Before you is the first volume of the complete collection of stories and novellas by one of the most outstanding innovators of science fiction - Philip K. Dick. On the pages of this book you will get acquainted with the early work of the writer, revealing his interests, ideas and search for methods that turned “tabloid” fiction into original and sometimes paranoid pictures, full of satire, not devoid of humor and brought to the point of absurdity. In the first volume of Philip’s collected stories K. Dick includes works written in 1947-1952, some of which are accompanied by comments from the author himself. The publication is supplemented by a foreword and comments by Philip K. Dick himself. “You see, what’s the thing: being a writer is... Well, that’s how it is in that time when I asked one of my friends what he thought he would do after graduating from college, and he answered: “I’ll join a pirate,” and he wasn’t joking at all.” – Philip K. Dick “Philip K. Dick is an author we simply cannot do without. If Dick didn't exist, he would have to be invented." – Jonathan Lethem “We science fiction fans—I’m speaking now as a reader, not as a writer—read it precisely for the love of a certain chain reaction, of images born of ideas contained in the book we read. And as a result, the best science fiction turns into a collaboration between the author and the reader, a creative union that brings both genuine pleasure and joy from learning new things.” – Philip K. Dick