bucks—$5,000 for a teaspoonful—of the salesman's 'glove cleaner.' Alan delightedly takes his love potion and the salesman bids him 'au revoir,' meaning, 'I will see you again.'" (RayS)

Publications (37)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
December 1940 The New Yorker, December 28, 1940 MAGAZINE
January 1941 Presenting Moonshine The Viking Press Collection 323
January 1941 Presenting Moonshine Macmillan of Canada Collection
January 1941 Presenting Moonshine Macmillan and Co. Collection
1943 The Touch of Nutmeg and More Unlikely Stories The Press of the Readers Club Collection 91
1944 Pause to Wonder Julian Messner Anthology 305
1945 Green Thoughts and Other Strange Tales Editions for the Armed Services Collection
April 1946 And the Darkness Falls World Publishing Co. Anthology 446
June 1948 The Unexpected Bantam Books Anthology 270
November 1951 Fancies and Goodnights Doubleday Collection 362
August 1952 50 Great Short Stories Bantam Books Anthology |20
April 1953 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection 503
1957 Presenting Moonshine Rupert Hart-Davis Collection 190
March 1957 Stories for the Dead of Night Dell Anthology 53
December 1957 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection 372
1963 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection
March 1963 Stories Selected from the Unexpected Bantam Books Anthology 181
1965 Fancies and Goodnights (selections) Time-Life Books Collection 325
April 1967 Stories for the Dead of Night Dell Laurel-Leaf Anthology 45
1969 Fancies and Goodnights Bantam Books Collection 403
November 1972 The John Collier Reader Alfred A. Knopf Collection 508
1974 Fantasy: Shapes of Things Unknown Scott, Foresman and Company Anthology 313
September 1975 The Best of John Collier Pocket Books Collection
1976 Tales of Mystery and the Unknown Globe Book Company Anthology 97
1976 Fantasy: Shapes of Things Unknown Scott, Foresman and Company Anthology 313
1977 Tales of Mystery and Suspense Allyn & Bacon Anthology 257
August 1978 50 Great Short Stories Bantam Books Anthology 461
1980 Fancies and Goodnights (selections) Time-Life Books Collection 325
1981 Twisters Fontana Anthology 71
March 1981 Fancies and Goodnights Doubleday / SFBC Collection 394
1983 Tales of Mystery and Suspense Allyn & Bacon Anthology 257
August 1983 75 Short Masterpieces: Stories from the World's Literature Bantam Books Anthology 46
May 1993 The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales Oxford University Press Anthology 318
June 1993 The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales Oxford University Press Anthology 318
August 1994 The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales Oxford University Press Anthology 318
October 1994 The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales Oxford University Press Anthology 318
May 2003 Fancies and Goodnights New York Review of Books Collection 415